BEAVERTON

Beaverton is a community in Brock Township within the regional municipality of Durham, Ontario. It was settled in 1822 at the mouth of the Beaver River and originally called Calder’s Mill. As the community grew it changed names multiple times, first to Mill Town, then to Milton and finally to Beaverton in 1835 when the post office was opened. In 1884 Beaverton was incorporated as a village.

Today, Beaverton is the largest community in Brock, with a population of approximately 3000 people. There are three elementary schools in the area as well as numerous recreational facilities including an arena, curling club, public library, small harbour and a yacht club. It is also home to the Strand Theatre, Canada’s oldest movie theatre.

Beaverton’s economy is based on the provision of services to the surrounding areas, as well as some manufacturing. Tourism plays an important role as well; the Trent-Severn Waterway connects with Lake Simcoe north of Beaverton and attracts many cottagers from other regions.

The Beaverton Thorah Eldon Historical Society is responsible for quite a few tourist attractions, most notably the Old Stone Jail, which was built in the 1840’s by John MacKay. This structure was moved from its original setting in 1995 to its current location on Main Street next to the Beaver River Museum. At present the three-celled jail houses two prisoners and is the star attraction along with an 1840’s Log Home and an 1890’s Brick House.

Notable people from Beaverton include NHL players Basil McRae and Chris McRae and editorial cartoonist Duncan Macpherson. Another notable is Beaverton Bessie, the local name for Lake Simcoe’s oft-sighted monster. Bessie spends most of her time away from prying eyes but if you’re lucky you just might catch her out and about.