Middlesex Centre, Ontario

Middlesex Centre is a township in south-western Ontario, Canada. It is located to the north and west of London and is in Middlesex County. The Corporation of the Township of Middlesex Centre, formed on January 1 1998 with the amalgamation of the former Townships of Delaware, Lobo, and London (not to be confused with the nearby City of London).

Communities

The township is composed of the communities of Arva, Ballymote, Birr, Bryanston, Coldstream, Delaware, Denfield, Duncrief, Ettrick, Ilderton, Kilworth, Komoka, Littlewood, Lobo Village, Melrose, Poplar Hill, Sharon, Southgate, Telfer and Vanneck. It is these communities, and not Middlesex Centre itself, that are recognized by Canada Post [cite web | title = Canada Post – Municipalities | publisher = Canada Post Corporation | year = 2006 | url = http://www.canadapost.ca/personal/tools/pcl/bin/MunicipalityList.aspx | accessmonthday = July 11 | accessyear = 2008] ; though Middlesex Centre is recognized as a municipality by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, [cite web | title = Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing – List of all Ontario municipalities | publisher = Queen's Printer for Ontario (Government of Ontario) | date = 2008-04-10 | url = http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1591.aspx | accessmonthday = July 11 | accessyear = 2008] Canada Post considers it "not valid". [cite web | title = Canada Post – Postal Code Lookup – Help | publisher = Canada Post Corporation | year = 2008 | url = http://www.canadapost.ca/help/pc/default-e.asp#municipality | accessmonthday = July 11 | accessyear = 2008]

Arva

Arva is located at the intersection of Provincial Highway 4 (Richmond Street) and Medway Road (7th Concession). The community is the home of Medway High School, the Arva Flour Mill, a tree farm (Tammarack Farm's) a post office, two churches, and various other establishments, as well as personalities such as former Member of Parliament for London North Centre Joe Fontana. Arva is located on a pond (known as "the mill pond") on Medway Creek. There is also a forest known as the sanctuary (in the Chapman Estates); the bush runs along the creek and goes down in to a camp site that at one time was quite popular.

In the 19th century Arva was a critical rest stop on the Underground Railroad, and home to several homes constructed as part of the Railroad.

On July 7, 2007, the The White Stripes performed a free concert at the Arva Flour Mill as part of their Canadian tour.

Birr

Birr is located at the intersection of Highway 4 (Richmond Street) and the 13th Concession. Despite its small size, Birr has maintained itself and supported various private business throughout the years. There are also currently two churches, three cemeteries, a general store, a furniture store, a book store as well as some leisure spots such as a pond and an island. The pond and the island are located on "the government side", a large portion of land in Birr. The island is located close by the pond and both have been important places to many of the youth in Birr.

In the winter, the pond is used as a hockey rink. Until it was replaced by a modern low-rise cement bridge in the mid-1970s, Birr had a one-lane iron bridge on the 13th Concession that crossed the Medway Creek. Generations of children and adults used the top of the iron tressel as a high-diving platform into the creek. One local resident in particular would delight swimmers by giving aerial displays of his jack-knife acrobatics from the top of the old bridge each summer. And on Christmas Eve each year, this same resident would sneak into the old Anglican Church, scale the bell-tower, and ring the church bells at the stroke of midnight to welcome Christmas in Birr. It was a fond tradition, now missed, that he began in the early 1960s and continued every year from that time until his death in 1982. Birr had a hotel in the late 1800s; afternoon stagecoaches running between London and Lucan, 17 miles to the north, would stop overnight in Birr, in those days the approximate half-way point, and resume travel the next day.

Delaware

Delaware straddles the Thames River, and is accessed by the old highway (Highway 2) linking London and Chatham and the freeway (Highway 402) linking Sarnia along with Port Huron and Toronto. The community of Delaware was first founded in 1796. Delaware was the objective of an American raid into Upper Canada in 1814 during the War of 1812, which resulted in the Battle of Longwoods, on March 4, 1814, just about 24 km outside of Delaware.

Delaware has two elementary schools, Delaware Central Public School (The Mustangs) (Thames Valley District School Board), and Our Lady of Lourdes (The Saints) (London District Catholic School Board). They are located about one kilometre apart from one another. Delaware Central has about 175 students, while Our Lady of Lourdes has around 400.

Delaware is nestled in the Thames River Valley, although it has now expanded over the top of the valley ridge. Most of the area surrounding Delaware is made up of forests and floodplain areas. Corn, soybeans and tobacco are farmed extensively in the area around Delaware, as well as inside the town limits in some areas. Delaware has undergone modest growth in housing over the last 30 years, with the developed area nearly doubling in that time. Many of the buildings in the heart of Delaware are reputed to be over one hundred years old. These include the building that is now Delaware Variety as well as the antique shop across the street. Belvoir Manor is a private home that was at one point a seminary and a private school for boys, and at one point was destroyed by fire. The surrounding Belvoir Farms in which it is located is a prominent croquet venue for Croquet Canada.

Delaware boasts a number of tourist destinations despite its small size. Delaware Speedway is a half-mile paved race track that is one of the oldest in Canada. The track hosts stock car racing every Friday night during the summer, as well as several Saturday and Sunday race features. The track has also hosted major concert events in the past including I Mother Earth and Matthew Good. The Longwoods Road Conservation Area features Skah-Nah-Doht, a recreated Iroquoian village complete with longhouses and tours, as well as a museum featuring exhibits of Iroquoian culture and archaeological artifacts. The park hosts a yearly native festival as well as a re-enactment of the Battle of Longwoods.

Elginfield

Elginfield is located at the corner of Highway 4 and Highway 7, with the junction of Highway 23 just to the east. The University of Western Ontario operates an observatory in the community.

Ilderton

Ilderton is located along Middlesex County Road 16 (Ilderton Road) to the west of Highway 4 (Richmond Street), at the junction of Middlesex County Road 20 (Hyde Park Road). Prior to the late 1990s, the village was also accessible by railway. CN Rail had a rail line running north from Hyde Park to Clinton through the village. This rail line was abandoned from Ilderton north to Centralia in 1988, and south of Ilderton circa 1996. The portion of the former rail line south of County Road 16 has been converted to parkland.

Ilderton is home to a district fire station, a seniors apartment complex, two pub/restaurants, two pizza businesses, and three parks. As the hamlet is surrounded mainly by agricultural land, industry in the area is mostly farming. However Ilderton is also is home to Spencer Steel, a structural steel fabrication firm which distributes structural steel to small- to mid- sized construction sites. Notable projects include Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.

Due to Ilderton's proximity to London, many low-density subdivisions have been developed. This has led to an increase in the community's population in recent years.

Komoka

Komoka is a crossing point for many railway lines and was formerly a railway hot spot featuring various hotels and development. Today, the Komoka Railway museum keeps the local railway history alive and features unique artifacts such as a 1913 Shay Steam Engine and a 1972 Grand Trunk & Western caboose. There is an elementary school, Parkview Public School, and a private high school in the village. The village also supports a number of youth sports teams, including baseball and soccer.

Komoka is currently experiencing a population growth due to a new subdivision development. Consequently, the elementary school's enrolment has rapidly increased resulting in substantial renovations.

In partnership with Delaware and Mount Brydges, the three communities rotate responsibilities of hosting Canada Day celebrations. The partnership is called "Del-Ko-Bridge". The celebrations feature a free pancake breakfast, morning parade, events and competitions throughout the day, a baseball game at night with fireworks following the game.

Demographics

According to the Canada 2006 Census:
*Population: 15,589
*% Change (2001–2006): 9.5
*Dwellings: 5,346
*Area (km²): 588.05
*Density (persons per km²): 26.5

Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
Northwest =
North = North Middlesex, Lucan Biddulph
Northeast =
West = Adelaide-Metcalfe, Strathroy-Caradoc, Oneida 41
Centre = Middlesex Centre
East = Thames Centre, London
Southwest =
South = Southwold
Southeast =

References

External links

* [http://www.middlesexcentre.on.ca/ Middlesex Centre website]
* [http://www.delawarespeedway.com/ Delaware Speedway]
* [http://www.lowerthames-conservation.on.ca/SkaNahDoht.htm/ Longwoods Road Conservation Area]
* [http://www.komokarailmuseum.ca/ Komoka Railway Museum]
* [http://www.astro.uwo.ca/~dfgray/observat.html University of Western Ontario: Elginfield Observatory]