Kilworthy and Store

Kilworthy was founded in a small outrcopping of barely farmable land at the southern end of Muskoka in today(a)s Town of Gravenhurst, just west of Hwy. 11 (formerly the Muskoka Colonization Rd.) on Muskoka Rd. 13.

The railway came here and a very large CNR train station was built. This brought cottagers north to the Sparrow/ Muldrew Lake area. Though it is not a ghost town, the train station is long gone. The general store was built in 1867 by CN.

"In Morrison Township, Ontario C., 2 km W of Hwy I I, 29 km. NE of Orillia, a post office was established in 1876 as "Lethbridge" because It was located on the farm of William Lethbridge. In 1886 the name was changed to Kilworthy. The origin of the name is not known although the place likely was named after a place of the same name near Tavistock in County Devon, England."

The post office still exists today across the road from the store. This is where RR1 and RR2 mail delivery service is sorted from.

In the 1980(a)s the old store used to sell caps that said "Kilworthy University" for a joke.

The Kilworthy General Store has recently been purchased and is due to reopen on the May 24 long weekend in 2011.

To see a map of Lethbridge (Kilworthy) take a look at this pioneer map of Morrison Township. There were no roads to the hamlet- only the railway line and station: http://www.ontariogenealogy.com/muskokamaps/morrison.jpg