Pickering Village, part of the Town of Ajax is home to the
StoneCircle Theatre, and Pickering Village Jazz Festival every June
The site of the later village of Pickering on Duffin's Creek was
part of the 4,800-acre block in Pickering granted in 1793 to Major
John Smith, an officer in the 5th Regiment during the Revolutionary
War and later commanding officer at Detroit (1790-92) and Niagara
(1792-95). On Major Smith's death, the land passed to his son,
David W. Smith, Surveyor-General of Upper Canada (1792-1804). In
1797 Smith planned to erect a saw and grist-mill in the township.
Although these mills were never begun, an order was sent by Smith
to the Commissary-General's department for the issue of millstones
and necessary hardware.
"The Founding of Pickering"
Between 1801 and 1807 a settlement developed here in Pickering
Township where the Danforth Road crossed Duffin's Creek. Among the
early settlers was Timothy Rogers, a prominent Quaker and colonizer
who built a saw and grist-mill in 1809. A post-office was
established in 1829 but the hamlet of Duffin's Creek developed
slowly. The construction of the Grand Trunk Railway, completed in
1856, and growing agricultural prosperity stimulated the
community's development as an important grist-milling and local
commercial centre. Known as Pickering from the late 1870's, it
became a police village in 1900 with about 1,000 inhabitants. In
1953 it was made an incorporated Village and in 1974 amalgamated
with the Town of Ajax.
Within the small park at the corner of Old Kingston Rd, Church St,
and Kingston Rd, there are a few plaques describing the history of
the village including the Village Bell, which was rung primarily
for the outbreak of fire, but also had the secondary task of
ringing four times a day, at 7am, 12pm, 1pm and 6pm to announce the
start of the work day, lunch, end of lunch and end of the work
day.
The cache is micro located somewhere in this park. The park is
just off a very busy Kingston Rd and stealth is required. Your best
bet for parking is along Old Kingston Rd. If coming from the west
along Kingston Rd, you will want to head north into the village
before you get to Church St. Try Elizabeth St or Linton St across
from St. George Anglican Church.
Note: Old Kingston Rd between Linton and Church St. is one way
heading west.
Please take care to replace the
cache in the same spot as you found it.
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Congratulations to Clan Perez for First to Find honours.