Fonds - Springford Railway Station fonds

Situated in the 8th Concession of South Norwich Township, the area that would become the village of Springford was first settled by United Empire Loyalists in the early 1800s. However, it wasn’t until the 1850s that Springford began to develop as a centre of business and industry, with the opening of two sawmills. By 1862, the village contained one store, a pump factory, a carriage and wagon shop, two blacksmith shops, a boot and shoe shop, a tannery and one hotel. The village also had a post office, with daily mail delivery, and Loyal Orange Lodge No. 111. By the 1870’s the village reached its peak as a business and industrial centre. The village now also had a large cheese factory that produced about fifty tons of cheese each season and Charles Jenvey’s brick and tile yard.

During the 1870s is also when South Norwich Township saw an increase in rail service, with the Canadian Southern, Lake Huron to Lake Erie, Credit Valley, and the Norfolk Line, which ran from Brantford to Lake Erie all in operation. In 1872, a meeting was held in Norwich to discuss the extension of the Credit Valley, the Norfolk Line or an amalgamation of the two to achieve a line between Brantford to Port Burwell through Norwich and Tillsonburg. In doing so, this would see Railway Stations being established in both Otterville and Springford.

By November 5, 1875 the line was completed to Tillsonburg through Springford and by 1878 the Springford Station was completed. The station was constructed with living quarters for the station master/telegrapher and his family. Employment was provided, in order to service the line, and a section gang worked out of the station.

The Springford Railway Station was hailed as a great benefit to the community, as it was used for shipping lumber, grain, milk and cheese, and Jenvey’s bricks and tile. Unfortunately, as the era of rail gave way to cars and transports, the popularity of the railway line declined. Passenger service stopped in 1954 and by the 1980s the Station had disappeared, though the line still existed as a spur line to handle grain for the St. Clair Grain elevators. As of 2019, the former railway line has been redeveloped into a recreational trail.