Bowmanville, Ontario

Bowmanville is the largest community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 75 km east of Toronto and 15 km east of Oshawa along the former Highway 2.

Geography

*Population: 31,830 (2006) 34,202 est. 2008 [http://www.clarington.net/htdocs/bus-stats.html#pop]
*Location: Clarington, Ontario, Canada
**Altitude: 150 m
**Latitude: 43.8 (44°48') N
**Longitude: 78.6 (78°42') W
*Area code: +(00)1-905 & 289
*Postal code: L1C

Bowmanville is surrounded by farmland on three sides, and Lake Ontario to the south. Nearby forests are mainly pine, elm, birch and oak, lying in the Bowmanville Creek and Soper Creek valleys and to the hills of the north as well as to the south. Farmlands formerly covered central Bowmanville until the population increased, thus establishing a nascent downtown core by the early 19th century. The harbour area of the town is known as Port Darlington.

History

Settlers were attracted to the area by the farmland, and creeks for water mills, first (including one still standing, now called Vanstone's Mill) at Bowmanville (originally Barber) Creek, at the present-day intersection of King Street and Scugog St., from which businesses and housing spread east, and later on Soper Creek (including another still standing as the municipality's Visual Arts Centre).

The lands which would later become Bowmanville were first purchased by Jeff Bowman, who later sold it to Lewis Lewis. Lewis opened the first store in what was then called Darlington Mills. The store was purchased in about 1824 by Jeffrey Robert Earl Bowman (for whom the town was eventually named) who then established the first post office. [Thickson, J. "History of West Durham Region" "Bowmanville Statesman", March 3, 1832. ] .

The success of the Vanstone Mill, fueled by the machinery of the Crown's land grant program, led to the rapid expansion of the Bowmanville settlement in the early years of the 19th century. Under the generous yet discriminate eyes of wealthy local merchants such as John Simpson and Charles Bowman, small properties would often be sold to promote settlement and small business. The town soon developed a balanced economy; all the while gradually establishing itself as a moderate player in shipping, rail transport, metal works and common minor business (including tanneries, liveries, stables and everyday mercantile commodity exchange).

By the time of Confederation, Bowmanville was a vital, prosperous and growing town, home to a largely Scots-Presbyterian community with all manner of farmer, working, and professional class making the town their home. With local economic stability and accessible, abundant land available for the construction of housing, the town soon sported several new Churches, each designated to house both Free and Auld Kirk, Anglican and Protestant congregations, including the Bible Christian Church, later to be a major stream of Canadian Methodism.

At present, St. John's Anglican Church. St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, St. Paul's United Church and the impressively ornate Trinity United Church (site of an old Auld Kirk church) still serve the community. All of these edifices, quite appropriately, line or are in close proximity to present-day Church Street.

Local business organized and modernized nicely in the 20th century, with the Dominion Organ and Piano factory, the Bowmanville Foundry, and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company (1910) all providing steady work for Bowmanville's ever-growing working populations. Goodyear even went so far as to provide affordable housing for its employees, and present day Carlisle Ave. (built by magnanimous Goodyear president W.C. Carlisle) in the 1910s still stands as one of Ontario's best preserved examples of industrial housing. The land on which the Bowmanville Hospital was built was donated by J.W. Alexander, the owner of the then-prospering Dominion Organ and Piano factory.

Formal education evolved in-step with Ryersonian philosophies of the day, and the advent of the Central Public School (1889) and the Bowmanville High School (1890), (both designed by Whitby architect A.A. Post) were the finishing touches to the town that was a model of then-Ontario Premier Oliver Mowat's philosophy of education, expansion and innovation for the citizens of the province.

The 20th century saw a steady rise in the construction of area schools, with Vincent Massey P.S. (1955); Waverley P.S. (1978); Dr. Ross Tilley P.S. (1993); John M. James P.S. (1999) and Harold Longworth P.S. (2003) all accommodating gradual population increases and building developments in specific demographic areas of the town. The local school board (Northumberland/Newcastle)was amalgamated with neighboring Peterborough jurisdictions to form the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board in 1997.

As the town grew and prospered, so arrived Bowmanville's grand era of architectural building and refinement. Many excellently maintained specimens of Italianate, Gothic Revival, Colonial Brick and Queen Anne architecture line the central aspect of Bowmanville's oldest neighborhood, and this contributes to the present-day attractiveness and sense of history that the old town radiates so nicely.

Much of Bowmanville's residential and commercial architectural heritage was either lost or threatened by demolition and modern development from 1950-1980, but a 25 year renaissance in appreciation and awareness (led largely by local historians and LACAC members) helped to preserve the precious remnants of days gone by.

Bowmanville was incorporated as a village in 1852 and as a town in 1858. In 1974, the municipality was amalgamated with Clarke Township and Darlington Township to form the Town of Newcastle as part of the municipal restructuring that created the Regional Municipality of Durham from Ontario. Newcastle was renamed Clarington in 1993.

Housing developments arrived in the 1950s around Bowmanville and did not boom until the 1970s in the northern portion and lasted into the late-20th century and continues to this day. Developers include Halminen, Greenpark, Melody Homes and Tribute, Baywood among others. Luxury homes are about 4 km north of Bowmanville. The population rose to about 10,000 in the 1970s, about 20,000 in the 1980s, about 25,000 in the 1990s and today is about 30,000. In the 1980s, Highway 401 was later expanded to six lanes from four and later Highway 2 added another two lanes west of Bowmanville. Some have referred to this as the "lane-era" of Bowmanville.

Prisoner of War camp

Camp 30, the Lake Ontario Officers’ Camp-Bowmanville, held captive German army officers from the Afrika Korps, fliers from the Luftwaffe and naval officers from the Kriegsmarine. Farms surrounded the camp that had been a delinquent boys’ school prior to the war. In several accounts by former POWs, the prison was represented as very humane, in that the prisoners were well treated and well fed.

Among the German officers transferred from England to Bowmanville was Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer, who was the top U-boat ace of World War II. Kretschmer assumed the duties of the senior naval officer, sharing the command with the senior Luftwaffe officer Oberstleutnant Hans Hefele and the senior army officer General Leutnant Hans von Ravenstein.

The Bowmanville boys’ school had been quickly turned into Camp 30, Lake Ontario Officers’ Camp, by surrounding the existing school buildings with a barbed wire fence. The facility, which had been designed to house 300 boys, was a little cramped and undersized for grown men. Two twelve-foot high fences with electric lights every twelve feet and nine guard towers surrounded the fourteen-acre site. The fence had sixty miles of barbed wire looped around the small perimeter. Lieutenant Colonel R.O. Bull M.C. had a support staff plus the Veterans Guard of Canada, consisting of nine officers and 239 other ranks under his command to guard the prisoners.

When the naval prisoners arrived at Bowmanville, there were no recreational facilities. The naval officers quickly transformed the camp. Flower and vegetable gardens were planted, sports fields, tennis courts and a swimming pool were built. The quarters were expanded, giving the prisoners better living conditions. The prisoners received money from home or earned extra money by manufacturing wooden furniture. They were able to purchase beer, cigarettes and dry goods from Eaton's mail order catalogue. It was an ideal life except that there were no women and no freedom. For some there was the urge to get back to the war and defend their country, and for others a desire to remain POWs for the duration of the war.

A daily routine of exercise, sporting events and work assignments was established. As well as English being taught, professors from the nearby University of Toronto gave lectures for university credit classes. A school was also formed, which taught midshipmen seamanship and navigation courses.

Current movies were shown each week. National and religious holidays were observed, and music concerts were given regularly. Elaborate stage plays were produced. Extraordinary puppets were designed and fabricated for puppet shows. Although the conditions were good in the Canadian POW camps, there was very little to do, and the routine was always the same.

Economy

Bowmanville is home to a Goodyear factory, the historic Bowmanville Foundry, the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police headquarters, and a deep water marina on Lake Ontario. Bowmanville was a finalist for the ITER project. Many people who live in Bowmanville work for General Motors Canada situated nearby in Oshawa, or work in Toronto using Highway 401, or the GO Train which leaves from Oshawa. Bowmanville has become a "bedroom community", as most of its citizens work outside of the town and return to rest and play. Bowmanville now has a short service bus route.

Transportation

Since the 1950s, Bowmanville has been accessible via Highway 401 and served by three interchanges: Waverly Road—Durham Road 57 (Exit 431), Liberty Street—Durham Road 14 (Exit 432) and Bennett Road (Exit 435), that also serves the retirement community of Wilmot Creek on the Lake Ontario shore. The interchange with Highway 35 and Highway 115 to Lindsay and Peterborough (exit 436) lies 500 m east of Bennett.

Bowmanville is bisected by Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Canadian National lines run to the south of town. Bowmanville had its own transit system, Clarington Transit from 2002-2005, and is now part of the Durham Region Transit East Region, as well as having connections to GO Transit and VIA Rail.

Education

Public education is provided by the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. There are eight elementary schools in Bowmanville and two secondary schools, Bowmanville High School and Clarington Central Secondary School.

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board oversees public Catholic education through three elementary and one secondary school (St. Stephen's Secondary School).

Private schools include Durham Christian High School.

Notable attractions

The Mosport International Raceway which hosts both minor grand prix races and major racing events by CASCAR, the SCCA, and American Le Mans Series annually is located north of Bowmanville.

Bowmanville is home to the largest private zoo in Canada, the Bowmanville Zoo. The zoo's residents have been in films, including the now deceased "Bongo" and his brother "Caesar" (lions) from "Ghost in the Darkness", and there is a primate making wild but accurate National Hockey League playoff predictions. The elephants are taken for walks occasionally through the town and have been known to make an appearance at Bowmanville High School's first football game of the season.

The annual Santa Claus Parade is held the third Saturday of each November. The route extends from the Post Office at Church St. and Temperance St., south on Scugog Rd., east on King St. and south on Liberty St. to Memorial Park.

Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex in Bowmanville is home to "Total Hockey", which is a museum dedicated to hockey. Hockey commentator Brian McFarlane donated his collection of hockey memorabilia- fans can trace hockey's growth through informative displays and presentations. Interactive areas give you the chance to test your skills.

ports

In the 1960s the Oshawa Generals and Bobby Orr played hockey in the old Bowmanville Arena on Queen Street while awaiting the Oshawa Civic Arena's completion.

The present day Junior A hockey team is called The Bowmanville Eagles.

Bowmanville was home to Josh Bailey who was drafted by the New York Islanders in 2008(9th overall)

Nearest places

*Oshawa, West
*Courtice, West
*Newcastle, East
*Orono, Northeast
*Port Hope, East

External links

*Reading material: Camp 30 Word of Honour (ISBN # 0-9687062-8-2 Hodgson/Longfield
*Street Maps: [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=43.8&decimal&latitude=-78.6&longitude=&zoom=6 Mapquest] , [http://maps.msn.com/map.aspx?&lats1=43.8&lons1=-78.6&alts1=35 MapPoint] or [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=bowmanville,+on&hl=en Google]
*Satellite
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=bowmanville,+on&t=k&hl=en Google]
*Local Paper: [http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/info/clarington/ Canadian Statesman]
*Tourism [http://www.clarington-tourism.ca/ Clarington Tourism]
*Municipal Website [http://www.clarington.net/htdocs/index.html Clarington.net]
*Housing: [http://www.mls.ca/PropertyResults.aspx?Mode=0&Page=1&vs=1&rlt=&cp=&pt=0&mp=0-0-0&mrt=-1-0-0&Beds=0-0&Baths=0-0&f=&ft=all&o=A&of=1&ps=10&ptgid=1&aid=3501&MapURL=?AreaID=3495 MLS Listings]
*Transit: [http://www.durhamregiontransit.com Durham Region Transit]
*Business Listings: [http://www.1Bowmanville.com Bowmanville City Guide Site] , [http://www.Bowmanville.com Historic Downtown Bowmanville BIA]
*History as a Prisoner-of-War camp: http://www.u-434.com

References