On July 1, 1867, the British North America Act became law, creating a new federal system of government in this part of North America. This federation, called Canada, consisted of four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
It is possible that this significant change in government meant little to the lives of people living in the small, thriving town of Paris. After all, the village of Paris (established in 1850) had become an incorporated town in 1856, 11 years before Confederation.
Hugh Finlayson was elected Paris’s first mayor in 1856. The last mayor of Paris was Jack Bawcutt. In 1998, after 149 years, Paris was amalgamated, losing its formal incorporated status and becoming one of several communities that make up the municipal entity known as the County of Brant. Much happened between the formal beginning and the formal ending of the town of Paris.
Englishman William Holmes was the first settler to come here in 1821. He built a log cabin in the area that is now the corner of Dumfries and Church Streets. William Curtis and Christopher Holmes (William’s brother) were among the other early settlers.
In 1823, Hiram Capron, an ironware salesman from Vermont, came to visit “Squire” William Holmes. He was apparently impressed by the beauty and potential of the land he saw, ideally situated at the forks of the Grand River, and decided to make it his home. Unlike Holmes, who was primarily interested in building an estate for his family along the lines of the English landed gentry, Capron, later dubbed “King” by his villagers, was interested in bigger things. Writers at the time remember him as a man of vigour, enterprise and vision. No surprise then that Capron has been dubbed the founder of Paris. That same year, Capron renounced his American citizenship and took an oath of allegiance to the British Crown to own land in Canada.
Among Capron’s many achievements, such as building much of Paris’s early infrastructure, he is credited with naming the town. He chose the name Paris as a nod to the area’s rich gypsum deposits, used to make a building material called plaster of Paris. He was also inspired to pay tribute to the illustrious city in France of the same name. But the locals hesitated to have their village identified with a place associated with bloody revolution, so they initially resisted his choice. Nithsville was one of the early names given to Paris. Parisville was another. Finally, in 1831, the “King” got his way, and the village agreed to be known as Paris.
The first locomotive came through town in 1835, opening up the settlement to the wider world.
Master stone mason Levi Boughton moved to town in 1838 and, over the next two decades, facilitated the construction of cobblestone buildings in a style unique in Ontario. Most of these beautiful structures are still standing.
In 1867, the Penman family moved to town, and for the next five decades, Penman’s textile mills defined everyday life in Paris to the point that townspeople told time by the sound of Penman’s whistle. The company contributed greatly to the town’s life and welfare, even swelling its population by recruiting skilled textile workers, mostly women, from England. Penman also built rental houses for his workers, many of which are still inhabited today. Willow and West River Streets were the sites of the main mills. Penmans was sold in the 1960s, and its operations wound down over the next 10 years. Today, the only remaining company buildings on West River are condos and apartments.
In 1867, Alexander Graham Bell made his first long-distance phone call from Brantford to a shop in downtown Paris. A plaque located in Paris’ downtown marks the spot of this historic event.
The great fire of September 1900 destroyed many buildings on Grand River Street and some on the south side of William Street. It began in a flour mill and, fed by high winds, destroyed 50 shops. After the fire, Paris rebuilt. The ensuing century saw the construction of the town’s then-largest school (Central) and, in 1922, the Willett Hospital.
Historical records tell us that Paris has always had a rich social and community life. In the late 1800s, May dances and many other cultural events were held in the Old Town Hall. This unique Gothic-style civic building still stands in the area once known as Upper Town. Plans are now underway to repurpose the building for community use.
The people of Paris have been passionately involved in countless societies, clubs, and sporting organizations over the years, and many of these community groups still thrive today.
Paris has also experienced more than its share of floods, as you might expect in a town where two rivers meet. In some notable years, the river has swelled its banks on multiple occasions.
Syl Apps (1915-1998) is known as one of Paris’ most famous sons. Apps was a professional hockey player, an Olympic pole vaulter, and a member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament. But he is best remembered by his hometown contemporaries for his exemplary and sportsmanlike behaviour. Apps is recognized on a plaque located in front of the community centre on William Street (originally an arena) that bears his name. The centre is our museum’s home.
Beginning in the twenty-first century, as a result of provincial growth policies, Paris, as part of the County of Brant, became the focus of intense new development. New houses, increased traffic and a swelling population are now part of the norm.
What would King Capron think if he could once again walk the streets of his town? Would he recognize the same vigour, enterprise and vision that he was known for reflected in the people who live here today?
In 1834, a writer by the name of William Kingston was so charmed by the village that he wrote, “Paris is decidedly the prettiest town we have yet seen in Canada”. Many people, locals, newcomers and visitors alike, would still agree with him.
by Cate Breaugh