ort
owan
Port Rowan, located on Lake Erie, was once known as Dutcher's Corners, named for local landowner,
John Dutcher. After the village had been established, it was renamed in honour of
Captain William Rowan.
Port Rowan's annual Tomato Fest was first held in 1979 during
the Labour Day weekend. The festival has grown and now the two day celebration includes
a parade, a spaghetti eating contest and of course a tomato contest.
Backus Mill
John Backhouse (or Backus) moved from England to the United States in 1791
and then to Upper Canada a few years later. After petitioning Governor Simcoe
in 1796, Backhouse began to build a mill. The Backhouse Mill was only one of
two mills to survive the American troops in November of 1814, the other being
the Gustin Mill in Vittoria. The Backhouse Mill is one of the oldest, continuously running,
mills in Ontario.
Today hundreds of people still visit Backus Mill and Conservation Area north of Port
Rowan to experience what life was like in pioneer days.
Crosbie Bus Line
In the late 1920's Port Rowan businessman, Pausy Crosbie, offered a bus line that gave service to people between Simcoe, Port Dover, Vittoria, Forestville, St. Williams, and Port Rowan. After World War II, more people owned cars than before and the bus line went out of business.
