COLCHESTER

ATTRACTIONS

POPULATION: 2200 • As one of the oldest communities in the region, with roots going back to the Proclamation of 1792, the War of 1812 and the Underground Railroad, its history is a symbolic reflection of our Canadian heritage.

(Source: TourismEssex.ca)

HISTORY

(Source: TourismEssex.ca) • When John Graves Simcoe took up his post as the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, he divided the province into 19 counties. The southernmost county became Essex County and the settlement area along Lake Erie was divided into two named townships: Colchester and Gosfield. Colchester’s date of origin is thus tied to the Proclamation of 1792. • Being so near the American border but distant from urban populations, Colchester became a last stop on the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by African-American slaves to escape to Canada. Elijah McCoy, the son of two such freedom seekers, was born and raised here. Patented in July 1872, his revolutionary lubricating cup system had engine buyers soon asking for “The Real McCoy.”

• County Road 50 is the southernmost mainland road in Canada.

Colchester Beach

FUN FACTS

• Colchester Beach • Colchester Marina • County Road 50 • Walleye Derby • Wineries