Grafton, Ontario

Bolstered by satellite communities such as Centreton, Castleton, Wicklow, and Vernonville, Grafton was a productive hamlet that supported itself through both agriculture and services.

By the late 1870s, the hamlet could boast of having a doctor, several taverns and inns, a cheese factory, a blacksmith, a public scale, and a train station on the GTR line.

The column included news of the surrounding communities and hamlets and detailed various social, political, and economic on-goings in the area, such as picnics, local crime, sporting contests, and harvest reports.

Many early settlers continue to have descendants living in the area; notable family names include McKenzie, Calnan, McBride, Johnston, Inglis, Harnden, Harrison, Raymond, Owens, Davis, Bryden, Broomfield, Chamberlain, Mian, Lackey, Lawless, and Bryson.

Agriculture is still prevalent in the surrounding area, predominantly with crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat, and livestock including beef, dairy, and poultry.

Grafton is the current site in which the Kirkland Signature brand of Costco sources its spring water (sold in stores across the province).