Simcoe House Hotel

Simcoe House Hotel (O(a)neil Tavern)

The present Simcoe House Hotel (O(a)neil Tavern) building is believed to have been built in 1882, on a tavern and halfway house that dated from around 1850.

Hillsdale is the half-way point between Barrie, on Lake Simcoe, and the Military and Naval establishment on Georgian Bay in Penetanguishene. The Simcoe House Hotel is considered to be the last remaining surviving stage coach stop.
The landowner Charles Davis is said to have hired William John Davenport in 1882 to build the structure. The Davenports were freed slaves who came from the United States and were Hillsdale(a)s first settlers back in 1819.