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Once you have experienced this picturesque town, you will understand why it draws visitors from all directions. It’s a place where neighbours say hello and no one needs to honk. You feel as though you’ve stepped outside of time — the pace of life is from a bygone era. There are no high-rise buildings, no strip plazas, and no malls; Creemore has a deep kind of quiet peace.

Creemore, in Nottawasaga Township in the County of Simcoe, is situated on the Mad River, on County Road 9, just 24 kilometres (15 miles) southeast of Collingwood. It was Senator J.R. Gowan of Barrie, at the request of a village resident, who selected a name for the village. He suggested Creemore, from the compound Gaelic word cree mohr, meaning “big heart.” He certainly got the name right. It seems that everyone in Creemore is known by their first name.

The village itself was originally founded in the 1840s. By 1845 two early settlers, Nulty and Webster, formed a partnership and built a lumber mill and a gristmill on the Mad River. This certainly helped to promote settlement, and by 1849 Edward Webster opened the first post office. Webster had already operated a store in the settlement. G.I. Bolster worked as Webster’s clerk before eventually opening his own business and becoming the postmaster. Other early pioneer settlers included T. Tupper, J.A. McDonald, the Bowermans, and Sam Wilcox.

It was the water power on the Mad River that attracted industries. The first carding mill in the township was operated at Creemore, and by the 1880s there were three hotels and four churches as well. The population of Creemore, by 1889, was nearing 800 residents. On November 20th of that year, a bylaw was passed to make Creemore a village.

Creemore is quite a magical place in the spring, when area rivers rise and beckon the trout from the bay. Some say the Mad River offers the best trout fishing in this part of Ontario. Summer breezes off the spring-fed hillsides of Creemore keep the residents cool. A walking tour of the community reveals beautiful Victorian architecture and numerous shops featuring antiques, clocks, specialty tea pots, interior decorating, original artwork, trendy clothes, Victorian lingerie, eco-friendly children’s wear, hand-carved signs, a butcher, a barber, an excellent bookstore, and even a candlestick maker. There surely must be a baker here, too.

The Hughes homestead near Creemore is well-known to the locals for “unexplained activity.” The farmhouse, built circa 1860, has been the scene of many ghostly apparitions. None of the activity has been malicious; in fact, the Hughes family has had farming assistance from what they believe to be their other-worldly predecessors on the farm; some activity seems to relate directly to a native trail running the escarpment ridge. (To read more about the Creemore hauntings, please refer to this writer’s book Haunted Ontario Revisited).

Today Creemore has become quite famous for its beer — namely, Creemore Springs Brewery Limited. In 1987 John Wiggins established the brewery for three good reasons: the building was already owned by Wiggins, the original investors owned an artesian well in the area, and it seemed to be the natural thing to slake one’s thirst.

When John Wiggins opened the front door of Creemore Springs Brewery on August 15, 1987, he sold out of beer in four hours. Not surprising when you hear that world beer guru Michael Jackson (not the singer) calls Creemore Springs Premium Lager the best lager produced in North America.

At Creemore Springs they brew beer the old-fashioned way — pure and simple. They use only clear spring water, the finest malted barley, imported hops from the Czech Republic, and select yeast. The beer is brewed in small batches using an open-fired copper kettle method. In accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, they use no additives, no preservatives, no adjuncts, no pasteurization, and no compromise.

In 1991 the company won “gold” for the best lager at the Toronto Beer and Food festival. A year later they won it again. By 1993 Creemore Springs won a Toronto Star readers’ poll as the best micro-brewed beer in the province. That year, expansion efforts were completed, giving the brewery an annual volume of 1,200,000 litres.

In 1995 Creemore Springs spent another summer in short supply. The company reported that eager consumers were soon learning the secret Creemore delivery routes. And self-appointed investigators indicated that consumers were spotted in the wee hours outside beer stores, waiting in ambush!

A year later the brewery won another prestigious award: the gold medal for Pilsner Lager Category in the World Beer Championships. In November of that year, Creemore Springs released a second beer, UrBock. This seasonal phenomenon took the beer industry by storm. UrBock is now, according to Creemore Springs, “a legend to be appreciated each Christmas.”

Creemore Springs Brewery Limited has helped to attract a considerable tourist market to the community. Their store is located on the main street and guided brewery tours are offered. Visitors can treat themselves to a taste test. Clothing with the Creemore label is also for sale in the building.

Some old landmarks surviving in the village today are four churches built in the 1800s; the jail and the Parry house by the river, both of which date back to the 1860s; three hotels and the Casey Block, which once housed a sleigh and carriage shop and a cheese factory that is now a residential block. Local folklore has it that there is more than one ghost to be seen in the surrounding area. More relics from the past, one presumes. So, sometime when you feel like having a little surprise, a pint of prize-winning beer, a Sunday drive, perhaps, or even a good browse in the friendliest bookstore you’ll ever see, steer your car to Creemore.