The Town of Pelham is located in the centre of Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada. The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering waterway that flows into the Niagara River. To the west is the township of West Lincoln, to the east the city of Welland, and to the north the city of St. Catharines. North Pelham contains the picturesque Short Hills. Two important creeks have their headwaters within Pelham; Coyle Creek, which flows south into the Welland River, and Twelve Mile creek, a spring-fed stream that flows north into Lake Ontario.
History
Pelham Township was part of the original Lincoln County since the late 1780s. The Town of Pelham derived its name from Pelham Township which was so named by John Graves Simcoe in the 1790s. Simcoe gave names to the Townships of Niagara that were created to provide land for Loyalist refugees, disbanded troops former rangers and others after the British defeat in the Revolutionary War . At the beginning, the townships were only numbered and not named. The policy of Simcoe was to adopt township names from England. Pelham was named after the Pelham family though it unsure which particular Pelham family member it is attributed to - either Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, or Charles Anderson Pelham. But in fact it turns out that it was named after early landowner Joshua Pell’s family manor in Westchester County, New York—Pelham Manor—lost by the Loyalist Pells during the American Revolution. From the top of the Fonthill Kame Delta hill, a unique topographical feature, and ANSI protected site on a clear day it is possible to see Toronto, Hamilton and western New York state. At one time a ski tow was installed on the north side of the Kame Delta Hill on what is now Lookout Point Golf and Country Club, but it was a commercial failure and no longer operates. In 1970, the Town of Pelham unified five historical communities: Fonthill, Ridgeville, Effingham, North Pelham and Fenwick into a single town covering 126.42 square kilometres. This integration brought together a mix of farming and growing commercialism.
Attractions
The Comfort Maple Tree is estimated to be Canada's oldest surviving Sugar Maple tree, approximately 500 years old. Named after the Comfort family on whose land the tree was located and the Comfort family deeded the area of the tree to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation authority. It has been designated a Conservation site for its biological and historical significance. The Comfort Maple is located in the village of North Pelham. Short Hills Provincial Park, located along the northern border of Pelham, is a wildlife preserve of 6.6 square kilometres. It once consisted of a valley filled with sedimentary deposits and glacial till, until Twelve Mile Creek sliced through, forming the "Short Hills." In addition there is also St. John's Conservation area, which has a fish pond and a set of trails. Pelham is a good location for avid golfers, having a steadily growing number of golf courses. The town's oldest course, Lookout Point Golf and Country Club, was founded in 1922 by a group of Welland businessmen.
Notable people from Pelham
spent 106 years in this town excelling as an aviator, instructor, musician, Councillor, mentor, author and notable centenarian. She had a rich life of adventure including Women's air racing and motorcycling. Her honour's include Membership in the Order of Canada, a commemorative postage stamp issue, and the renaming of the local airport after her. Steve Bauer grew up in Fenwick winning a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in cycling and later became a professional cyclist. He wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France during several years of racing in France in the 1980s. There is a series of walking and biking trails throughout the municipality which are named after him. World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Marlene Streit also grew up in Pelham, belonged to the Lookout Point Golf and Country Club, and has a park in the Town's core named after her. CTV's morning show Canada AM's weather and sports man, Jeff Hutcheson currently lives in Fenwick. Former NHL enforcer Matt Johnson was raised and lived in Fenwick, although his birthplace is listed as Welland as this is where the local hospital is located. Natalie Mastracci, Silver Medalist for rowing at the 2012 Olympic Games went to St. Alexander School in Fonthill, Ontario Lacrosse player Mike Accursi is from Pelham.
Government
The Town is divided into three wards, each of which elects two councillors to sit on Town Council for a period of four years. The Mayor is elected separately and also serves a term of four years. After serving 2 terms from 2006-2014 mayor Dave Augustyn was re-elected for a 3rd term and served 2014-2018. Marvin Junkin was elected as mayor in 2018, ending Augustyn's political career in Pelham. Additionally, a regional councillor is elected to represent Pelham at the Regional Municipality of Niagara, of which Diana Huson currently fills the role.
