Fun Fact Friday #20 - The Little Pier That Could 🌊

      Did you know that Canadians living on the coast of Lake Erie built a pier to sell goods to the Americans across the lake during the Civil War?

What is left of the pier at Tyrconnell.

      In April of 1861 the Dunwich Pier Company was established in order complete the building of a 500 foot pier at Tyrconnell. The pier was 30 feet wide so that horses were able to turn around at the end and people would still be able to pile products, usually grain. The selling of grain bushels to the United States while the war was on created a very profitable economy for the farmers in the Tyrconnell area. The pier was considered so important that it became a possible landing spot for invaders from the U.S. 

      Unfortunately, after the war was over the pier was not used nearly as much and eventually, in 1890, became unsafe to use entirely. These days there is not much left of the old pier that used to be there, but is still an interesting story to tell locally.

Come visit the Backus-Page House Museum in Wallacetown to find out more interesting stories about the history of Elgin!
29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown, ON
519-762-3072