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To his neighbours, Samuel Lount was an amiable chap. He was outspoken and campaigned for his beliefs. Samuel left Pennsylvania in 1811 and arrived near Holland Landing, where he worked hard and prospered as a farmer, a blacksmith, and a surveyor. He won a position as a Reformer and member of the legislative assembly for Simcoe County. On December 7, 1837, his life looked pretty grim. In the days leading up to this date, he became involved in William Lyon Mackenzie’s uprising against the government, the Family Compact. On that fateful day of action, he was in joint command of the rebel forces who met at Montgomery’s Tavern (which was located just north of Yonge and Eglinton). Shortly after the rebels’ defeat, he became a fugitive of the law and attempted to flee the country.

William Lyon Mackenzie escaped and remained in exile for several years before he was able to return to Canada. Unfortunately for Samuel, he was captured before he reached the American border. Samuel was convicted of high treason by the government on April 12, 1838; he was escorted to the gallows and hanged. Such was the fate of Holland Landing’s spokesman.

The village of Holland Landing had only been surveyed in 1811. Located near the site of a sawmill built by John Eves in 1808 and on the east branch of the Holland River, it was a perfect spot for settlement and industry. It was also only 48 kilometres (30 miles) north of York (known today as Toronto). The Natives had used this very spot as a landing place because it marked the end of the portage from Lake Simcoe and what is now called Georgian Bay. Archaeological evidence revealed the existence of a one-time Native village and burial ground. Many villages established in Ontario at the same time as Holland Landing were located on former Native village sites.

Quakers, Mennonites, and United Empire Loyalists arrived to settle the town. The residents of this newly established community first called it St. Albans and later Beverly. By 1821 Peter Robinson established Red Mills, which quickly became the most important mill in the area. Robinson even shipped the flour he made to Europe. That same year, a post office was opened and the citizens renamed their village Holland Landing, after Major Samuel Holland, surveyor-general of the Province of Quebec in the late 18th century.

The community seemed destined for greatness. By 1825 a stage service ran daily from York, and by 1833 a steamboat connection had been set up. All of this encouraged further growth and led to the establishment of several industries. Among them were a brewery, a distillery, two tanneries, a foundry, and Ellerby’s carding and fulling mill. In 1851 the plank road was completed and this facilitated a growing wheat and livestock trade. Cargo ships on the Holland River made Holland Landing a major shipping depot between Lake Simcoe and York.

The completion of the Northern Railway in 1853 altered the booming commerce of the village. People began to travel less by road and water, and the need for such a shipping point diminished. In the late 19th century the owner of the Toby Mill relocated his business to Collingwood, after a dispute with the village over taxes, and area businesses that were dependent on the mill suffered as a result. A number of disastrous fires swept through and demolished most of the remaining businesses, and by 1921 the village population had decreased significantly.

The village of Holland Landing is located adjacent to the market-gardening area known as the Holland Flats. Originally, this area was settled by many Dutch immigrants who were familiar with land management. They were willing and able to turn a marsh into a productive and vital piece of land. The Dutch settlers had drained the land in their home country (with dykes and ditches) and used that same expertise here. The village of Ansnorveldt was established, along with productive gardens near Holland Landing.

A major catastrophe struck the Holland Flats in October 1954, when Hurricane Hazel swept southern Ontario. The Holland Flats literally disappeared under six to nine metres (20 to 30 feet) of water. The village of Ansnorveldt was submerged, homes were swept away or overturned and the losses totalled in the millions. After the water had retreated, the residents attempted to remove the remaining water with large pumping systems. The situation was overwhelming; the damage seemed irreparable. Nevertheless, with the aid of county, provincial, and federal funds, work was started to restore the land, and within the year, Holland Flats was once again fully productive.

The agricultural production of Holland Flats is crucial for the province of Ontario. As urban, commercial, and industrial development in the southern parts of the province swallow the remaining market garden areas, this is both obvious and significant. Perhaps Samuel Lount was a model area resident. He was willing to fight for the things he believed in. This is the kind of resolve needed to protect this agricultural mecca for the future.