Grafton, Ontario

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Grafton is a community located in the province of Ontario. It is located in Northumberland County, in the township of Alnwick/Haldimand. It is 12 km east of Cobourg, Ontario on the former Highway 2 (now Country Road 2), with close access to Highway 401. The village is near the geographically significant Oak Ridges Moraine at Rice Lake. Grafton was originally called Grover's Tavern until March, 1832. The original Grover's Tavern, the namesake building of the village, still stands today as the Grafton Village Inn, a restaurant and B & B in the heart of the village. It was also referred to early in its history as Haldimand, which is the name of the township it is located in.

Grafton is an excellent example of the type of villages that flourished in the 19th century. Grafton had a bustling port for many years, shipping grain, barley and other commodities to communities along the Great Lakes. In addition, the village included a Sons of Temperance group, an order of Freemasons, and numerous other social leagues. Bolstered by satellite communities such as Centreton, Castleton, Wicklow, and Vernonville, Grafton was a productive village that supported itself through both agriculture and services.

By the late 1870s the village could boast of having a doctor, several taverns and inns, a cheese factory, a blacksmith, a public scale, and a train station on the G.T.R line. Milk and dairy products were shipped daily to both Kingston and Toronto, and regular passenger service was also available. Grafton was successful enough at this time to earn a weekly column in the Cobourg daily newspaper, entitled "Latest Items from Grafton", which ran from 1875 through 1877. The column detailed various social, political, and economic on-goings in the area, such as picnics, local crime, sporting contests, and harvest reports.

Benjamin Ewing is believed to be one of the first settlers in Grafton, and his property was located on what is currently Benlock road. Another early settler is Eliakim Barnum, the original owner of the Barnum House located on Hwy #2. Barnum House is now a museum in Grafton, and it is thought that Eliakim Barnum bought the house from another family who owned it before. Ben Ewing and Eliakim Barnum were good friends and Barnum married Ben's sister Hannah Ewing Blanchard just after 1812. The Original Barnum house was accidentally burned down during the War of 1812 by British soldiers who were billeting there; it was rebuilt a few years later. This building is a historical site in Ontario and has visiting hours in the summer (Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00am - 4:00pm).

The town of Grafton currently has a small population of under one thousand, but it has considerable history. Many early settlers continue to have ancestors living in the area; notable family names include Gorsky, Krywonis, Winnicki, Perehinec, Pastuszok, Szubelak, Terefenko, Klisz, Johnston, Inglis, Harnden, Raymond, Owens, Davis, Bryden, Broomfield, Chamberlain, Lackey, Lawless and others. Many of these early settler families have routes, roads, and landmarks named for them in the village and surrounding areas, such as Broomfield Road, which runs roughly between Vernonville and Centreton.

Some current businesses and community buildings include the Haldimand Memorial Arena, the Grafton Community Centre & Library, Grafton Public School, St. Marys Elementary School, Grafton Variety, Prentice's Garage, The Durham Farmers Co-op farm and feed store, the Bullpen, 1812 Antiques, Lantern Books, the Grafton Village Inn and the Lawless Art Gallery. Grafton is currently home to such notable places as St. Annes Inn & Spa, the former home of Bob Homme ("The Friendly Giant"), the Barnum House museum, and a defunct canning factory (often said to be one of most haunted places in Ontario).

Grafton is now supported by these smaller businesses and tourism. Agriculture is still prevalent in the surrounding area, predominantly with crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat, and livestock including beef, dairy, and poultry. The processing and shipping elements of the agricultural business have moved on beyond Grafton. There continues to be development and residential growth in and around the village as the area grows in size.

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