Corbyville, Ontario
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Corbyville began when a Mr. Henry Corby immigrated to Canada. Mr. Corby had been a baker back in England and when he arrived in Belleville in 1832, set up a small food shop. After serving in the Rebellion of 1837 he bought a St. Lawrence steamer named the "Queen" which he operated for four years.
It was customary for farmers to set aside a portion of their inferior grain to be made into whisky, and as Henry Corby was already making whisky for the locals, it's no wonder that he became interested in the distilling process. In 1857, Corby built a dam and established a grist-mill on the bank of the Moira River. In 1859 he built a distillery which became more important than the mill.
Ten years after building his first mill, Henry decided to try his hand at politics and was elected mayor in 1867. The following year he served as a member of the Provincial Parliament for the Conservatives.
Henry died on October 25, 1881 at which time his son, Harry, took over the business. Harry began to sell the whisky by the bottle rather than the barrel, seeing it a better business opportunity. In 1905 the company was named the H. Corby Distillery.
Corbyville Now
The hamlet of Corbyville is not really a ghost town as it is sometimes described since there are over 700 households here. Corbyville has its own rural post office and elementary school, Harmony Public School. Teenage students who live in Corbyville are driven by bus into neighbouring city, Belleville, to attend high school.
Wildlife
Because of its rural location and proximity to woodlands, there is an abundance of wildlife in Corbyville. Wildlife sightings include deer, black bear, raccoons, porcupine, squirrels, fox, rabbits, muskrats, groundhogs and coyotes. There is a wide variety of birds found here including Wild Turkeys, American Woodcocks,Piliated Woodpeckers, Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese and King Fishers. One resident reported seeing 2 turkey vultures dining on a dead raccoon on the grounds of the old distillery in 2005. The Moira River, which runs through part of Corbyville is home to many different species of animals including snapping turtles, crayfish and garter snakes.
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