Bury’s Green and Fell’s Station

By Guy Scott

As settlement pushed up the Bobcaygeon Road, newer settlers spread inland. The boundary between Somerville and Verulam Townships attracted pioneer farmers in the 1860s since it held some good farmland. Squire John Fell was the most prominent of these settlers, settling by 1860 in the first concession of Somerville Township. ‘Squire’ is an English term meant to identify a prominent farmer. It was not a term for nobility, but rather it was unofficially given to prominent members of the community. John Fell was such a man, serving as Reeve of Somerville Township and three times as Warden of Victoria County. He was also a postmaster, Justice of the Peace and even a Member of Parliament for Victoria North. It was Squire Fell who labelled the little community Bury’s Green after his former home in Yorkshire, England.

Bury’s Green was a prosperous little community in the 1800s, containing 2 churches, Lamb’s School, a blacksmith, a harness maker, a general store and even a cheese factory. The businesses were not concentrated into any identifiable village, but rather scattered along the Boundary (Bury’s Green Road) or around the neighbourhood. Squire Fell also operated a sawmill on Brandon’s Creek, which only ran during the spring freshet, the creek being dry the rest of the year.

The arrival of the Victoria Railway was a boon to Bury’s Green and a flag station was set up on the west side of the settlement. It was called Fell’s Station and it attracted so many new settlers a new school section was started, called Fell’s School. Later Superior Propane built a depot beside the tracks.

Bury’s Green was always an agricultural community and still is today, even though many of the poorer farms are abandoned. All the businesses have closed, the schools are gone and the railway station is no more, but the farmers continue. Bury’s Green is perhaps best known for its horses, and a local tale maintains having a horse is necessary to live along the road! The only remaining public structures are the two churches: St. Peter’s Anglican and St. John’s United (formerly Presbyterian).

The Tweedsmuir History of Bury’s Green is available online: https://maryboro.ca/publications/burys-green-tweedsmuir-history/