NEWS RELEASE
OMAH HISTORY COMMITTEE
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O’Brien Street in Shanty Bay, located in Oro-Medonte just north of Barrie, is named after the family who founded the community.
Edward O’Brien, a military and navy man, and his wife, Mary Gapper, were both born in England, but met in Upper Canada as immigrants. They are known for the founding of Shanty Bay, in 1831, deep in the then-backwoods.
Edward was instrumental in the founding of newspapers, one of the province’s early magistrates and the lieutenant-colonel of the local regiment.
Mary wrote a detailed diary that gave a view of life as a pioneer and of the settlement of Shanty Bay.
Other O’Brien family members ultimately became well known, including Lucius O’Brien, considered by many to be Canada’s most proficient landscape painter in both oil and watercolour.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the O’Brien family for their impact on our community and to Mary, who captured life in the backwoods and shared her family stories of the Lake Simcoe area in her diaries for future generations.
Click on this link to learn all about the O’Brien family of Shanty Bay.
— Submitted by Trish Crowe-Grande, OMAH History Committee chair
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