The Full Wiki



More info on Perth, Ontario

Perth, Ontario: Map
  
  
  

Wikipedia article:

Map showing all locations mentioned on Wikipedia article:
For the Ontario county, see Perth County, Ontariomarker.


Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontariomarker, Canadamarker (pop. 6,003 in 2001). It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawamarker, and is the seat of Lanark County. Its centre is located at 44 degrees, 53 minutes, 59.97 seconds N, 76 degrees, 14 minutes, 59.99 seconds W; or in Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 18 at GR 401300 E, 4972600 N, or more simply VQ 013726.

History

The town was established as a military settlement in 1816, shortly after the War of 1812. Many of the first settlers were military veterans on half pay, while others were immigrants from Scotlandmarker or Irelandmarker. Many of the Scottish immigrants were stonemasons; their work can be seen in many area buildings and in the locks of the Rideau Canalmarker.

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 ON to assume these positions.

Perth is home to Canada's oldest pioneer burying ground, St. Paul's United Church Cemetery, or The Old Methodist Burying Ground.

Near the town is the home of world show jumping champion Ian Millar and Millar Brooke Farm where his great horse Big Ben (1976-1999) is buried. The town has erected a bronze life-sized statue of the horse and Ian Millar, across from the Code's Mill building.

This town was the site of the last fatal duel in the province. Robert Lyon, a law student, was killed on June 13, 1833 after an argument with a former friend, John Wilson.

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 and friend of Alexander Graham Bell 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 1893 a 22,000 pound cheese known as the 'Mammoth Cheese' was produced in Perth to be exhibited in Chicago at the World's Columbian Expositionmarker to promote Canadian Cheese around the world.[12575][12576]. See a history of the mammoth cheese.

Sites and attractions

Historic downtown Perth


For the visitor looking for alternatives to the big city shopping malls, the heritage downtown core of today's Perth consists of dozens of unique stores, boutiques, specialty shops and restaurants, including crafts, antiques and flea market, and summer Farmers' and Craft Markets. Most of these operate out of the century old stone buildings in town. The drugstore on Foster Street in the downtown core (now called Perth Pharmasave, formerly Girdwood's Drug Store) is the oldest continually operating pharmacy in Canada. The Perth Courier is the second-oldest weekly newspaper in Canada. It was independently owned for 155 years until sold in 2006 to a larger publisher. The Links O'Tay Golf course, walking distance from the downtown core, began its trek through golfing history in 1890 and is now Canada's oldest continuously operating golf course. The Perth Citizens's Band, still giving concerts in the band stand behind City Hall, is a tradition dating back over 150 years. The band is Canada's oldest active town band. The Perth Citizens Band accompanied the Mammoth Cheese to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

An interesting feature of the downtown core is the Crystal Palace, constructed from the discarded remnants of the glass street enclosures that used to be on Rideau Street in nearby Ottawa. This structure houses the Perth Farmers' and Craft Markets on summer Saturdays.

At the edge of town there is an interesting Round Garden for the blind. On a circular walkway, raised beds have signs in English, French and Braille. Attention is paid to the senses other than sight.Perth is the winner of multiple awards including the "Prettiest town in Ontario" and the Prince of Wales Award for architectural preservation. In the summer of 2006, Canada AM selected Perth as one of four unique communities from across Canada to feature on their Breakfast show.

An interactive GIS Map of the town of Perth is available on the Town of Perth Site: GIS Map of Perth

Demographics

Perth Town Hall, built in 1863
Population:
  • Population in 2006: 5907 (2001 to 2006 population change: -1.6 %)
  • Population in 2001: 6003
  • Population in 1996: 5886 (or 5902 when adjusted for 2001 boundaries)
  • Population in 1991: 5576


Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 2904 (total: 3110)

Mother tongue:
  • English as first language: 94.1 %
  • French as first language: 2.3 %
  • English and French as first language: 0.2 %
  • Other as first language: 3.4 %


Sports

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. Perth was home to a professional baseball team for two years (1936-37) as part of the Canadian-American League.

Both high schools in Perth also offer a variety of other sports, such as basketball, football, soccer and track.

Curling is also a favourite sport in Perth. The Perth Curling Club is one of the oldest curling clubs in the Ottawa Valley. It is best known for the fatal curling incident of 1931. Tony Fournier, a resident of Perth, slipped on a banana peel which was inadvertently dropped on the ice by his wife Lisa. Lisa stood to inherit all of Tony's possessions, making it a famous scandal for the small town.

Schools



Notable People from Perth



Local Media



Sister Cities



References

Asago, Japan

External links




Embed code:






Got something to say? Make a comment.
Your name
Your email address
Message