TopNational Historic SitePeterborough Petroglyphs2249 Northeys Bay RoadPhoto: D. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file
Peterborough Petroglyphs · Photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 3.01historic place on the registers
History of North Kawartha · Canada’s heritage registers
North Kawartha’s 1 historic place is a top designation
Measured against its size, North Kawartha’s 3 per 10,000 residents puts it ahead of 90% of Canadian towns. The 2021 Census dates 5.2% of its homes to 2016 or later, against 4.1% in most towns.
Historic places
1
3 per 10,000 residents
Highest designations
1
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings
Homes built before 1961
23%
typical town: 18%
The map
Where North Kawartha’s history is
Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.
Highest designations
Names show on hover, and a tap takes you to the place’s page.
The 1, by tier
1 Highest designations
Most entries are federal, from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations; local listings outside Québec are known only through Wikidata items with an article.
Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.
Highest designations
One place in North Kawartha with the highest designation
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Each one opens its own page.
The age of the area
Within 50 km of North Kawartha, the oldest record dates from 1837
The area here stretches to 50 km around North Kawartha: each historic place by the first construction date it records.
British North America 1760–18662
After Confederation 1867–19134
Wars and Depression 1914–19452
Since 1946 1946 on0
The chart rests on 8 dated places within 50 km. Before Confederation: 2. First by date comes St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Peterborough, from 1837.
Around the town
The highest designation, 4 times, within 50 km of North Kawartha
The first one out is “Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Havelock, Ontario”, 35 km away in Havelock. All told, 8 places are within 50 km. By age, St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church leads, from 1837, at 42 km.
The 8 nearest, within 50 km
| Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Havelock, OntarioHeritage Railway Station · 1914–1930 · 35 km away, in Havelock |
| Wilberforce Red Cross OutpostNational Historic Site · 1914–1917 · 41 km away, in Highlands East |
| Peterborough Lift LockNational Historic Site · 1896–1905 · 42 km away, in Peterborough |
| Peterborough Drill Hall / ArmouryNational Historic Site · 1907–1910 · 42 km away, in Peterborough |
| St. John the Evangelist Anglican ChurchOntario Heritage Trust easement · 1837 · 42 km away, in Peterborough |
| Cathedral of Saint Peter-in-ChainsDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1837 · 42 km away, in Peterborough |
| Market Hall Performing Arts CentreDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1890 · 42 km away, in Peterborough |
| Cox TerraceNational Historic Site · 1884–1885 · 43 km away, in Peterborough |
Homes by age
North Kawartha’s building boom came from 1961 to 1980: 31% of its homes
More than half of North Kawartha’s housing predates 1981. Homes from before 1961 make up 23% of North Kawartha’s housing; the typical town has 18%. In North Kawartha, 25% of homes date from 1981 to 2000, much as in most towns (23%).
23%
Before 1961
31%
1961–80
25%
1981–2000
17%
2001–15
5.2%
2016–21
North KawarthaTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
In brief
North Kawartha in brief
Older stock first: 23% of homes in North Kawartha were standing by 1961, against 18% in the typical town. The lists come to 1 historic place, one with the highest designation, including Peterborough Petroglyphs. The rest is about typical: it has one historic place, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 0); and its one place was designated in 1981.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The federal register. The federal list is complete and open: Parks Canada’s directory for the designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places for what each one is and why it matters.
- Map points. Parks Canada publishes no coordinates, so federal places are pinned where Wikidata puts them.
- People and events. National historic persons carry no place in the open file. They appear on a town’s page when born there (same name, same birth and death years) or when a historic place inside it carries their name and its record names them with their dates; national historic events don’t appear.
- The grade. History is described, not graded, for every Canadian town.
- Protection. Being on these registers doesn’t mean a building can’t change. Federal designation commemorates; protection is provincial or municipal, and those lists aren’t open here.
- The tiers. Three tiers: the top for National Historic Sites, classified federal buildings and Québec’s classements, a second for the other federal designations, a third for provincial and municipal listings.
- Provincial and municipal lists. Outside Québec, provinces’ and municipalities’ heritage registers aren’t open data; their places are known only through Wikidata items with a register number, and only those with an encyclopedia article get a page.
Questions about North Kawartha’s history
Which places in North Kawartha have the highest designation?
It is Peterborough Petroglyphs.
How old are the homes in North Kawartha?
The 2021 Census dates 23% of its homes before 1961 (18% in the typical town).
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).