Exeter is a community in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, located approximately 40 kilometres north of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The community proclaims itself the "Home of the White

Squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

", owing to the presence of the unusually-coloured mammals. Exeter's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

, "Willis The White Wonder", can be seen at many community events throughout the year, including

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

celebrations, the Exeter Rodeo, and the Santa Claus Parade.

History

Exeter was first settled in the winter of 1832 by the Irish settlers James and Jane Willis. By 1853, Exeter had grown into a community of over 300 with the help of Isaac Carling bringing immigrants from the

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

and

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

areas of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The original Carling homestead, a designated historical landmark still stands on Huron St.W. It was on July 1, 1873, when the settlements north and south of the Ausable River (Francistown and Exeter respectively) merged to form the Village of Exeter. The first written reference to Exeter was by Rev. William Proudfoot who passed through the area in 1833. He described the area as having "excellent soil" with the trees "being chiefly maple, elm, oak, ironwood and black ash". When he passed through the area through London Road, which was barely a trail, there were only two dwellings in what is now Exeter. They were the homes of James Willis and William McConnell. Proudfoot spent the night in McConnell's home which also served as a tavern for the area. Railway service arrived in Exeter in the 1870s. This was in the form of the London, Huron and Bruce Railway. Incorporated in 1871, it was leased to the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

in 1873, which also provided financial guarantees for its construction costs. Completed in 1876, it was built northward from a junction near London, crossing the original

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

mainline (later the CN Forest Subdivision) at Lucan Crossing, the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway (later the CN Goderich Subdivision) at Clinton Junction, and terminating at Wingham Junction with the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway. It passed through Exeter on its way from Lucan Crossing to Clinton Junction. A rail yard existed in Exeter by 1949, as well as a spur line serving the Exeter Produce and Storage Company. By this time, the railway had come under the management of the Grand Trunk conglomerate and, later, the

Canadian National Railways The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

(CN). The line was later sold to the Goderich-Exeter Railway (GEXR) in 1991. Exeter eventually became a town of over 4,700 people. Paintings of some of Exeter's historical citizens, by the late artist Harry Burke, may be seen at the Exeter Legion Hall. Exeter was damaged by an F2 tornado on December 12, 1946.

Transportation

Sir Wilfrid Laurier speaking from the platform of a railway observation car during the federal election campaign

Exeter is located on the north-south Highway 4. At the north end of the community, Highway 4 intersects with County Road 83. This intersection of Highway 4 and County Road 83 is the busiest intersection in Huron County.

Freight train A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...

service is provided by the Goderich-Exeter Railway, connecting to

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

service at

, Stratford and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The line running through Exeter is most commonly used by the Hensall District Co-Operative. For

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

, Exeter is served by the nearby Sexsmith/Exeter Airport along with the Centralia/James T. Field Memorial Aerodrome. Exeter is served by scheduled bus service to

Owen Sound Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...

and

Organizations

Exeter is home to many community organizations including: * The Cultural Collective * The Exeter BIA * The Exeter Lions Club * The Huron Waves Music Festival * The Exeter Farmers Market * The Independent Order of Oddfellows * The South Huron Hospital Foundation * The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority *The South Huron Community Choirs: Adult and Handbells

Media

*''

Exeter Times-Advocate The ''Exeter Lakeshore Times-Advance'' is a weekly local newspaper, published in the town of Exeter, Ontario. It serves the counties of Huron, Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county i ...

'' - Exeter's local newspaper, owned by Metroland Publishing. This paper publishes once-weekly, on Wednesdays. *''The Examiner'' - Formerly the ''Exeter Examiner'', first issue published in 2015. This paper is not associated with the ''Times-Advocate'' and serves the larger area around Exeter. *

Cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

is provided by

Eastlink TV Eastlink Community TV is the brand for Eastlink (company), Eastlink's Community channel (Canada), community channels that serve Northern Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. As of 2009, the compa ...

and includes local community station ETM Television. * CKXM-FM 90.5 "myFM" - Exeter and area local news coverage, adult contemporary music. * CKNX-FM 101.7 "The One" - local, regional and national news and adult contemporary music *

CIBU-FM CIBU-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 94.5 FM in Wingham, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic hits format with the brand name ''Cool 94.5''. In 2003, the CRTC denied the application by Blackburn Radio. In 2004, Blac ...

94.5/91.7 "The Bull" - local, regional and national news and classic rock music

Sports

* Exeter Hawks - Exeter's

junior hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from t ...

team that plays in the

Provincial Junior Hockey League The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey, junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federa ...

* Exeter Mohawks - a defunct Senior Hockey team that played in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League

Notable people

* Harriet Brooks (1876–1933), early pioneer in nuclear physics * Charles Trick Currelly (1876–1957), founder and first Curator of the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

* Paul De Lisle (b. 1963), bassist for

Smash Mouth Smash Mouth is an American Rock music, rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994 and was originally composed of Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). Harwell's ...

* Donald Fleming (1905–1986) Canadian Federal Finance Minister, Governor of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

official * Tim Long, executive producer and writer, ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' * John A MacNaughton (1945–2013), investment banker and founding President and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board * Al Pickard (1895–1975), president of the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; ) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, ...

and a

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

inductee * David Shaw, a professional hockey player.

Landmarks

* MacNaughton Park, including scenic gardens * Morrison Dam Conservation Area * Restored Town Hall * Carling House

Education

Public education in Exeter is managed by the Avon Maitland District School Board, which has Exeter Elementary School and South Huron District High School in the town, on adjoining properties. Catholic education is under the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board, which manages Precious Blood Catholic Elementary School in Exeter. There is no Catholic secondary school in the town; students have to travel to Clinton or Stratford.

Health and wellness facilities

Health and wellness facilities in the Exeter area include the South Huron Hospital, South Huron Medical Centre/Walk-In Clinic, and the Grand Bend and Area Community Health Centre. Jessica's House is a residential hospice that offers care close to home. Community Psychiatric Services and CMHA Middlesex offer mental health support services. The Exeter Villa and One Care Home & Community Support Services offers help seniors in all capacities.

References

External links

Experience Exeter
{{authority control Communities in Huron County, Ontario Former towns in Ontario