History HistoryJohn Haught settled on Lots 14 & 15, Concession 5 of Mariposa shortly after 1830.
John Haught built the first saw mill on the creek one-half miles upstream from the present bridge in Little Britain. The waterwheel was a 12 inch oak log with two holes bored in it for arms where one inch boards were bolted to the log. The boards were six or eight inches wide and about 10 feet long. At the end of the log was a crank that rotated a 300 pound sawframe.
Tom Mark built a gravel damn on Lot 14, Concession 5.
Jonathan Hodgson operated a steam shingle mill on Lot 19, Concession 4.
A log chapel was built in 1840 called Mark's Chapel. A fire burnt the original building and a new one was constructed in 1851 and used until 1871.
Robert Ferguson Whiteside came to Mariposa in March 1842. He left from Newmarket by buggy for Port Perry. He then crossed Lake Scugog on a flat boat to Port Hoover and on to Little Britain.
Whiteside purchased the west half of Little Britain. At that time it was called Siloam from John and Harrison Haight.
Whiteside bought the sawmill and later built a woolen mill.
Mariposa School Section No. 8 was built in the Little Britain area. By 1845 there were 65 students, which was the largest number in the township at that time. In 1846 a log schoolhouse was constructed to accommodate the large numbers of students. It was located on Lot 15, Concession 6.
Mark Schell opened a blacksmith shop on the northeast corner. He moved his shop to the village about 1855.
Little Britain had one hotel built about 1853 by Seth Yerex at King St. E.
The first log built school called Little Britain School S.S. # 8.
Little Britain Post Office was established on June 1, 1855. The first postmaster was Obadiah Rogers who kept the office in Wood and Sanderson's general store.
Obadiah Rogers, of Little Britain, was listed as a carpenter in 1857. He built a woodworking factory. At the creek on the northeast side Glass and Lobb operated a rake factory.
Little Britain Wesleyan Methodist Church had services in 1859 when an Orange Hall Branch was reported. The Orange Hall was located one & one half miles south of the village. Services continued until the building outgrew the congregation.
Davis Travis removed the old hotel and built a new frame and called it the Globe Hotel.
The hotel was run by William Jackson and named it the Victoria Hotel from 1866-1874 when his brother Edward J. Jackson took over renaming it the Royal Hotel.
A single room red brick schoolhouse was built in Little Britain. With increasing numbers additional rooms were added in 1968.
Land was purchased in the village at the northeast corner of King and Mark Street for a church to be built by Frank Brown. The Reverend was William Burns.
The telegraph line was built from Oakwood Station to Oakwood and by March 1872 the line extended to Little Britain.
The Port Whitby & Port Perry Railway Company proposed a line passing into Mariposa Township which would pass about one mile north of Little Britain. The proposal was rejected because it didn't meet the needs of the area.
A third cheese factory was built by Parmenus Allen on the west side of the road one half mile south of Little Britain. The factory used a running stream for water.
The memorandum agreement between Whitby-Port Perry Extension Railway Company and Victoria County took place. The line would pass between the villages of Oakwood and Little Britain. It would have a station, freight shed and a grain stockhouse.
A brass band was organized and ceased in 1934.
The Railway line moved into Lindsay by June 1877 and was later called the Whitby-Port Perry & Lindsay Railway Company.
Issac Finley moved the Grist Mil from Port Hoover to Little Britain. It was located on the northeast side of the bridge named the United Flour & Grist Mill Company.
There was daily mail service from Oakwood to Little Britain by D. Houck. After 1877, mail was received by contractor. The post office was near the southeast corner from 1860 to 1908.
No. 19 school was built near Mariposa Station relieving the congestion in Little Britain.
Frank Brown built a shingle and planning mill south of the corner in Little Britain in 1880. Frank Maunder took over the mill in 1883 with John Sailler. They added a sash and door factory along with a chopping mill.
The two-storey, 31 feet cheese factory was sold to Owen J. B. Yearsley. The plant closed in 1893.
Mariposa Farmer's Club held its first meeting at Oakwood in July with John Campbell of Woodville as President and J . F. Dix of Little Britain as secretary.
The telegraph was at Roach's butcher shop and moved to Henry Will's store then moved on to Morton's store and post office in 1888.
Fred Withers was appointed Constable to enforce the curfew regulations.
The last service was held May 18, 1884. The congregation then attended the former Bible Christian Church on Mill Street.
Mariposa Township paid Robert Ferguson Whiteside $500 to remove the mill dam.
The telephone replaced the telegraph.
An alcove was built on the church. A new brick parsonage was built in 1910 on Mill Street W. A women's Missionary Society was formed in 1891 with Mrs. W. G. Prouse as president.
A public library was kept by Samuel A. Champion, a tailor at 9 King St. East and moved to a room upstairs over E. Z. Yerex's store in 1897.
Fletcher Dix, of Little Britain, tapped over 1000 trees and made maple syrup using a new process he saw at the World's Fair in 1893.
A great storm occured flooding the bridge and Rusland's Hall. A new iron bridge was rebuilt by 1909.
Little Britain was created as a police village by County Council.
Sidewalks were put in on King Street.
The post office moved to the store on the northeast corner.
Gasoline street lights were hoisted in Little Britain.
Standard Bank of Canada opened located on the south east corner of Eldon Rd and Little Britain Road.
Central telephones were established by the new Little Britain Union run by Florence Sparks. There were 13 lines and 125 subscribers.
A mailing system was made after closing of the rural post offices. Rural mail was delivered to 15 farmers between Little Britain and Valentia.
The saw mill was demolished.
A larger school was built in the same location as the original. It was destroyed by fire in 1928.
Oil was put on the streets to control the dust.
Little Britain Electric Light Association was forced to sell electric power generated by John Connor's mill in the village. Electric lights were put in the village.
E. E. Dillman built a garage on the north east corner Eldon Rd & Little Britain Road. His son, Leo ran it until 1930. Gord Thompson took over the location and ran a hardware store until 1971.
The public library moved to the new community hall.
Little Britain formed its own telephone company. Leslie Tremeer did the installation and maintenance. Grant Wickett assisted in later years.
Little Britain Continuation School was introduced in September 1924. It was in the basement of the public school.
Fire destroyed the public school and a new Public & Continuation school was opened in Februrary 1929. The Continuation School had two classrooms and a laboratory. Named Castle School it flourished through to World War II closing in 1953.
A boys band was organized by the Little Britain Public School by Elmer Linton. The band lasted until 1965 being the last in the Township.
The Railway discontinued because traffic was taken over by the automobile by April 1936.
A metal clad rink was built in Little Britain. Artificial ice was installed in 1964.
Little Britain Continuation School closed and the students were bussed to Lindsay Collegiate Vocational Institute which had been built in 1951.
The old fire hall at Little Britain near the creek was rebuilt in town on Mill Street. A fire protection agreement was signed with Fenelon Township, Ops Township and Woodville.
Victoria County Board of Education took control of all the schools and Little Britain has to either enlarge or replace their school.
A new post office openened in October 1971.
Other postmasters: John Broad, 1860 Laurie Kennedy, 1926
Tom H. Morton, 1888 Roy Bullock, 1951
E. Z. Yerex, 1909 Robert Clyne, 1972
Mariposa Elementary School opened closing the Little Britain School.
The ice rink was declared unsafe and was replaced by the Little Britain District Recreation Centre.
Little Britain Community Centre was built with funding from the province, municipality and the community.