The Barrie Farmers' Market was born April 24, 1846. A grant of land was awarded to the farmers of Simcoe District (now Simcoe County). The grant, on the letterhead of the Province of Canada, awarded three and one half acres in the shape of a parallelogram roughly centered at Collier and Mulcaster Streets.The grant stipulates that the land will be used for the express purpose of a Market House and for Market trading. In stronger language, it says, "and for no other use or purpose whatsoever."
Here is a reproduction of the original grant. This reproduction is as faithful as possible to the copy on file at the Market headquarters. As our copy of the original grant was a photocopy pulled from microfilm, it was not of high enough quality to include as a scanned image. Please wait for the grant to load.
The reference above in the Grant to white pine trees goes back to the very foundation of Barrie. Barrie was founded in 1819 at the location of a store house used to transport Military stores by the Hudson Bay Company to Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. The store is recorded at that site since the war of 1812. Barrie was named after Commodore Barrie, who was in command of English war ships at Kingston. Barrie was a source of superb timbers of great length for the English Navy, and so white pine trees were a very valuable commodity.
There was no time wasted following up on the Grant of land to the farmers of Simcoe District. The cornerstone for the original Market Square was laid in 1846. Says an account of the day "The cornerstone was laid and after some long speeches, the Royal Anthem was played. Then all went for refreshments at the Queen's Hotel."
Market Square suffered damage by fire in 1875, was rebuilt in 1877 and enlarged with a new wing. The Market Square building served a double purpose. The second floor was the seat of municipal government. The first floor was for the Farmers' Market. The site is marked today by a huge outline in the stylized shape of the building, bridging Mulcaster Street at Collier Street.
| This is the Market Square as it looked in the "Grand Old Days". Not only were vendors set up inside, but some chose to sell off the back of their wagons. |
Came the 1950's and Barrie was still growing. It was evolving from an agricultural community to a more diversified economic base. Manufacturing increased dramatically, as did the retail sector.
The Town needed room to grow. And that included the downtown core. In a series of developments that are not clear to this day, Bill 27 came into being. In effect, it nullified the Crown Land Grant and gave the Town of Barrie the right to do anything it wanted with the land. In exchange, the Town of Barrie took on what seems to be an eternal obligation. And that is to provide the Market with a building and place of operation. That's why the Barrie Farmers' Market is held on the premises of Barrie City Hall, both outside and inside the Rotunda.
The Bill stipulates that if the agreement is no longer workable, that the City of Barrie must provide an acre of land and a Market House for the Farmers' Market.
Under the terms of Bill 27, the directors of the Barrie Farmers' Market are looking at directions for the future. Joint ventures with local Barrie groups are being explored, looking at a shared premises option. Talks and discussions are still under way, but some of the concepts are exciting.