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History of Delta

The year 1794 saw the first settlers from Vermont arrive in the area, led by Elder Abel Stevens.  In 1796 Stevens was granted 3 lots on the creek and rapids between the upper and lower beverley lakes and had the first mill built, forming the nucleus of a new community, later to be known as Delta.  In 1810, William Jones and Ira Schoefield has a new stone mill built, today's Old Stone Mill, spurring on economic activity and village growth. 

 

By the early 1800s this community was a flourishing farming and industrial village. Over the decades, Delta became home to a growing number of pioneer trades and crafts including general stores, a variety of smiths, hotels, a tannery, distillery, brickyard, foundry, cheese factory, carriage works, newspaper and among others, even a hospital. Many of these early structures, the skills and talents they housed and the families they homed have been lost.

But fortunately a significant number of buildings remain to illustrate the life of a busy and prosperous community. As well, many customs remain. For example, the annual Delta Fair is a thriving tradition dating back to 1830. The 20th and 21st centuries have brought many changes to Delta as to other communities across Eastern Ontario; a shift from an agricultural to a tourist economy, from a rural to an urban way of life. 

Reminiscences of Delta's Early Days - Part 1 | Part 2

 

Delta Wikipedia Page

See Lakes and Islands Times Past data base of old images.

Jubilee Block, 1920
Farming in Delta
Delta Fair Festivities
Lower Beverley Lake
Delta Citizens, 1905
Delta Citizens
Delta Field Day Parade, 1939
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