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