Lambton County, Ontario Canada Names and Places -P-

Pardee
A post office opened at Lot 30, Concession 6, Sombra, about the year 1910, with James Babcock as first postmaster. It was only in operation for a short time, for rural mail delivery following closely upon its opening, it was closed. Senator F. F. Pardee was at this time the Representative of West Lambton and it bore his name.

Payne
A post office located on the farm of Joseph Payne, Lot 24, Con. 8, Moore Township. Named after Mr. J. Payne.

Perch
A name given to a stream flowing through Sarnia Township and emptying into Lake Huron about ten miles above Point Edward. The name is also borne by a way station on the Canadian National Railway near this stream.

Perch derives its name from the French (River, Aux Perches), and was no doubt given by the early French explorers.

Petrolia
As may be judged it owes not only its name but subsequent development to the discovery and profitable production of petroleum or rock oil. It was about 1861 that oil was first discovered here but it was not until 1866 that its development really started, for the reason that prior to this, wells had been put down at Oil Springs and as it was there obtained by natural flow, consequently being less expensive to operate, this territory was developed, and it was only when the natural flow ceased about 1866, that the Petrolia field was again returned to, and the Oil Springs field, for the time practically abandoned. Inasmuch as all crude oil had to be teamed to Wyoming, the nearest railway point, and the haul from Petrolia was the shorter, and for some time following this, Petrolia and vicinity was the scene of the great oil activity of Canada and Oil Springs, as a town, began its rapid decline.

Today the oil supply of this territory has greatly decreased and the bustle of old days is no more; still it is a thriving center, supplying the needs of a splendid farming community. Its population in 1921 was 3148. It derived its name from the source that caused its birth, petroleum, and was named in 1861 by Patrick Barclay, the first postmaster.

Pine Hill
At one time a little village lying a mile or two from the present Village of Thedford: and named after the growth of pine on this elevation. The post office at this point was called Widder.

At one time a saw mill was operated there by Edward Proctor, who afterwards became Registrar of Deeds for Lambton County.

Plympton
Plympton is the most northern of the center tier of Lambton County townships and is bounded on the north by a portion of Bosanquet and on the north west by Lake Huron.

It is the second largest township in the county, having 76080 acres. The settlement of Plympton dates back from 1833 in which year a large number of immigrants located along the Egremont Road in the 5th and 6th ,Concessions. They came out from Europe under the patronage of Lord Egremont. There was also a settlement at Camlachie the same year. The land there was settled in 1833 by old country men and in 1835 and 36 a considerable number of Scotch settlers came to the southern part of the township from Lanark county. When the settlement was effected along the lake there was no way of communicating with Sarnia, then a straggling hamlet containing only one store, except by boats on the lake.

Plympton was named after a town in Devonshire, England, on the Plym River, near which was "Beechwood" the beautiful home of Sir John Colborne, Governor of Canada, when Plympton was surveyed.

It will be seen that it is one of the oldest townships in Lambton and today is a splendid agricultural district peopled by a thrifty, contented industrious people. Its population in 1921 was two thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.

Point Edward
This municipality, at one time called "Huron" entered upon its corporate existence only with the beginning of the year 1879. It is situated in the extreme northwest corner of Lambton County, where the waters of Lake Huron flow into the St. Clair River and at one time was the Canadian terminus of the then Grand Trunk Railway. As would be surmised, during this period, it was exclusively a railroad town, and at one time had a population of over two thousand, but when the Grand Trunk removed their round house to Sarnia, after the opening of the St. Clair Tunnel, the railway men and their families removed to Sarnia and Point Edward lost largely in population, and for some time was a very quiet village, but latterly has revived and is today a place of some 1253 souls.

A large stone cutting plant is located here and is also the shipping point of the Northern Navigation fleet of boats. In the summer months its water front is a hive of industry, not only from the above source, but at this point the ore docks of the Steel Company of Canada are located, and all ore is transhipped from the boats at these docks by rail to their plant at Hamilton.

Point Edward was for years called Huron Village, but following the visit of Albert Edward Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, it took on the name of Point Edward.

If our records are correct, the first actual settler at this point was John P. Slocum from New York State who came in the year 1838.

Port Frank
A pleasant summer resort situated on Lake Huron just above Stoney Point. It has a hotel, a store and many summer homes and splendid bathing facilities, and in summer months has quite a population.

It was named after 'Charles Frank, vice-president of the Canada Company in 1835, which Company owned the land along the lake.

Port Lambton
A village in Sombra Township and beautifully situated on the St. Clair river, 25 miles south from Sarnia. It received its name in common with the County from Lord Durham's English Estate. It has many summer homes and is a port of call for the Detroit passenger steamers.

Lambton County

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