THE VILLAGE OF PORT PERRY.
Port Perry was detached from each and incorporated as a village on June 9th, 1871, and organize as a separate municipality in January, 1872.
Assessment 1873, $177,045.
1904, $484,680.
Population, 1873, 1,300.
1907, 1,600.
Port Perry was at one time the site of an Indian Village, and in 1828 an Indian school was established there.
On the incorporation of the village Joseph Bigelow was elected reeve; Messrs. John Phillippo, William Tait, Caleb Crandell and Allan Sexton councillors.
Duncan McKercher was the first clerk and Henry Gordon the first treasurer. He was succeeded by Mr. John Brown, who still holds the office.
Lieut.-Col. N. F. Paterson was clerk and solicitor for many years during his residence there. He was succeeded by Mr. W. H. Harris, M.A.
This village Was known by the name of Port Perry from about the year 1850 and was named after Peter Perry, of Whitby, who laid out the first town plot in the village. The first settler and owner of Lot 19 in the 6th concession of Reach, the present site of Port Perry, was Elias Williams, who took up the lot about the year ---- . He subsequently sold these lands to Peter Perry. The first general store was opened by Chester Draper about the year 1846. In this year Messrs. Thomas and Geo. Paxton and Daniel S. Way built the first steam saw mill in the
village. The second was built by Samuel Hill, of Whitby Township, in 1847. The third mill was built by Stephen Doty in the year 1852. These mills did a very large business and employed in getting out logs and in the manufacture of lumber a large number of men.
The first post office was opened in 1852 with Joseph Bigelow, Esquire, as postmaster.
The steamer "Woodman" was built by Hugh Chisholm for Rowe and Cotton, of Whitby in 1850 and made the first trip to Lindsay in the spring of 1851, Mr. Chisholm being the captain.
Up to 1856 communication with Scugog Island was made by a ferry boat. In this year -----the Scugog floating bridge was built partly by subscription. The County of Ontario subsequently assumed the bridge as a County work and has expended in all about $25,000 in making a solid roadway.