Walsh (formerly known as Charlotteville Centre) is a medium-sized hamlet in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Walsh developed as a township central crossroads gathering point on Young's Creek, in the first quarter of the 19th century. A number of service businesses have come and gone over the years, as road quality improved and practical travel distances increased. No commercial business are remaining in the community, although Walsh is home to two elementary schools, two Christian churches, the township community hall that hosts an annual fall fair and the operating headquarters of a major regional transportation company.
Walsh is located near streams, valleys, conservation areas, and bays. Notable attractions within a reasonable driving distance of Walsh include the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show, Turkey Point Beach, Lake Erie, and various rural cemeteries. During the fall months, pumpkins become abundant in the area - especially the rare "dwarf albino" pumpkin. Robins can be seen strutting through the local gardens for all 12 months of the year. Maurice Danko Jr., the brother of the late musician Rick Danko, was last seen residing in the Walsh area. Along the Turkey Point Road, tobacco kilns can be seen in threesomes. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a wholesaler was once stationed here. It had become a private residence by the early 1990s.
A local businessman by the name of Bruce R. Smith starting hauling dairy products out of his trucking business in Walsh starting back in 1947. His son, John, took over the business in the mid-1970s and expanded the business and slowly recruited the help of 230 power units and 750 semi-trailer trucks delivering goods throughout Quebec, Ontario, and the United States over the decades. Food products in addition to steel from the Stelco Lake Erie Works greenfield steel mill are delivered with the help of global positioning systems and a computerized dispatch system that allows for networking over a wide area. As of 2012, there are 350 rank-and-file employees in addition to 210 professional operators and 50 operators that own their own vehicles.
Most people get their television either through Shaw Direct, Bell Satellite TV or over-the-air. Two channels (CIII-DT and CITY-DT) can be picked up reliably using an outdoor antenna while an additional three channels (WNYB-DT, CICO-DT, and CKCO-DT) can be picked up semi-reliably. There are at least 12 channels that can be picked up over-the-air only during sunny days where clouds are absent.
Education
This community is home to two elementary schools: Walsh Public School (within the Grand Erie District School Board) and St. Michael's Catholic Elementary School (administered by the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board). During the peak of local population growth in the mid-19th century, 14 one-room and two-room schools were functioning within the Township of Charlotteville.
Walsh Area Public School was constructed in 1959 on an open-field site along the north side of St. John's Road, between the Turkey Point Road and Young's Creek. It opened in March 1960, a four-room school that culminated a five-year consolidation effort that merged four one- and two-room elementary schools within five miles of the village: Walsh, Tisdale, Elmwood and McKnight. The guest of honour at the official opening in September 1960 was Education Minister and future Premier John Robarts. Expansion of the public school came in three phases over the next 15 years to achieve its current configuration. It also had its name shortened to Walsh Public School.
The children of Walsh Public School were involved in an attempt to break the Guinness Book of Records for reading on January 26, 2009. A relaxation room (dubbed the Snoezelen Room from the Dutch words snufflen - to seek out - and doezelen - to snooze) has been installed on the premises to relax hyperactive children in addition to children on the autistic spectrum who unintentionally disrupt their classes. They often return to their classroom after a few minutes of relaxation in this sensation-filled room without having to visit the principal for disciplinary measures. Soft music is constantly played in the room while children with special needs can either touch or hear calming sensations. In September 2013, Walsh Public School started to provide an all-day kindergarten program.
The Grand Erie Board administers four secondary schools to which Walsh graduates can advance: Simcoe Composite School, Port Dover Composite School, Delhi District Secondary School and Valley Heights Secondary School.