Omemee, Ontario

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The Neil Young Museum

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Highway 7 in Omemee

Omemee is a community within the city of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada, formerly known as Victoria County. Located on Highway 7, which is the Trans-Canada Highway. Omemee is one of the major communities in the Kawartha Lakes, as the proclaimed "city" is vastly rural and has but one major population centre. Omemee was the early childhood home of musician Neil Young, and of his father, author and sportswriter Scott Young.

The community had a population of 1,319 in the Canada 2001 Census. It is located between the city of Peterborough and the community of Lindsay. Lindsay is the largest population centre in the city of Kawartha Lakes, and serves as the administrative centre as it did with Victoria County.

History

The community that grew up around William Cottingham's mills on the Pigeon River was first called Williamstown and then Metcalfe. In 1857 the community was renamed Omemee, a Mississauga word meaning pigeon.

Omemee was the childhood home of musician Neil Young. It was also the childhood home of Flora McRae Eaton, Sir John Craig Eaton's wife, the president and heir of the Eaton's department store chain in Canada. The Eaton family donated many buildings to Omemee, including, Coronation Hall, Trinity United Church Manse, and also the organ for Trinity United church.

It was also the birthplace of historian and philosopher Charles Norris Cochrane.

Omemee has two public schools, Lady Eaton Elementary (kindergarten to grade 4), and Scott Young (grades 5 to 8). Scott Young Public School was named after Scott Young, a journalist and author of many books, and father of musician Neil Young.

The ghost town of Omemee, North Dakota was named after the Ontario Omemee, as the former's first post master hailed from the latter. The Ontario town was named for the Omemee tribe, which once hunted in the area.