Stratford in Perth County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
R. Thomas Orr 1870-1957
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
1. R. Thomas Orr 1870-1957 Marker
Inscription.
A life-long member of the Stratford Parks Board, R. Thomas Orr was the driving force behind the Stratford parks system. Orr led the fight to save the riverfront and millpond from railway development and oversaw the transformation of the former industrial area into parkland. In 1936, Orr’s plans to link Stratford with the birthplace of the English playwright William Shakespeare led to the creation of the Shakespearean Gardens. These parklands provided an inspirational setting in 1953 for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. During his life of community service, Orr also helped to establish Stratford's library and the war memorial, to extend Highway 7 to Stratford, and to found the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the Stratford Historical Society.,
A life-long member of the Stratford Parks Board, R. Thomas
Orr was the driving force behind the Stratford parks system.
Orr led the fight to save the riverfront and millpond from
railway development and oversaw the transformation of the
former industrial area into parkland. In 1936, Orr’s plans to link Stratford with the birthplace of the English playwright William Shakespeare led to the creation of the Shakespearean Gardens. These parklands provided an inspirational setting in 1953 for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. During his life of community service, Orr also helped to establish Stratford's
library and the war memorial, to extend Highway 7 to
Stratford, and to found the Upper Thames River Conservation
Authority and the Stratford Historical Society.
Membre permanent de la commission des parcs de Stratford,
R. Thomas Orr est l'initiateur du système des parcs de la
ville. Il mène la lutte pour sauver de l'expansion ferroviaire les berges de la Tamise et la retenue d'eau pour le moulin et préside à la transformation de l'ancienne zone industrielle en parcs. En 1936, son projet de lien entre Stratford et le lieu de naissance du dramaturge anglais, William Shakespeare, aboutit à la création des jardins de Shakespeare. Ces parcs forment le merveilleux décor du festival Shakespeare de 1953. Durant sa vie au service de la collectivité, R, Thomas Orr contribue également à l'ouverture de la bibliothèque de Stratford, à l’érection du monument, commémoratif de guerre, au prolongement de la route 7 jusqu'à Stratford, et à l'établissement de la Upper Thames River Conservation Authority et la Stratford Historical Society.
Location. 43° 22.419′ N, 80° 58.786′ W. Marker is in Stratford, Ontario, in Perth County. It is on Veterans Drive 0.1 kilometers west of Waterloo Street North, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4 Waterloo St N, Stratford ON N5A 5H4, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area and in Southwestern Ontario. 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: The Bandshell (about 150
Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 100 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on September 10, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 23, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
![R. Thomas Orr 1870-1957 Marker [français] image. Click for full size.](Photos8/884/Photo884129.jpg?7232025111400AM "R. Thomas Orr 1870-1957 Marker [français]. Click for full size.")
