Midhurst, Ontario
Midhurst, Ontario is a small community in the Township of Springwater, Ontario, Canada and the seat of Simcoe County. With nearly 3,000 people,[1] it is the largest population centre in Springwater.
Midhurst | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Midhurst | |
| Coordinates: 44°26′36″N 79°43′18″W | |
| Country | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| County | Simcoe County |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 3,000 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 705 |
| Website | http://www.midhurstontario.com/ |
It is home to the Barrie Baycats of the Intercounty Baseball League. Midhurst has a public elementary school, Forest Hill Public School, which is a part of the Simcoe County District School Board.
History
Midhurst was named after the town of Midhurst, in the United Kingdom.[1] Cowdray Park is also named after the main park in that town.[2] A tree nursery and a saw mill on Willow Creek existed in Midhurst that supplied trees for the province. 'Finlay Mill Road' is so named, as Alex Finlay was its owner.[2] The Midhurst Pioneer Cemetery, no longer in operation, exists near the United Church, along with the non-denominational Midhurst Union Cemetery.[3] Willow Creek featured a grist-mill and hydro power house that supplied electricity to Barrie from 1826 to 1888.[4] The old grist-mill stone stands as a monument near the Finlay Mill bridge.
Midhurst Autumnfest, an annual fall fair, has run from 1969 to present.[5][6]
Notable people
- Robert Dick Orok (1958) served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1912 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party.
- Matthew Beleskey (1988) is a current NHL left winger with the New York Rangers.
- Alexandra Paul (1991) is an Olympic ice dancer. She won silver at the 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and bronze at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships, with partner Mitchell Islam.
Attractions
- Green Pine Park and Doran Park are the two local public parks in Midhurst, connected by Willow Creek.
- Barrie Community Sports Complex opened in 2000.[6]
- Willow Creek runs through Midhurst and much of the surrounding marshland, alongside Hunter-Russel Trail.
- Midhurst has three churches, Willow Creek Baptist Church, St. Paul's Anglican Church, and Midhurst United Church.
- To the east, the parkland is locally called Hydro Hills, due to the Ontario Hydro power lines, connecting Barrie, Ontario to Orillia, Ontario.
- The Springwater Public Library is located on Finlay Mill Road, just off of Bayfield Street/Highway 26.
Transportation
Midhurst sits at the junction of Ontario Highway 26 and Ontario Highway 27, with Highway 26 continuing southwest to Minesing and southeast to Barrie, while Highway 27 extends northwest to Elmvale.
The community has a Simcoe County LINX stop on its 1 Penetanguishene/Midland–Barrie bus route, which connects Midhurst to locations along the roughly north-south route. The nearest inter-regional transit is in Barrie, where it is possible to connect to GO Transit and Ontario Northland services.