(population 2,518 as of
2001 ) is a community located at the south end of the
Town Of Minto, Ontario , in northern part of
Wellington County in southern
Ontario ,
Canada . Palmerston was originally a separate town, but was amalgomated with other communities to create the Town of Minto.
Which came first; the town or the
Railroad ? In its original concept the railroad was to run from
Guelph to
Harriston and would not have gone through Palmerston.
Listowel needed to be linked to the railroad and it was decided to bend the route toward
Listowel . It was also decided that a yard with maintenance shops would be needed.
There was not a town called Palmerston at the time. When the railroads were planning their routes it was common practice for towns or communities to provide bonuses to the railroads to encourage them to lay the track through or close to their towns, as this could increase the prosperity of the area. When the railroad decided to build a junction and maintenance sheds between
Guelph ,
Harriston and
Listowel , this also included a station. One of the active supporters of bonuses to the railroad was
John McDermott , Reeve of Wallace and because of this support the railways decided to let McDermot name the station. He named it Palmerston in 1870 In honour of
Henry John Temple , the future third Viscount Palmerston. As soon as the railroad decided where it would build people started buying property around it for businesses and homes. Unofficially, a town was coming into existence.
Minto has public schools situated in
Harriston ,
Clifford and Palmerston.
Norwell District Secondary School is the secondary school for
Minto and surrounding areas as governed by the
Upper Grand District School Board . The schools located in Palmerston are:
# Palmerston Public School (Public)
#
Norwell District Secondary School - Sports: Redmen
The entire town is served by the single
Postal Code of 'N0G 2P0'; a self-effacing
Mnemonic for the code reads as o '''0'''ne '''G'''oes '''2''' (to) '''P'''almerston, '''0'''ntario.
