Pefferlaw is a community within the Town of Georgina, located 3 kilometres south of the southeastern shores of

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly within the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century, the lake was called ''Ouentir ...

. The Pefferlaw River runs south of the community's commercial district. Pefferlaw is passed on the north by Highway 48 and Lake Ridge Road (Durham Road 23) to the east, and is serviced by Pefferlaw Road which links these two traffic arteries. Pefferlaw along with Virginia Beach, Udora and Port Bolster is in the 705 area code. The Canadian National railway passes through Pefferlaw and, until the early 1990s, served a train station in the community's commercial district. This railway links

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 ...

with

Orillia Orillia () is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a Lis ...

and Northern Ontario with

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

transcontinental trains heading to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Geography and information

Census information is not available for Pefferlaw. It is counted as part of the Georgina Census division. However, data for Pefferlaw largely falls within the census tract 5350470.00, allowing for estimates. * Population: about 3,000 (2005 estimate) * Altitude: about 200 to 250 metres above sea level The town is largely centered around the Pefferlaw Dam, blocking the Pefferlaw River. The dam is operated by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority. Pefferlaw's commercial district lies just north of the dam, and features a supermarket, hotel, youth centre, automobile service station,

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

office, medical centre with pharmacy, Liquor Control Board of Ontario retail store, and a branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The town features several public facilities operated by the Town of Georgina, including a public library, community centre, fire station, and a large multi-use park. Cedardale Church is now the only place of worship in Pefferlaw, located just north of the intersection of Morning Glory Road and Pefferlaw Road. The York Region District School Board operates Morning Glory Public School, an elementary school 5 minutes north of town on Highway 48. Pefferlaw is primarily situated in a forest setting. Farmlands are to the west, the northwest and the north. More farmlands are east of Lake Ridge Road and Pefferlaw. The forests are almost connected with the forests south of

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

. The forests cover most of the area around Pefferlaw and to the south with a few farmlands as well as within the shoreline of Lake Simcoe. The forests are mainly composed of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

and other varieties of trees and the size is about 600 to 700 square kilometres and about 80% of the area around Pefferlaw.

Community groups

* 659 Brock Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets
Pefferlaw Lions Club

Pefferlaw Association of Ratepayers ''(PAR)''
* Scouts Canada, 1st Pefferlaw Group

Approximate driving times to nearby communities

* Udora, 10 minutes south * Cannington, 15 minutes east *

, 15 minutes west * Keswick, 20 minutes west * Beaverton, 20 minutes northeast *

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

, 20 minutes south *

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, 25 minutes southeast *

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

, 45 minutes south

Relative location

Pefferlaw is located about 13 kilometres southwest of Beaverton, about 15 kilometres east of

, and about 45 kilometres south of

. It is 37 kilometres west of Lindsay, 23 kilometres north of

, about 50 kilometres north of

, about 90 kilometres northeast of

, and 40 kilometres northeast of the nearest major commercial centre and seat of York Region, Newmarket.

History

Pefferlaw was founded in the late 1820s by Captain William Johnson; a British Naval Officer who was released from service in 1815 following the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. The name, Pefferlaw, was suggested to Captain Johnson by his brother in remembrance of a field among the heather on their old homestead and means, “a beautiful greensward.” The first preserved diaries of William Johnson begin in 1832. By that time he had a sawmill, woolen mill and gristmill built at Pefferlaw. The first store in the village of Pefferlaw was built in August 1833. Soon after, Robert Johnson, brother of William, took over running the store and shortly thereafter built a large two-story red brick house on the edge of the bank beside the store which still stands today. The second store in Pefferlaw was built by George Johnson, son of Captain William, this in 1856. Banking came to Pefferlaw with the arrival of the C.N.R. Railway in 1906. The Pefferlaw area, like all early hamlets had its share of hotels – one at every crossroad. The Morning Glory Hotel was built in the 1860s and stood for many years on the site of the present day Morning Glory Public School. The tavern was well patronized by river drivers, lumber workers and stage coach passengers and drivers. The Mansion House Hotel was built in 1884. When it changed owners in 1906 the establishment was renamed, Hotel Belvedere. Captain Johnson died in 1851 at "Oldcastle", lot 6, conc. 7, Georgina, which was always his home. He is buried there.

Notes

References

External links

Pefferlaw Association of Ratepayers ''(PAR)''

Town of Georgina

Cedardale Church
{{Georgina, Ontario Communities Communities in Georgina, Ontario