History
Excerpted From : www.city.stratford.on.ca
The City:
“The settlement of Stratford began with the surveying of the Huron Road by the Canada Company in 1828. In December of that year and January of 1829, their agent, William 'Tiger' Dunlop, planted his surveyor's stakes around the area that was to become this beautiful city.
The Canada Company had been formed in 1824, when the government of Upper Canada was granted a million acres of land to settle. The district was known as the Huron Tract and included what is now Stratford and most of Perth County.
Stratford, itself, began to take shape in 1832 when Thomas Mercer Jones, a Canada Company director, gave a picture of William Shakespeare to William Sargint, the owner of the Shakespeare Hotel. A stone marks the site of this hotel, near 70 Ontario Street.
Jones gave the village the name of Stratford and the creek, which had been known as Little Thames, was renamed the Avon River.
In 1834 surveyor John MacDonald created the town plan. He placed the geographic centre of town at the point where four townships met, not far from today's Wade's Flower Shop. He then created four main roads radiating from the centre. Three of these roads were named for the Great Lakes to which they lead; Huron, Erie and Ontario.
In 1853 Perth County decided to separate from the Huron district, of which it had always been a part. A condition of separation was that Stratford become the county seat, with a courthouse, jail and registry office. The next year Stratford was incorporated as a village, and in 1859 it became a town.
The year 1856 signaled the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway and the Buffalo and Lake Huron Line, beginning Stratford's long history as a major rail centre. In 1871 a locomotive repair shop came to town; it was expanded in 1889 and 1906. The Grand Trunk amalgamated with the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway and in 1923 was taken over by the Canadian National Railway. The CNR was a significant contributor to the town's economy until the closure of the shops in 1964.
In 1904 the Parks Board was established. It created Upper Queen's Park, a professionally designed horticultural system around the area where the Festival Theatre now stands. Another major accomplishment came between 1905 and 1912, when the Board and citizens dissuaded the Canadian National Railway from laying its tracks along the Avon River.
Stratford's signature swans were introduced to the park system in 1918. And, in 1936, R. Thomas Orr, an original member of the Parks Board, succeeded in having the Shakespearean Gardens created. It wasn't until 1953 that Tom Patterson, a Stratford-born reporter for Maclean's Magazine, and a group of local supporters opened the Stratford Festival. “
The Park System:
“Stratford’s Main Park System contains approximately 415 acres of formal parklands and nearly 60 acres of natural area. The formal parkland is bounded immediately to the south by major access routes and a vibrant downtown area and to the north by exquisite residential properties.
Two of the city’s four theatres – the Shakespearean Theatre and Tom Patterson Theatre are located within the formal park system with the Avon Theatre and the Studio Theatre are located in the downtown area. The park system itself is virtually bisected by Lake Victoria and the Avon River system. The combination of land and water lends itself to a wide variety of activities, including picnics, art displays, outdoor concerts, various sports venues and of course our famous swans.
There are three major formal areas: Shakespearean Gardens, Cenotaph/Memorial Gardens at the westerly end of the system and Confederation Park / Millennium Park at the easterly end. "
The Cemetery:
"In 1870 Stratford City Council bought a part of the original Cawston farm for use as a park or natural area. The river northwards was to be used as a cemetery. According to a clipping from the Beacon Herald newspaper, Mr. H.G. Kirk, the city surveyor, reported and submitted a plan for laying out and ornamenting the new cemetery. It was to have curved driveways and walkways and trees in keeping with a park. He was requested to proceed with the work in accordance with the plans. Avondale Cemetery, Stratford, was opened in 1871."
More Information:
http://www.city.stratford.on.ca/site_tourism/about_stratford_history.asp
http://www.stratfordpertharchives.on.ca/localinfo.htm
