Morpeth, Ontario

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Morpeth is a community in Southern Ontario, Canada that is between Blenheim and St. Thomas on Highway 3 in the municipality of Chatham-Kent. It is located less than two hours away from Windsor.

[edit] History

Morpeth was an area of notable commerce in the 1880s. However when the railroad went through, it instead went through nearby Ridgetown, Ontario, which eventually grew faster than Morpeth.

Archibald Lampman was a famous poet during the 19th century who was born in this village. Considered the best English-speaking Canadian poet of the 19th century, he was honoured with his own Canadian postage stamp recently. His father was the minister in one of the local churches in Morpeth. Archibald Lampman's poems about rural life make him relevant to the locals even to this present day.

[edit] Commerce

Forms of commerce present in the village including a restaurant, an antique store, a post office/gas station, a zoo, a trailer park, and a marina/campground. To the south, nearby Lake Erie provides recreational activities. Morpeth is also an attractive place for retirement, with housing available specifically for this need.

[edit] Tourism

Greenview Aviaries, a park and zoo, is located less than a mile east of the village, on former Highway 3. It attracts visitors from a wide area and has expanded over the years to house many additional animal species, including big cats, reindeer and lemurs.

Morpeth also sees a number of visitors traveling to nearby Rondeau Provincial Park.