Before written history, the Neutral Indians lived here. It was a
perfect home with forests teeming with game, the lake providing fresh fish and
transportation, and the fertile plain ideal for agriculture. The Neutrals were
wiped out by their enemies by 1650.
In 1787, a group of United Empire Loyalists arrived from New Jersey.
They named their little settlement The Forty after the creek which was believed
to be forty miles from the mouth of the Niagara River.
John Graves Simcoe, an officer of the British army who served in the
American War of Independence, became the first lieutenant-governor of Upper
Canada (Ontario) from 1792-1796. The naming of the newly surveyed townships was
part of his duty, and on a number of them he gave places names from
Lincolnshire, England. One of these was Grimsby.
In the early days the many creeks on top of the Niagara Escarpment which
flowed into Lake Ontario – each with a waterfall – were named according to
their approximate distance from the Niagara River. There is the Twelve Mile
creek, the Sixteen, the Twenty, the Forty, etc. It was along these creeks and
stretching back from then on either side that the first settlers took up their
land and built their log cabins, their saw mills and grist mills. This is how
the Settlement at The Forty – later called Grimsby (from the name of the
township) – began.
Less than twenty years after the arrival of the first settlers, the
United States declared war on Britain and began by attacking Canada from three
points – one of them was Niagara. In 1813, the Engagement at the Forty occurred
on June 8, 1813. American forces, retreating after the Battle of Stoney creek,
were bombarded by a British flotilla under Sir James Lucas Yeo. Indians and
groups of the 4th and 5th Regiments Lincoln Militia
joined in the attack and created such confusion in the enemy ranks that they
abandoned this position and retreated to Fort George.
14 Robinson Street South – Helen Gibson House – Local quarryman and builder, W.F. Gibson, built the first two cement block homes in Grimsby at 14 and 16 Robinson Street South in 1912. In 1921, Mr. Gibson completely rebuilt 14 Robinson Street South. The building was reconstructed in the classical Georgian style with its long sharply pitched roof, internal chimney, symmetrical facade and centre hall layout. Plaster and stucco were then applied to the cement block. Dominating the front entrance is a Neo-Classical vaultro portico.23 Mountain Street – This home was built in 1855 by John H. Grout, son of Reverend George Grout the rector of St. Andrew’s Church. John became an important citizen, and entrepreneur who established the Grout Agricultural Works which manufactured reapers and mowers, the most modern farm machinery. He became a Reeve in 1876 when Grimsby became a town. Note the fine detail over the windows of the house and the stained glass windows framing the door.The Gibson house at 114 Gibson Avenue was built circa 1860 by Robert Lillie Gibson using red variegated free stone from his quarries on the escarpment above. He came to Grimsby in search of good stone for quarrying. Robert and the men in this family were stonemasons from Scotland. He settled on the west above Grimsby and established a quarry there. He met and fell in love with Frances Thompson and they were married. Robert built the little house at 102 Gibson Avenue for his bride, but he began work on the lovely stone house by Forty Mile Creek. Robert’s quarry above the house was a success due to the building boom in public structures and railway bridges during that era. Rock was carried from the quarry to waiting ships by means of a little railway that ran from the base of the escarpment to the foot of Maple Avenue where a pier was built for this purpose. In 1870, Robert opened a second quarry in Beamsville. At that time, he brought his 21-year-old nephew, William from Scotland to act as bookkeeper. When Robert died in an unfortunate accident in 1882, William took over the operation of the quarries. In 1891, William ran successfully for Parliament, holding his seat until 1902. He was then appointed to the Senate. Senator Gibson School in Beamsville is named for him.25 Adelaide Street was constructed in 1911 as a result of an $8,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York whose purpose was to promote the advancement of knowledge. It served as Grimsby’s library until 2003. The three-part façade represents strength, wisdom and beauty. The portico is in the classic Greek design.18 Nelles Road North – William Boise Nelles built this house on his fruit farm in 1905. Around 1800, William Nelles built The Hermitage on land near Lake Ontario. When he died, the land was divided between his sons, Peter Ball Nelles and John Adolphus Nelles. Peter had the eastern portion of the land, which he called Chestnut Park. John Adolphus had the western part on which he built Lakelawn.376 Nelles Road North – Lakelawn, named for the grassy stretch between the house and lake, was built in 1846 by John Adolphus Nelles, son of William and nephew of Robert. The house remained in the family until the death of John’s great-granddaughter, Mary Burnham in 1986. John’s brother Peter Ball Nelles shared this property and built a lovely home called Stone Shanty. It was unfortunately razed when the Queen Elizabeth Highway was built.13 Fair Avenue – Edwardian style – second floor sleeping balcony
