Barrie in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Memorial Square

— Waterfront Heritage Trail —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

1. Memorial Square Marker

Inscription.
The Landing Place
The north shore of Kempenfelt Bay at Memorial Square was the southeastern end of the indigenous Nine Mile Portage route.

Station Gore
In 1865, the Northern Railway Company extended the tracks from Allendale and built a station at this location. It became known as Station Gore.

Post Office
In 1885, a post office was built north of the station and the name became Post Office Square. In 1922, a war memorial was erected to honour those who died in the First World War.

Fred Grant Square
To commemorate Barrie journalist and historian Fred Grant, the name of the site and surrounding Simcoe Street was changed to Fred Grant Square in 1957. The post office was demolished in 1958 and the station in 1963. In 1993, the site was named Memorial Square. The current redesign of the square was completed in 2018.

Erected by Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Patriots & Patriotism • Railroads & Streetcars • War, World I.

Location. 44° 23.303′ N, 79° 41.219′ W. Marker is in Barrie, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It is at the intersection of

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Simcoe Street and Lakeshore Mews, on the right when traveling east on Simcoe Street. The marker is at Waterfront Heritage Trail Station #9 ("Downtown"), on the west side of the Heritage Park parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5 Simcoe Street, Barrie ON L4M 1L6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Nine Mile Portage (here, next to this marker); Five Points (here, next to this marker); Birth of Barrie (here, next to this marker); Lost Buildings (here, next to this marker); Railway Watercraft (here, next to this marker); County Town (here, next to this marker); Market Hall (here, next to this marker); Wharfs & Boatworks (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barrie.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . Barrie Station couldn’t avoid the wrecking ball.

(By Deb Exel, 2/9/2025) Excerpt: Once there were two railway stations serving Barrie. It was October 1853 when the first train reached the south shore of Kempenfelt Bay, in the area that would become Allandale. It would be over 10 years before a line was extended around the bay to Barrie. In 1865, a brick station and sheds were built not far from the town wharf, near the end of the Nine Mile Portage, the space now referred
Barrie Historical Archive

2. Marker detail: The “Gardens” at the foot of Owen Street, 1887
to as Meridian Square. Station Gore, as the site was called then, became an important part of the growing town. Close to steamships, stagecoaches and hotels, not only was it part of a transportation hub, the Station Gore also became a gathering spot for the community. It was a place, logically, where dignitaries could stop and greet citizens on their way through town, for civic events, and later, as a memorial square.

(Submitted on May 22, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

3. Memorial Square Marker

Looking east along Simcoe Street. Heritage Park is in the left background. The Waterfront Heritage Trail Station #9 ("Downtown") signpost is beside this marker. Memorial Square and Meridian Place are partially visible across Simcoe Street in the right background.

Marker detail: Reception of Governor General Marquis of Lorne at the Barrie station, July 1881 image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Simcoe County Archives, "Beautiful Barrie; The City and Its People”, July 1881

4. Marker detail: Reception of Governor General Marquis of Lorne at the Barrie station, July 1881

Memorial Square & Meridian Place image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

5. Memorial Square & Meridian Place

Memorial Square (background) was the site of the Barrie Railroad Station and the Post Office. Memorial Square accommodates ceremonial procedures. Since its grand opening in 2018, Meridian Place (foreground) has drawn thousands of visitors and is one of the most exciting outdoor event spaces in the city.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 19, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5. submitted on May 22, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.