Perth is a town in
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario (census population 1,892,332 in 2021) () is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies a wedge-shaped area bounded by the Ottawa River and Quebec to the northeast and east, the St. Lawr ...
, Canada. It is located on the
Tay River, southwest of
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, and is the seat of
Lanark County
Lanark County is a county and Census divisions of Canada, census division located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, Ontario, Perth, which was first settled in 1816Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth ...
.
History
The town was established as a military settlement in 1816, shortly after the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. The settlement of Lanark County began in 1815. In that year "the Settlement forming on the Rideau River" as it was officially referred to (and which soon became known as "Perth Military Settlement") began to function under Military direction. The settlement was named Perth in honour of acting Governor-General Sir Gordon Drummond, whose ancestral home was
Perthshire
Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
.
Several townships were surveyed to facilitate the location of farms for military and other settlers; and the site of the future Town of Perth, which had been chosen as the headquarters of the Military Establishment was surveyed in 1816.
Many of the first settlers were military veterans on half pay, while others were military veterans from France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Scotland or Ireland who were offered land in return for their service. The
Reverend William Bell, who arrived in June 1817, noted in his diaries that the settlement was more European than the Scottish settlement described to him. The first Scottish settlers came in 1816.
Many of the Scottish immigrants were
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
s; their work can be seen in many area buildings and in the locks of the
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...
.
The military regime lasted until 1824, when settlers were granted municipal rights, i.e., 'the right of self-government'.
For many years Perth was the military, judicial, political and social capital, not only of the County of Lanark, but of the whole of the Ottawa Valley, north and west, until owing to the construction of the Rideau Canal, and the development of the lumber industry further north and west along the Ottawa, it finally was eclipsed by the town called "
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...
"—the present City of Ottawa, the Capital of the Dominion. But for many years the people of the town of Bytown, while it was still 'Bytown' had to come to Perth for their law and justice, for the law courts of the whole great district were located there.
The first secretary/stores-keeper (and eventually postmaster and superintendent) of the settlement was Daniel Daverne, brought up from the Quarter Masters General Department in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...
, to assume these positions.
Perth is home to a pioneer burial ground, St. Paul's United Church Cemetery, formerly The Old Methodist Burying Ground. This cemetery is at the south-east end of the Last Duel Park on Robinson Street. The Craig Street Cemetery, sometimes referred to as the "Old Burying Grounds" also contains many historic graves and saw use from 1820 to 1873.
The town's motto is "Pro Rege, Lege et Grege" ("For the King, the Law and the People"), which is shared with the City of Perth in Scotland, and which was adopted in 1980 along with a new crest. The previous motto, "Festina lente sed certo" ("Make haste slowly but surely"), and original town crest appears on the uniforms of the Perth Citizen's Band. Founded in 1850, this band continues a tradition of community music with numerous concerts each season.
Near the town is the home of world
show jumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...
champion
Ian Millar and Millar Brooke Farm where his great horse
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...
(1976–1999) is buried. The town has erected a bronze life-sized statue of the horse and Ian Millar, in Stewart Park, across from the Code's Mill building.
This town was the site of the last fatal
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
in Upper Canada.
Robert Lyon, a law student, was killed on June 13, 1833, after fighting over a woman (Elizabeth Hughes) with a former friend, John Wilson. A local park is named "Last Duel Park" to commemorate the event.
In 1893, a
cheese
Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...
known as the 'Mammoth Cheese' was produced in Perth to be exhibited in Chicago at the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
to promote Canadian cheese around the world.
The Links O'Tay Golf course, walking distance from the downtown core, began its trek through golfing history in 1890 and was Canada's oldest continuously operating golf course until it was bought by Caivan, a suburban subdivision housing developer, in 2021. Caivan proposes to build 1,069 housing units on the golf course land and the company took its use to the Ontario Land Tribunal in 2023.https://engage.perth.ca/caivan There is widespread concern among Perth citizens, and with some town Councillors, about the impact of the development on the small town https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news/one-of-our-primary-goals-all-along-has-been-to-make-sure-that-the-community/article_c9373039-559d-5e3f-b103-bd259409c1e7.html. On February 11 2025, the town entered mediation with Caivan over its plans. The Perth Citizens Band, still giving concerts on the bandstand behind Town Hall, is a tradition dating back over 150 years. The band is Canada's oldest active town band. The Perth Citizens Band played "The Maple Leaf Forever" as the Mammoth Cheese departed to the
Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The bandstand has been behind the Town Hall since it was moved there in 1901 and free summer concerts have taken place there ever since.
Perth is also the site of the first installation of a telephone other than Bell's experimental installations. A town dentist, Dr. J. F. Kennedy, a friend of
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...
, installed a direct telephone connection between his home and office. By 1887, there were 19 telephones in Perth, with a switchboard in Dr. Kennedy's office.
In 2010, Perth held the historic "Kilt Run" in which 1,067 kilt-clad runners crossed the finish line. The idea to hold a kilt run in Perth was conceived of in October 2009 by Terry Stewart after the Mayor submitted a letter to the ''Perth Courier'' requesting town residents come up with an idea to help
Perth, Scotland
Perth (; ) is a centrally located Cities of Scotland, Scottish city, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and is the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about ...
celebrate its 800th anniversary. The Perth, Ontario, Kilt Run has since become an annual event. The 2016 Kilt Run attracted 5,000 runners as part of the town's 200th anniversary.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Perth had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
[
The 2016 census revealed that Perth has the lowest ratio of men to women in Canada: 80 men to 100 women.
Mother tongue (2021):][
* English as first language: 93.5%
* French as first language: 2.4%
* English and French as first language: 0.6%
* Other as first language: 3.3%
]
Government
List of former mayors:
* James S. Nichol (1854–1855, 1858)
* John Deacon (1856, 1859–1860)
* Robert Douglas (1857)
* John Haggart (1861–1864, 1871–1872)
* Richard Shaw (1865–1869)
* Henry D. Shaw (1870)
* James Morton Millar (1873–1874)
* William Horatio Radenhurst (1874–1878)
* Edward Elliott (1879–1880)
* Francis Alexander Hall (1881–1882)
* Arthur James Matheson (1883–1884)
* William Meighen (1885–1886)
* William James Pink (1887–1888)
* Thomas Alfred Code (1889–1890)
* William Butler (1891–1892)
* Duncan Kippen (1893–1894)
* Joseph MacKenzie Rogers (1895–1896)
* James A. Allan (1897–1898)
* Alexander Campbell Shaw (1899)
* John Alexander Stewart (1900–1901)
* James M. Balderson (1902)
* John Alexander Stewart (1903–1904)
* Charles James Foy (1905–1906)
* Henry Montague Shaw (1907–1908)
* Francis W. Hall (1909–1912)
* Allan Grant (1913–1915)
* James J. Hands (1916–1918)
* John T. Conway (1919–1922)
* Wellington Douglas (1923–1924)
* John Eduard de Hertel (1925–1926)
* T. Arthur Rogers (1927–1929)
* Joseph H. Devlin (1930–1932)
* James J. Hands (1932–1936)
* Charles Frederick Stone (1937)
* George C. Townshead (1938–1940)
* Walter C. McLaren (1941–1944)
* Frederick W. Burchell (1945–1946)
* Robert Kellock Gemmell (1947)
* John Pennett (1948–1950)
* Harold E. Burns (1951–1952)
* John Pennett (1953–1954)
* Ernest Scott Burchell (1955–1969)
* William A. Warren (1970–1972)
* Glenn H. Crain (1973–1974)
* Carl Greer (1976)
* William Warren (1977–1985)
* Lowell C. Yorke (1986–1989)
* Charles Montgomery (1989–1994)
* Lana March (1995–2003)
* Dennis Cordick (2004–2006)
* John Fenik (2006–2022)
* Judy Brown (2023–present)
Attractions
The Tay River splits into two main channels for much of its course through Perth. Much of downtown Perth, including the town hall, is on the island formed by the two channels. During the summer and fall of 2015, the fork in the river was modified to reduce erosion and flooding downstream.
The heritage downtown core of today's Perth consists of boutiques, specialty shops, cafés and restaurants, including crafts, antiques and flea markets, and summer Farmers' and Craft Markets. Most of these operate out of the century-old stone buildings in town. Code's Mill began as a tannery in the 1840s and then produced socks and felts until the mid-1900s. It was renovated in 1998 and now features a restaurant, boutique shops and wedding hall. The Perth Museum, situated downtown at the Matheson House, is a historic house constructed in 1840 and is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
.
Erected in 1863, the Perth Town Hall stands out as one of the most impressive municipal buildings in Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario (census population 1,892,332 in 2021) () is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies a wedge-shaped area bounded by the Ottawa River and Quebec to the northeast and east, the St. Lawr ...
. The two-storey structure with cupola-shaped clock tower is constructed from white or cream-coloured freestone ( Potsdam sandstone). Throughout the years, the building has housed an auditorium, council chambers, post office, police headquarters, lock-up and municipal offices. Perth's downtown area lies within a designated Heritage Conservation District.
Stewart Park, located behind Town Hall, features gardens, bridges, walking paths and treed picnic areas along the Tay River.
An interesting feature of the downtown core is the Crystal Palace, constructed from the discarded remnants of the glass street bus enclosures that used to be on Rideau Street in nearby Ottawa. This structure is located beside the Tay River and can be accessed by both Gore and Drummond Streets. It houses the Perth Farmers' and Craft Markets on summer Saturdays and is filled with Christmas trees decorated by community groups and schools in November and December. It also houses live music and children's activities during the popular Festival of the Maples held in April each year.
Festivals and events
Each summer in July, the Stewart Park Music Festival takes place in Stewart Park. It is a popular free festival featuring live music as well as artisan and food vendors.
The Perth Lions Garlic Festival has been celebrating garlic grown in the area each August since 1997. Another festival growing in popularity is the Perth Ribfest Music Festival, which includes kids activities and takes place at Last Duel Park. The Perth Fair, a regional agricultural fair, takes place over the Labour Day weekend; it has been running annually since 1845, one of the oldest in Ontario.
The Festival of Maples is held annually every spring since 1974 and marks the end of the maple syrup harvest, of which Lanark County
Lanark County is a county and Census divisions of Canada, census division located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, Ontario, Perth, which was first settled in 1816Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth ...
is known for producing and is dubbed the 'Maple Syrup Capital of Ontario'. The downtown festival features numerous shops and vendors, maple syrup producers and displays, children's entertainment, antique car show and a pancake breakfast. In 2019, the festival was held on April 27.
The Perth Kilt Run normally takes place at the end of June but the 10th anniversary of the Kilt Run was held on August 17, 2019. It holds the Guinness World Record for the world's largest kilted run.
The Perth Polar Bear Plunge, held annually on New Years Day since 1994, raises funds for local charities and is known as one of the safest and most successful Polar Bear Plunges in Canada.
Sports and recreation
Hockey is very popular in Perth as it has been home to senior and junior teams. Currently, Perth is represented by the Blue Wings in the Eastern Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League. Minor hockey combines Perth and Lanark
Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...
children with practices and games shared between the Perth and Lanark arenas. Perth was home to a professional baseball team for two years (1936–37) as part of the Canadian–American League
The Canadian–American League, nicknamed the Can-Am League, was a class C level minor league baseball circuit which ran from 1936 through 1951, with a three-year break during World War II. It was equivalent to a Rookie-level league in today's ...
. The Perth & District Indoor Pool is home to the Perth Stingrays Aquatic Club, which offers a masters program as well. The Perth United Soccer Club also provides recreational and competitive soccer programs for all ages.
Both high schools in Perth also offer a variety of other sports, such as basketball, football, volleyball, hockey, cross country running, badminton, soccer, curling, golf and track and field.
Conlon Farm Recreation Complex is a 54-acre recreation hub comprising several soccer fields and baseball diamonds and as well tennis courts, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts, skateboard park, pump track, play structures and a splash pad.
The Rideau Trail passes through Perth, which is the base for the Central Section of the Rideau Trail.
The 10-kilometre historic Tay Canal runs from downtown Perth through the Tay Marsh and connects to the Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...
at Beveridge Locks.
Schools
* The Queen Elizabeth School (elementary)
* The Stewart School (elementary)
* Perth & District Collegiate Institute
* St. John Catholic Elementary
* St. John Catholic High School
* Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college has three campuses, all in Ontario: a primary campus in Ottawa, and secondary campuses in Perth and ...
, Perth Campus
* Perth Children's House Montessori School
French Immersion is offered at the elementary and high schools listed above.
Notable people
* Mike Brown, Olympian, Swimming
* Jared Coreau, former NHL player, winner of the 2017 Calder Cup
* Les Douglas, former NHL player and winner of the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings
* Sultana Frizell, Olympian, hammer throw
* Clayton "Cib" James, musician, comedian, and YouTuber
A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
*Taes Leavitt, one half of Juno winning children's group Splash'N Boots
* Crispin Lipscomb, Olympian, snowboarding
* Ian Millar, prolific show-jumper, equestrian world champion, and Olympic silver-medalist
* Alexander Morris, Canadian politician and second Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba and the North-West Territories (1872–1878)
* Edmund Montague Morris, artist and author
* William Richard Motherwell, former Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture and Federal Minister of Agriculture
* Herbert Taylor Reade, an assistant surgeon with the 61st Regiment, he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in the siege of Delhi in 1857.
* John K. Robertson, physicist and pioneer in the field of medical physics
Medical physics deals with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases with a specific goal of improving human health and well-being. Since 2008, medical physics has been incl ...
* John Robson, premier of British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
* Billy Smith, Hall of Fame NHL Goaltender, named one of the best 100 NHL players of all time in 2017
* Floyd Smith, former NHL player and coach
* Gord Smith, former NHL player
* Nicholas Tritton, Olympian, Judo
Local media
* CHLK-FM 88.1 myFM Radio
Sister cities
*Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Perth & Kinross, Scotland
*Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Australia
*Asago, Hyōgo
is a Cities of Japan, city located in northern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 28,971 in 12245 households and a population density of 72 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Asago is lo ...
, Japan
See also
* List of municipalities in Ontario
Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Canada with 14,223,942 residents as of Canada 2021 Census, 2021 and is List of Canadian provinces and territories by area#Land area, third-largest in lan ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario
Municipalities in Lanark County
Towns in Ontario
Populated places established in 1816
1816 establishments in Canada