Corunna Our History

Corunna Our History. . In 1823, an English explorative party came to survey this area as a possible location for the capital of Canada. They were in awe of a mighty forest on the eastern shore of the St. Clair River. The site was named Corunna, to commemorate the Napoleonic battle of La Coruña, a seaport in northwestern Spain, where Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore died in battle., The streets were laid out in a diagonal pattern similar to that of the British flag, the Union Jack. The names of British army officers under the command of Sir John Moore were used to name the streets. Hill and Lyndoch were to be the main thoroughfares of the proposed capital, which accounts for their extra width., A final survey was completed in 1837 eliminating the diagonal streets in favour of a square layout. The location of the proposed government buildings was to be St. George's Square at the corner of Hill Street and Baird Street, where a monument now stands., Settlement of the town slowly began and in 1852 a post office was established. Over time the village boasted two shoemakers, two harness-makers, three blacksmiths, one cabinet maker, a tinsmith, a grist mill, a shipbuilder, two general stores and several hotels., Shipping was an important mode of transportation at the time and many docks were built along Beresford Street to handle exports of timber, grain and potash. In 1886, the Erie and Huron Railway, now known as CSX, was built, passing through Corunna. This railway linked Corunna with Lake Huron, Sarnia and as far south as Erieau on Lake Erie. In the 1890's, Stag Island was developed with resort hotels which attracted tourists and vacationers that helped create an economic boost for Corunna. With the establishment of Polymer in the 1940's, Canadian Oil and DuPont in the 1950's and Petrosar in the 1970's, Corunna has become a thriving community., St. George's Square was intended as the town square but this plaza with the clock tower (built by Shell Canada and St. Clair Township) is now considered the centre of Corunna. We continue to celebrate our heritage by remembering that Corunna was almost Canada's capital!