By 1851, Lucius McConnell and Kenneth McBain, two of the earliest settlers in the area, had located here in Morris Township. Four years later, Donald McDonald laid out a village plot on the border between Wawanosh and Morris townships and, in July 1856, a post office was established. The village developed slowly but within two years contained a sawmill owned by McBain, a Presbyterian church, a tavern, and store. Originally known as Drummond after an enterprising early family, the village, a market town for the surrounding agricultural region, was renamed Blyth after an absentee landowner. In January 1876, a station on the London, Huron and Bruce Railway was opened and, a year later, the village was incorporated with a population of about 800.

Location

In front of the memorial hall, 147 Queen Street North, Blyth

Themes

• Communities
• Industry and trade