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Nestled in a valley near the blue-green shores of Georgian Bay there is a village where time appears to have stood still.
One hundred and fifty years ago, prominent businessman William Jabez Marsh came to this valley, looking for a place to build a mill. Here he founded Clarksburg Ontario.
So why did he name it Clarksburg?
Soon after Marsh arrived in this valley, an American settler by the name of William Clark appeared. Clark paired up with two brothers John and Thomas Tyson as soon got down to the business of building a mill. The main intersection was laid out and homes were built. In 1860, a meeting was held to settle on a name for this new community. There was a tie vote for the names "Marshville" and "Clarksburg", after the two men who first settled the area. The story goes that Marsh insisted that his friend have the honor of the village being named for him and Clark insisted the main street be "Marsh"street. Such civilized early settlers in Clarksburg.
As early as 1861 the little village had a hotel, a general store, a post office and even a library! Many of these original buildings still survive today and make up the community core and quaint business district. The eclectic shops have all retained bits and pieces of their original charm with tin ceilings, hemlock flooring and unique architectural features.
Take a stroll through the past 150 years of Clarksburg history, wander through the buildings and meet our fore-fathers who settled our beautiful little village.