First, a bit of historical context- this blog is about life on Old Mail Road, which was in fact…an old mail road. It began as a simple path through area forests, but by the 1830s it became the main route for westward travel along the south shore of Georgian Bay. Established as a public road in 1846, the government saw its potential for transporting mail, and settlements sprung up along the route. The northernmost point of Old Mail Road ends right near us in the hamlet of Griersville, which in 1845 boasted a schoolhouse, blacksmith, weaver and an inn with a well-used tavern. An escaped slave, James L. Wilson, who had travelled the Underground Railroad from South Carolina, ran the inn.
The Road lost its importance after the railroad came to Collingwood in 1855 with the lakeshore road becoming the route of choice. Large portions of Old Mail Road grew over, and bustling Griersville returned to a quiet little hamlet. And although it would be nice to have a tavern within walking distance, wine seems to be pretty readily available elsewhere on the Road!
Sources:
Georgian Baytripper, Lynne Barnes.
Address by Susan Witton at the Memorial Service of St. James’, Fairmount.
TakeMeHomeCountryRoad 