Pre-History to the Victoria Age

If its heritage that interests you, you won't be disappointed with what this county has to offer. It has heritage sites and buildings from pre-history days to the last century, for example, if you are interested in the pre-history cultures, why not visit the Ojibwa Reservation at Alderville on Rice Lake?  

These First Nations People have been harvesting wild rice from Rice Lake for millennia! Hear about this ancient practice when visiting Jeff Beaver's Alderville Indian Craft Store, 8796 Rice Lake Drive with Smoke's Gallery of Fine Art across the road where there are more First Nation prints, sculptures and crafts for sale. Kawartha Spirit Walks are offered through Victoria Inn, a cottage mansion turned inn and steeped in history on the shores of Rice Lake. Recently archaeologists have been discovering more evidence of human activity around Rice Lake dating back to over 9000 years ago! They have published some of their findings in the article Lakebed yields microscopic clues about submerged archaeological sites.

If it is early European contact that interests you, Northumberland County has that, too. One fine example of neo-classical architecture is the Barnum House Museum in Grafton, circa 1819. Here you can find late-Loyalist furnishings with its formal dining room and family parlour. Nearby is the Grafton Village Inn, a restored coach house on the Toronto to Montreal stagecoach route. These are just two examples of early architecture in our county.