Shawville Walking Tour

Local politics were taken as seriously in the last century as it is today. It was at this level of government that the day to day decisions most directly affected people’s lives. From building fences and fixing roads to keeping the streets clear of livestock, the tasks of local government were often thankless but certainly necessary.

It was turned over to the village in time for the celebration commemorating the centennial of the founding of the town in 1873. At that time the village had become a municipality carved out of the township of Clarendon. After considerable debate, the town was named Shawville in honour of one of its wealthiest and most influential residents, James Shaw. The first Mayor, John Dale, Jr., had seen in his lifetime the evolution of the town from a mere collection of farmer’s homesteads to status as a full fledged municipality. The present Town Hall was built in 1927 as a post office and federal office.