Goderich — A Walk Around Town

Once you pull yourself away from the gorgeous shoreline, you will find that not only the shoreline is pretty.  The town, founded in 1827, is also home to unique architecture and town planning.

Goderich founders, John Galt and William “Tiger” Dunlop (more about him in the next post) of the Canada Company, named the town after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was prime minister of the United Kingdom at the time.

Canada Company, founded by John Galt, was a private land development company set out to settle and colonise large parts of Upper Canada.  The company was successful in populating the area called the Huron Tract, considered the most important single attempt at settlement in Canadian history.  Goderich became the company’s headquarters.

The Town Square

As soon as you look at a map of Goderich, you notice the town square radiating its arms in all directions and beckoning you in.

John Galt’s design, inspired by the 1st century BC Roman Architect Vitruvius is not a common sight in Canadian towns..

Goderich Square

The square has many names, our GPS identifies it as Courthouse Square, but some call it Market Square, or simply, The Square.

Goderich Square

It is a designated national heritage district with 47 heritage properties.  Below are a few examples: the Bedford Hotel, constructed in 1896,

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The livery, now a theatre, was built in three stages; the back blacksmith and harness shop in 1840 with a 1960 addition,

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and the boomtown ornate front with it’s wide entrance in 1878.

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The Huron County Courthouse, built in 1954, replaced a 100-year-old building destroyed by fire.

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The roof over the performance stage reflects the town’s nautical heritage, reminiscent of an overturned shipwreck.

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Courthouse Park lost most of its trees by a devastating 2011 tornado.  Check out this fantastic tree map of the park as part of the recovery effort.

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The cenotaph soldier looks along East St., the route soldiers took to war as they marched to the station.

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A detail of the romanesque limestone town hall.

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Walking around the square,

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peeking into stores,

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and wondering into alleys.

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Despite the deep history, the flight of the monarch by artist Tova Hasiwar, dominates the square from afar.

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The Gaol

Erected between 1839 and 1841 and remained in operation until 1972.

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This remarkably preserved building features an octagonal central block, intended to ensure constant supervision of prisoners’ activities.

Image credit Historic Places Day

Allowing prisoners outsides activities was progressive thinking at the time.

Just like most other museums in the past year, the gaol closed its doors to visitors.  All we could do is walk around the property and admire the architecture.  The building is a designated national historic site.  We will need to come back once its open again.

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This was just a glimpse into town.  Next, we will explore some of the trails around Goderich so stay with us.  Also, stay well.

 

37 thoughts on “Goderich — A Walk Around Town

  1. Bitchy After 60 says:

    What a fascinating spot. Very European layout for sure. That mural is stunning. Someday when we can plan a longer trip, we may have to do some more exploring in Ontario. These days we usually go to visit family.

  2. petespringerauthor says:

    One thing I always appreciate as someone who likes the subject is you always give us a history lesson. The architecture is impressive as well as the forward thinking in terms of the prison yard.

  3. WanderingCanadians says:

    We used to camp at Pinery every summer and would sometimes stop at Goderich. It’s such a lovely town and it’s so neat how all roads lead to the Courthouse Square. I’d love to move out here when we retire.

  4. peggy says:

    What a wonderful mural of the butterflies. This town with its square and buildings is fantastic. You took us on a great tour. Loved the history lesson about the town.

  5. Rebecca says:

    What a charming place! The Flight of the Monarch is especially colorful and vibrant, adding that liveliness to the site itself. Thanks for sharing this gem of a place!

  6. paolsoren says:

    It is always great to look at the way some old towns manage to keep the original feeling. I am personally always looking at the different stone that is used. (Is this a sandstone or granite – hard to tell from this distance?)

  7. Jim Borden says:

    Looks like a wonderful place to visit – and I love the town layout. I was also fascinated by the name of one of the founders, John Galt, the main character in Atlas Shrugged…

  8. Lookoom says:

    The plan of the city centred on an 8-pointed star is interesting, unlike most other cities where the surveyors’ grid continues to form regular squares. Thanks for highlighting this.

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