The former Township of Stephen was founded in 1842 with the sparkling waters of a great lake known as Lake Huron to the west and a large expanse of land to the east. The former Township of Usborne was founded in 1842, when early settlers established their homes and farms in a rich, fertile area of land, known as Huron Tract. The Village of Exeter was founded in 1873 in the middle to both of these Townships. It was the centre for retail and industry for the area and later became the Town of Exeter in 1951.
The Municipality of South Huron was formed in 2001 through amalgamation of the Town of Exeter and the Townships of Stephen and Usborne.
South Huron has deep entrepreneurial roots, starting with the development of the Huron Tract by the Canada Company in the early 1830's, and has carried on through a resiliant pioneer heritage.
The Carling family and business empire has part of its history in South Huron. W.J. Carling was the owner of Carling's General Store in Exeter, and the son of Isaac Carling who was the first Reeve of the Village of Exeter (1873). W.J.'s uncle, Sir John Carling, was the founding President of the Carling Brewing and Malting Co.
Kirkton is home to Canada’s first Eaton family business. Built in 1856 and operated by brothers Timothy E. and James Eaton, the latter brother in 1869 founded one of Canada’s largest privately owned department store chains. Eaton introduced Canada to the wonders of the mail-order catalogue, reaching thousands of small towns and rural communities with an array of products previously unattainable. In these tiny communities, the arrival of Eaton's catalogue was a major event. And, when rendered obsolete by the new season’s catalogue, it served as a source of reading for most every rural home.
In South Huron, our entrepreneurial roots run deep…
