Omemee, Ontario

The community that grew up around William Cottingham's mills on the Pigeon River was first called Williamstown and then Metcalfe. In 1857 the community was renamed Omemee, for the Omemee tribe, which once hunted in the area.[4] The word means pigeon in the Mississauga language, and is traditionally spelled, “omimi”.[5]

The construction of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway in 1857 (when the town also acquired a post office) fostered the growth of the community, which became a thriving shipping point for timber and grain.[3]

Until the 1860s, Omemee competed with Lindsay as the largest town in Victoria County. At its zenith in the late 1800s, Omemee had a grist mill, two sawmills, a tannery, a foundry, a shingle mill, a cloth mill, three churches, four hotels, an elementary and secondary school, and a newspaper.

As Ontario’s economy shifted away from agriculture and surrounding towns grew, the industrial section of Omemee declined until, 100 years later, only the Regal Stationery Company remained (the factory has since closed). Today, Omemee’s economy is supported by the town’s population as well as seasonal residents and retirement communities in the surrounding area.[6]

Omemee has two public schools: Lady Eaton Elementary (kindergarten to grade 3), and Scott Young (c. 1969 grades 4 to 8). Scott Young Public School (c. 1993) was named after Scott Young, a journalist and author of many books, and father of musician Neil Young.

In 2015 due to enrollment decline in Scott Young Middle school, “to the point where both schools were below 50 per cent Ministry of Education identified capacity”, the Trillium Lakelands District School Board moved the overflow of grade 4’s from Lady Eaton over to Scott Young. Then in late 2016 it was announced that Lady Eaton Elementary school will close for good in June 2018.[7]

Though Lady Eaton is to be closed, there are plans to keep the daycare open to the public: “the board [can] work with the Omemee Children’s Centre in the hopes of moving the daycare to Scott Young”.[7]

The ghost town of Omemee, North Dakota, was named after the Ontario Omemee, as the former's first post master hailed from the latter.

In 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released Déjà Vu with a recording of the song "Helpless" which was based on Neil Young's hometown Omemee, referring to the town in the first verse as, “There is a town in north Ontario...All my changes were there”,[8] although Omemee is in fact in Central Ontario and not Northern Ontario.

The Neil Young Museum

• Neil Young, musician, during his childhood
• Scott Young, writer and sportscaster, father of Neil Young owned a farm property during his second period back in the area.
• Lady Eaton: Flora McRae Eaton, Sir John Craig Eaton's wife, the president and heir of the Eaton's department store chain in Canada, during her childhood.[9] The Eaton family donated many buildings to Omemee, including Coronation Hall (George V), Trinity United Church Manse, and also the organ for Trinity United church. Lady Eaton Elementary School was named in her honour.
• Jules Sobrian, is a medical doctor, competitive marksman and author, who immigrated to Canada at the age of 21 and resides in Omemee, Ontario. Sobrian began shooting competitively at Hart House Revolver Club at the University of Toronto while studying medicine. He has competed for Canada in pistol-shooting events at four Olympic Games, his most noteworthy contribution to Omemee was the village doctor for almost 50 years.
• Charles Norris Cochrane, the historian and philosopher, was born there.[10]
• Walter H. Cottingham, general manager and later president of Sherwin-Williams.[11]