Key Dates
In 2010, the Town celebrated the 150 year anniversary of Victoria Hall.
A calendar was also printed and some key dates listed. Below are these key dates.
As part of the celebration, Lieutenant Governor David Onley visited and a grand Ball was held in the Hall. This was a big event, much like on two previous occasions.
As well as the Ball in the evening, earlier in the day there were ceremonies to celebrate the event with Lieutenant Governor David Onley inspecting an honour guard of Cadets. Photo right.
| Year | Date | Key Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1819 | April 8 | Cobourg was officially named in honour of the marriage of princess Charlotte Augusta, Princess of Wales, daughter of George IV. |
| 1835 | January 7 | Public supported proposed union of Cobourg and Amherst under the name of “Town of Cobourg”. |
| 1837 | July 1 | Cobourg was officially incorporated as a Town. |
| 1842 | May 9 | Charles Dickens stopped in Cobourg en route by boat from Toronto to Kingston and called it a “cheerful thriving little town”. |
| 1854 | May 19 | Cobourg and Peterborough Railway opened to Rice Lake. (Left Cobourg 7:00 a.m. arrived Harwood 8:30 a.m.) |
| 1856 | December 30 | Architect Kivas Tully and Sir Allan MacNab, Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge, laid the corner stone for Victoria Hall. |
| 1859 | December 28 | The cost of the clock and bell for the new town hall was just under 278 Pounds Sterling, which amounts to about 1/100th of the total cost of the building. |
| 1860 | September 7 | H.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII), officially opened Victoria Hall and attended a ball in what is now the Concert Hall. |
| 1862 | February 24 | Cobourg Town Trust gave Council permission to have the town bell rung three times daily. |
| 1865 | February 16 | Royal Canadian Bank opened rented premises in Victoria Hall. |
| 1867 | July 1 | James Cockburn, Cobourg’s Father of Confederation, announced from the balcony of Victoria hall that Confederation had begun. |
| 1867 | Aug 21 | James Cockburn was unopposed and duly elected candidate for the “Confederate Parliament of Canada”. |
| 1897 | June 22 | Celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee with a great Fireworks display. |
| 1899 | September 14 | Thomas Gillbard, Chairman of Cobourg Town Trust thanked Mrs. Crawford for donating funds for the purchase of illuminated dials for the Victoria Hall clock. |
| 1907 | November 13 | Ontario #1 arrives at Cobourg dock. This ferry service between Cobourg and Rochester brought many changes to the town and lasted over 40 years. |
| 1928 | April 18 | The Supreme Court of Canada sat in Cobourg to hear a libel suit brought by Sir Arthur Currie against a local newspaper and drew national attention. |
| 1935 | January 14 | In his inaugural speech Mayor Jack Delanty reported that Victoria Hall was now paid for. |
| 1959 | April 25 | National Ballet of Canada founded by Celia Franca in 1951 performed in Victoria Hall. |
| 1971 | October 26 | Lenah Field Fisher and the Friends of Victoria Hall proudly announced that after long months of campaigning and fundraising, the restoration of Victoria hall would finally begin. |
| 1972 | June 6 | Re-laying of cornerstone of Victoria hall by Ontario Premier William G. Davis. |
| 1972 | June 27 | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Cobourg. |
| 1977 | January 6 | Art Gallery of Cobourg in Victoria Hall officially opened. |
| 1982 | June 4 | Col. C. Gordon King unveiled a 12 pounder Victorian–era gun which was placed at the Northeast corner of Victoria Hall. |
| 1983 | Repairs on Victoria Hall’s bell tower were completed and celebrated by the tolling of its bells to signal time to the community. | |
| 1983 | October 7 | Governor–General opened the restored Victoria hall, and as with the original opening in 1860, the event was crowned with a formal ball. |
| 1984 | March 5 | Cedric P. Haynes, former President of the Society for the restoration of Victoria Hall, became a director of the Ontario Heritage Foundation. |
| 1999 | September 20 | Council proclaimed the 1st Monday of August in each year as a Civic holiday to be known as “James Cockburn Day” in the Town of Cobourg. This event recognizes the contributions of James Cockburn, Lawyer, Cobourg Councillor, Father of Confederation and 1st Speaker of the House of Commons in 1867.Column 3 Value 27 |
