Area History

At the end of the Pleistocene Age, some 12,000 years ago, the glaciers, like huge bulldozers, gourged and molded the landscape into the Trent-Severn Waterway and Trent Hills. Campbellford is located in the Peterborough drumlin field with beautiful rolling hills and valleys. The Trent-Severn has played a significant role in the evolution and development of local culture over the years.

As the glaciers retreated, nomadic tribes of Paleo-Indian hunters arrived using the river as a transportation route. Over the next 2000 years, Southern Woodland People began to form camps to take advantage of the abundant fish and wild rice. During the Middle Woodland Period, the Lower Trent became a religious ceremonial centre with the building of burial mounds along the waterway. Reminants of one such mound was found on the shores of Percy Reach near Bradley Bay.

Around 1500AD, with the establishment of Indian agriculture, villages in the area grew. In 1615, Champlain travelled the waterway describing it as having streams teaming with fish and wilds full of deer and other wildlife. During his journey, he came across the Huron Indians with a highly developed culture based on a mix of agriculture, hunting and trade. With the arrival of European Fur Traders, the Indian population dropped severly due to war and disease.

After the American Revolution ended in 1783, European settlement of the Trent Valley began. In 1791, Upper Canada (Ontario) was established and divided into 19 counties. Northumberland County was named for the county in England which contained similar geographic features with rolling hills and valleys. The Township of Seymour is thought to have been named for Lady Elizabeth Seymour, wife of the Duke of Northumberland.

Settlement began in Seymour Township in the early 1800's. Eager to settle Upper Canada, the British government offered land grants to retiring army and navy officers. In 1831, two Scottish-born brothers, Lieut.-Col. Robert Campbell and Major David Campbell were granted 2200 acres of land in Seymour Township. Here, at Campbell's Ford, a settlement developed because it was the calmest and shallowest stretch of the river.

River crossing was done by ferry until 1840 when the first bridge was built connecting the small communities on both sides. Business commerce began to develop near the bridge with factories, mills, hotels and stores being erected.

Around 1846, plans were made for laying out the village streets and building lots. With donations of land for a church, surveying the village into lots, roads and streets and a proposed rail line, Campbellford was seen as being a progressive and properly planned area. In 1854, the population of the Township of Seymour was 2,117 and roads were trails only. In 1876, the area had grown sufficiently that the Village of Campbellford became a separate municipality. The new village had a population of 1,092 and was home to 66 businesses. In 1906, Campbellford became a town ... the rest is history.

For more info check out Gleanings or contact our Heritage Society.