Perth, Ontario
Perth is a
town in eastern
Ontario,
Canada (pop. 6,003 in
2001). It is located on the
Tay River, 83 km southwest of
Ottawa, and is the seat of
Lanark County.
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,others were immigrants from
Scotland or
Ireland.Many of the Scottish immigrants were
stonemasons; their work can be seen in many area buildings and in the locks of the
Rideau Canal.
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.
An interesting feature of the downtown core is the Crystal Palace, constructed from the remnants of the glass streetenclosures that used to be on
Rideau Street in nearby Ottawa. This building on the Tay Basin is the location of the new Crystal Palace Market. Local artisans and farmers offer crafts and produce on Saturdays.
The heritage downtown core of today's Perth now boasts of over 80 unique stores, boutiques, specialty shops and restaurants, including crafts, antiques and flea market, and summer Farmers' Marketfor the visitor looking for alternatives to the big city shopping malls. 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 olderst continually operating pharmacy in Canada. The Perth Courier is the second oldest weekly newspaper in Canada, still independently owned. The Link's of Tay Golf course, walking distance from the downtown core, began its treck through golfing history in 1890 and is now Canada's oldest continuously operating golf course. The Perth Citizen's Band, still giving concerts in the band stand behind City Hall is a tradition dating back over 150 years.
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. The Perth Farmers' Market that used to operate at the downtown Crystal Palace, started their 15th season at this location at the Lanark County Administrative Building on Sunset Blvd. PDF versions of a visitors guide to Downtown Heritage Perth is available for printing at:
Your Quick Guide to the Merchants of Downtown Perth An interactive GIS Map of the town of Perth is available on the Town of Perth Site:
GIS Map of PerthAccording to the
2001 Statistics Canada Census:
*% Change (
1996-
2001): 1.7
*Dwellings: 2,953
*Area (km².): 10.36
*Density (persons per km².): 579.2
*
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 1850.
*
The Marks Brothers, who were billed as the Canadian Kings of Repertoire and the most remarkable theatrical family in Canadian history.
*
Ian Millar, Olympic equestrian gold-medalist and prolific show-jumper
*
Billy Smith, Hall of Fame NHL Goaltender
*
Official Site*
BIA Site*
all-about-perth.com*
Explore Perth*
Valley Book Shop A Great Place for Books
*
The Old Perth Shoe Factory
