Metcalfe, Ontario

For the former Township of Metcalfe in Middlesex County, Ontario, see Adelaide–Metcalfe.

Metcalfe is a large village in the Osgoode Ward of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The local agricultural fair, the Metcalfe Fair, has been held each fall since 1856.

Metcalfe is home of the famous Metcalfe Lions Club purple benches, which visitors often sit on to enjoy fresh local ice cream from the nearby Metcalfe Variety Store.

History

Colonel Archibald Macdonell, believed by some to be the first settler in the township, settled just south of the current location of the village in March 1827. The village was originally called Osgoode, but in 1877 it was renamed to Metcalfe in honour of Charles Theophilus Metcalfe, Governor General of Canada from 1843 to 1846.

In its early days, Metcalfe was a stop on the stagecoach route from Ottawa (known at the time as Bytown) to Cornwall. The village of Metcalfe was bypassed in the construction of railway lines, limiting its further growth. The railway line to Cornwall passed to the east, through the town of Russell, while another to Prescott passed to the west through Osgoode Village.

Schools

• Metcalfe Public School - The only public elementary school in Metcalfe.
• St. Catherines Catholic School
• Community Christian School
• Osgoode Township High School - The only high school in the township of Osgoode.

Sports

The village is home to various sports facilities, most notably the Metcalfe Community Centre which bears the name of former......
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