SECOND OLDEST PORT?

Bustling Harbour

Ten years ago, in its April 1998 Historical Notes, the Bruce County Historical Society congratulated both Southampton and Kincardine on 150 years of community life.　 The Society noted at that time that Kincardine had already staged a re-enactment of the arrival of its first settlers and had a full summer of events ahead to celebrate the anniversary. Southampton, it was reported, "has nothing planned to observe its 150th year."

A few weeks ago, the Historical Society noted that Kincardine is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year.

Wait a minute! Isn't Southampton about to celebrate its 150th anniversary? How did Kincardine get ahead of its northern cousin by 10 years?　 Is Southampton no longer the "Oldest Port on the Bruce Coast?"  Will Kincardine be 20 years older at the next celebration? If this keeps on, will there come a time when Kincardine is twice as old as Southampton?

The difference, of course, lies in the fact that Kincardine is celebrating the 160th anniversary of the arrival of its first settlers in 1848. Southampton is celebrating the 150th year of its incorporation as a village, an event that took place in 1858, 10 years after 1848.

Since the county historical society first wrote about the sesqui-centenialls in 1998, another major discovery has been made. Through lengthy research, Historian Pat McArthur of Port Elgin has found that Southampton's history goes back many years before 1848.　 Pat McArthur uncovered records showing that the Hudson Bay Company had a trading post here in the 1820s. That gives Southampton a historical line of at least 180 years!

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Historians -- and Pat McArthur surely deserves to be classed as one -- know the importance of seeking and presenting the full picture.  In this case, Southampton had a settlement far earlier than any other county town. It had an early fur trading post. Its river was used as a place of shelter and trade in the 1820s. And one cannot forget the warship General Hunter wrecked on its shores in 1816.

The General Hunter Enter Fort Miegs

Southampton's history, as everyone knows, was tied to the lake for much of its life. Some of the $94,000 windfall could be used to permanently commemorate -- perhaps with plaques -- the rich marine heritage of the town. The waterfront could be the setting for markers listing the dozens of vessels that perished within sight of the village.

It is too late to correct the folly of choosing 150 years as the anniversary of celebration, but we hope the committee in charge will extend the horizons of the events at their celebration to include the highlights of the marine history and the 30 or more years of our history lost through this unfortunate choice of anniversary.

John Weichel