| Mount Forest | |
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated community — | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 43°58′54″N 80°44′12″W / 43.98167°N 80.73667°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Wellington County |
| Township | Wellington North |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | N0G (2L1, 2L2, 2L3) |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| NTS Map | 040P15 |
| GNBC Code | FCFAL |
Mount Forest is an unincorporated community located on the junction of the 6 and the 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario. The town's motto is "High, Happy, Healthy", which can be seen on the water tower when approaching the town from the south.
History
Originally known as Maitland Hills, its name was changed to Mount Forest in 1853. The name change came about because it was discovered that the village was actually on the Saugeen River system not on the Maitland River as had previously been supposed. Mount Forest is on a height of land near the headwaters of the Saugeen River.
The village was surveyed into lots in 1853 by Francis Kerr, PLS. By 1864, the population had grown to 1185 so that it qualified to be incorporated as a village. By 1879 it had become an incorporated town. The 1871 town directory stated that Mount Forest had 10 hotels, eight churches and 18 stores. Later that year the railway was completed and the first train entered Mount Forest pulled by a wood-burning engine.
A local newspaper, the Mount Forest Confederate, was first printed in 1867. For the first year, the newspaper was sent to village residents free of charge, but the second year it began charging 50 cents per year.
The first public school was built in 1856. The first high school was originally in the Old Drill Hall, but was an unsuitable location because it was beside the Market Square where livestock sales were held monthly. The new high school was built in 1878. A third Highschool was founded in 2004 with the combination of the Mount Forest District Highschool and the neighboring Town of Arthur.
Dr. A.R. Perry purchased the home of Alex Martin on the corner of Dublin and Princess Streets and established Strathcona Hospital, a 10-bed private hospital. In 1923, a group of citizens headed by G.L. Allen, changed Strathcona Hospital into a public hospital. Wentworth Marshall, a pharmacist, generously bought the hospital from Perry. Marshall's mother, Louise, was the supervisor at the hospital until she became ill with cancer. It was closed in 1921, but a year later reopened under a new name: Mount Forest General Hospital. In 1928, the deed of the hospital was turned over to the town and the name was changed yet again to Louise Marshall Hospital in honour of Marshall's mother.
Mount Forest was amalgamated into the new township of Wellington North on January 1, 1999.
Culture
Mount Forest's Library was completed in 1913 with a grant of $10,000 from well-known philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Mount Forest is also the site of the founding of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada.
Mount Forest was the first place that Aimee Semple McPherson preached.
Though small in size, Mount Forest has a concert theatre that many famous musicians have performed at in the last few years, such as The Tea Party, Bif Naked, Hedley, K-OS, Kim Mitchell, Blue Rodeo, Jann Arden and Doves.
The Official Slogan of Mount Forest as Depicted on the local water tower is "High Happy and Healthy"
External links
- Mount Forest
- Ontario Plaques - The Founding of Mount Forest
- Mount Forest at Geographical Names of Canada
Coordinates: 43°58′54″N 80°44′12″W / 43.98167°N 80.73667°W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
