This area, purchased in 1828 by Robert Harwood, a Montreal merchant, did not begin to develop rapidly until the arrival of the Cobourg and Peterborough Railway in 1854. Harwood was surveyed in 1855, and the line, which transported passengers, lumber and goods to Peterborough, and later ore for the Marmora iron foundry, encouraged commercial development here. The near-by crib bridge, which carried the track across Rice Lake and on to Peterborough was, however, poorly engineered and constructed and was closed in 1862. Competition from the Port Hope-Peterborough railway was severe and service on the Cobourg-Harwood line ceased in 1895 after the local lumber mills had closed. Today Harwood remains primarily a summer cottage community.

Location

At the community hall, Front Street, Harwood

Themes

• Communities
• Transportation systems and communications