Albemarle Township was named after the Earl of Albemarle.
Albemarle Township Places
- Adamsville – had a post office from 1888 until 1916. The first postmaster was Samuel Adams.
- Cape Croker – was named for John Wilson Croker, Secretary to the Admiralty. The post office opened in 1873.
- Colpoy’s Bay – was named for Sir John Colpoy, an admiral in the British Navy. The post office was opened in 1863. The first settlers were John Wood and Samuel Atkinson, in 1857. The first postmaster was Ludwick Kribs, followed by John Shakleton in 1869, and William D. Bell in 1881. The first sawmill was built in 1858 by Leonard Gleason.
- Howdenvale – was originally called Golden Valley. Its summer post office opened in 1913 and its first postmaster was Isabella C. Ashcroft.
- Mar – its post office opened in 1870 and the first postmaster was Edward White.
- Purple Valley – its post office opened in 1884 and the first postmaster was Thomas Hambly.
- Red Bay – its post office opened in 1881 and the first postmaster was James Christison, followed by John McFarlane in 1882.
Albemarle Township Notable People
Ludwick Kribs built a saw and grist mill in Colpoy’s Bay shortly after 1858. He was also a Congregational clergyman and postmaster.
Bibliography
Albemarle: A History of the Township edited by Dorothy Crocker and published by the Albemarle Township Historical Society, 1991.
Days of the `Mud Hen’ and Other Memories of Colpoy’s Bay Village, Ontario by Sheila Gatis. Originally published in 1986. Republished in 2005.
Memories, The Elders of Neyaashiinigmiig, 1992.
History of the County of Bruce by Norman Robertson, 1906.
A Pictorial History of Bruce County prior to 1918 – A collection of postcards and photographs by the History Hunters New Horizon Committee of the Bruce County Historical Society, 1989.
Postcards from the Bay is an online glimpse into the history of Colpoy’s Bay and Wiarton.
Bruce County Genealogical Society 