Thornton, Ontario Quick Facts

Feb 27, 2024

1 min read

Updated: Oct 10

The town of Thornton developed during the 1820s, and in 1833 was established as Henrysville (or Henry’s Corners) after early settler John Henry, who was the first teacher and then the schoolmaster, and later became the postmaster when an office opened in 1854. The name Henrysville caused confusion in the mail system at the time, so the community became Thornton in 1854 after Henry Thornton, who owned a grist mill, saw mill and planning mill.

Thornton is located on generally flat and fertile soils about 9 kilometres north of Cookstown, and just south of Barrie. The Trans Canada Trail runs through Thornton and the intersection of County Road 21 and County Road 27 marks the core of the hamlet of Thornton.