Did you know?

  • That the Grand Central Hotel was built by the Buckbee family in 1845 & was the last hotel to be torn down.
  • Spanish flu struck this area in 1918 & took the lives of Dr. R. W. Munro and his wife Winnefred.
  • There was a 3 story building at the corner of Brock and St. Catharines St. which housed 2 businesses.  The blacksmith shop was on the bottom floor & the top two floors were used to make carriages.  Once the carriages were built, they were rolled down to the road level for sale.
  • The Griffin family was the founding family of Smithville.  They easily started the town as they had twelve siblings.
  • We actually had the ONTARIO Provincial Police (OPP) stationed in the area.  In 1930, Officer Bill Woods worked here.  Guess what; they made him supply his own motorcycle.  Wonder why we don’t have them anymore?  But that wasn’t the first police presence here.  1887 was the first.
  • Did you know that we have had natural gas in the area since 1920?  A major pipe line goes through the area in the north part of West Lincoln & even supplies gas to tiny St. Ann’s & Wellandport.