Campbellford is an unincorporated place and former town in
Northumberland County,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, in the
township municipality
The following is a list of the types of local and supralocal territorial units in Quebec, including those used solely for statistical purposes, as defined by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and compiled by the Inst ...
of
Trent Hills
The Municipality of Trent Hills is a township municipality in Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberland County in Central Ontario, Canada. It is on the Trent River (Ontario), Trent River and was created in 2001 through the amalgamation of t ...
. It lies approximately midway between
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. It is situated on both the
Trent-Severn Waterway and the
Trans Canada Trail
The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the A ...
. It can be reached from
Highway 401
King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one,
is a controlled-access 400-series highway in the Canadian provin ...
by exiting at Brighton (exit 509) and going north on County Road 30. It can also be reached from Highway 7 at the Havelock exit going south (also on County Road 30). Campbellford is surrounded by prime agricultural land which is home to many farms. In recent years, some of the town's agricultural sector has diversified into non-traditional areas such as bison farming, rare breeds farming and there are many horse farms in the area. The town has a farmers market that is open two days a week in the summer.
History
Campbellford traces its history back to 1834, when the first homesteaders arrived in the area. Once very wealthy, it is still known today for its many fine Victorian homes. Campbellford became a town in 1906 (Trent Hills Visitor Guide, 2009, p. 13). About 70 years earlier, "the British government gave two brothers, Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Campbell and Major David Campbell, 1800 acres of land to settle in an area named for the Duke of Northumberland's wife Lady Elizabeth Seymour" (Trent Hills Visitors Guide, 2009, p. 13). The Trent River (long before it became a canal) meandered through the Campbell property and, not far from the current town centre, the river was shallow enough for crossing. The river crossing came to be known as "Campbell's Ford." In 1876 the Village of Campbellford was created and then became a town in 1906. Its centennial was celebrated in 2006. In 2001, Campbellford,
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
and
Warkworth amalgamated to form the Municipality of Trent Hills.
Local information
Campbellford Memorial Hospital
The Campbellford Memorial Hospital is an Ontario class C and class G 34-bed hospital in the community of Campbellford, municipality of Trent Hills, Northumberland County in central Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1953, is part of the Central Eas ...
is the largest employer in the community, and the only hospital located between Belleville and Peterborough. It is a teaching practice affiliated with the
University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
The Temerty Faculty of Medicine (previously Faculty of Medicine) is the medical school of the University of Toronto. Founded in 1843, the faculty is based in Downtown Toronto and is one of Canada's oldest institutions of medical studies, being k ...
.
In the summer, Campbellford's population swells with tourists taking advantage of the local lakes and waterways, trails and camping areas. In the winter, snowmobiling is a popular attraction.
Ferris Provincial Park
Ferris Provincial Park is a provincial park in northeastern Northumberland County in Ontario, Canada. The park occupies an area of next to the Trent River in Campbellford
Campbellford is an unincorporated place and former town in Northumbe ...
is located on the Trent River a short distance south of Campbellford.
Campbellford is a stop on the
Trent-Severn Waterway, an important inland water transportation network, and is situated between the Ranney Falls Flight Lock (Locks 11 and 12) and the Campbellford Lock (13) of this system.
[Angus, James T. ''A Respectable Ditch: A History of the Trent-Severn Waterway 1833–1920''. McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal and Kingston, 1988.]
Campbellford is home to the radio station
CKOL-FM.
The town has a high statue of a
toonie
The toonie (also spelled twonie or twoonie), formally the Canadian two-dollar coin (, nicknamed or ), was introduced on February 19, 1996, by Minister of Public Works Diane Marleau. , it possesses the highest monetary value of any circulating ...
, which was designed by local artist
Brent Townsend
Brent Townsend is a Canadian nature artist who in 1996 designed the portrait of a polar bear in early summer on an ice floe that appears on the current Canadian 2 dollar coin. Born in Toronto, Townsend lives in Campbellford, Ontario
Campbellf ...
.
Notable residents
*
Escott Reid
Escott Graves Meredith Reid, CC (January 21, 1905 – September 28, 1999), was a Canadian diplomat who helped shape the United Nations and NATO, author, international public servant and academic administrator.
Early life and education
Born i ...
(1905–1999), Canadian diplomat and
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
recipient
*
W. F. Taylor
William Franklin Taylor (May 16, 1877April 12, 1945) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He was the founding president of both the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association in 1914, and also s ...
(1877–1945), founding president of the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...
Gallery
File:Trent River at Campbellford.jpg, The Trent River passing through Campbellford, Ontario.
Campbellford Town Office-Campbellford-Ontario-20210903.jpg, Campbellford Town Office
References
External links
Municipality of Trent Hills
{{authority control
Communities in Northumberland County, Ontario
Populated places disestablished in 2001
Former towns in Ontario
2001 disestablishments in Ontario