Smithville, Ontario
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Smithville is a community in the township of West Lincoln, Niagara Region,
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. The former
police village A police village was a form of municipal government that was used in the province of Ontario, Canada in the early 19th century if the finances or the population of an area did not permit the creation of a village. Formation In the early 19th centu ...
is located on Highway 20 between
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
and
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...
. Smithville is the largest population centre and governing centre of the township of West Lincoln.


History

Smithville was first settled by Richard Griffin and his family, including his sons Abraham, Edward, Nathaniel, Isaiah, Smith, Jonathan, and Richard Jr.,
United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) is an honorific title which was first given by Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, the 1st Lord Dorchester, the governor of Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec and Governor General, governor ...
who came from Nine Partners, New York in 1787. They settled on Lots 8, 9, 10, Concession IX, on the Twenty Mile Creek in Grimsby (later South Grimsby) Township. Solomon Hill, who married Bethia, daughter of Richard Griffin, settled on Lot 6, Charles Meridith on Lot 7; Thomas Harris on Lot 11, and Thomas North on Lot 12. These lots, all in the 9th Concession became the settlement first known as Griffintown, but later renamed after Mrs. Griffin, whose maiden name was Mary Smith. Edward "Ned" Griffin is sometimes claimed to be the real founder of the village. He was the one who felled the first tree, chose the village site, cleared the first acre of land, built the first house, and lived his entire life in the village. His brother, Smith Griffin, another of Richard Griffin's sons is credited with building a
treadwheel A treadwheel, or treadmill, is a form of engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference (treadmill), or by a human or animal standing ...
in 1810. Settlers who wanted their grain ground were required to provide their own motive power by putting their oxen on the tread. Later, Smith Griffin built a dam and mill on the Twenty Mile Creek, making the treadmill obsolete. Smith also started an ashery, while Edward opened a general store. By 1849, Smithville had reached a population of about 150, and had been granted a post office with twice-weekly delivery. The settlement had a grist mill, a saw mill, a carding machine and cloth factory, four stores, one machine shop, one tannery, two blacksmiths, two tailors and two shoemakers. Smithville first became a
police village A police village was a form of municipal government that was used in the province of Ontario, Canada in the early 19th century if the finances or the population of an area did not permit the creation of a village. Formation In the early 19th centu ...
in 1887, however the arrangement was unsatisfactory and the village again became part of South Grimsby Township in 1889. It was not until 1914 that Smithville was reorganized into a police village on a more permanent basis. By the 1950s, the population had grown to approximately 1,000. Smithville, along with the remainder of South Grimsby Township was amalgamated into the newly formed Township of West Lincoln on January 1, 1970.


Demographics

Population: * Population in 2016: 5489 * Population in 2011: 4391 * Population in 2006: 4122 * Population in 2001: 3317 Mother tongue: * English as first language: 92.2% * French as first language: 0.6% * English and French as first language: >0.1% * Other as first language: 7.2% Patron: * Lord S. Grey


Economy

Retail establishments in Smithville are congregated amongst two major nodes: the downtown core, and the Village Square Mall.


Arts and culture

Until 2017, Smithville held an annual agricultural festival called PoultryFest. The Smithville Fair was historically held at the West Lincoln Mixed Use Recreation Site (formerly Smithville Fairgrounds). The Smithville Agricultural Society merged with the Lincoln Agricultural Society in 2012, and the fair was moved to the nearby West Niagara Fairgrounds, where the agricultural fair is held annually before
Labour Day Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...
.


Attractions


Parks

Parks in Smithville include the Smithville Conservation Area, and the Mixed Use Recreational Site (MURS). The "Murgatroyd Parkette" is at the corner of Griffin and St. Catharines Street. It has trees and benches, and features the town
clock A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...
(from the original post offices) mounted on a pedestal. Once was a tie factory, this location was occupied by Hellbender Ink Vintage Tattoo, becoming it's very first tattoo shop in 2013. The Smithville Branch of the West Lincoln Public Library is located at the West Lincoln Community Complex and Arena on West St. and is open six days a week.


Government

In some ways Smithville acts as the "administrative centre" of the Township of West Lincoln. The council chambers and the largest branch of the municipal library are located in town, as well as the major fire station. The public works yard is also centralized in a Smithville location. From 1970 to 2018, Smithville fell just north of the boundary of two municipal wards. The area north of Townline Road, the bulk of the community, was part of Ward 3, the former Township of South Grimsby. New development south of Townline, mainly the Alma Acres, fell into Ward 2, the former Township of Gainsborough. In 2018, a revision of ward boundaries placed Smithville and its environs into a new, smaller Ward 3. West Lincoln elects one regional councillor, in addition to the Mayor who also serves as the local regional council. Federally and provincially, Smithville is located in the riding of Niagara West.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Smithville is located on two regional roads . Regional Road 20, formerly King's Highway 20, goes primarily east-west, connecting Smithville with Niagara Falls and Hamilton. Regional Road 14 connects Smithville to
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
and the
Queen Elizabeth Way The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highways, 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The highway begins at the Canada–United States border on the Pea ...
in the north, and
Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3 (disambiguation)#Roads, M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3 (disambiguation)#Roads, N3. For roads numbered 3A, see ...
in the south. Smithville is located he
Canadian Pacific The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
's
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
Subdivision, the mainline of the former- Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway. Smithville had a passenger station until 1981, when all such service along the line was discontinued. The former station (built 1903) is a local landmark, and serves as the headquarters of the West Lincoln Historical Society. Smithville was also the junction with the railroad's Dunnville
spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
. Passenger service along the Dunnville line was suspended in 1933. Freight service lasted until 2003, when the line was abandoned. The tracks were subsequently lifted and the bridges over the Twenty Mile Creek and Highway 20 demolished.


Education

Smithville has five schools, including four elementary and one secondary. Smithville Public School, on Colver Street, opened in 2018 in the former South Lincoln High School. Coincidentally, the now disused College Street Public School had been the location of Smithville High School until 1948. St. Martin's, on West Street (Highway 20) is an elementary school in the Catholic (separate) board. John Calvin (Station Street) associated with the Canadian Reformed Church and Cairn Christian (Townline Road) are private Christian schools. Smithville Christian High School, formerly Smithville District Christian High School, is a Christian secondary school and the only remaining secondary school in town, after the closure of South Lincoln High School for the 2017-2018 school year, which ended over 150 years of public secondary education in the community.


References


External links


Smithville
at Geographical Names of Canada {{RegionalNiagara Neighbourhoods in West Lincoln, Ontario