The Munro House, 1800-1802.
The U. E. Loyalists settlement of Norfolk commenced in 1793, and in 1798 the rapid increase in population was recognized by a division of the Western District and the formation of three Counties, Norfolk, Oxford and Middlesex to be known as the London District. This was organized by the appointment of a general commission of the peace and the necessary officials. The first meeting of the resident Magistrates was held in the house of Lieutenant James Munro, of Charlotteville, on 1st April, 1800, for the purpose of carrying the Commission into execution, and the first General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the District was ordered to be holden at the same place on Tuesday, the 8th day of April, 1800.
The Munro House above referred to, was built in 1796, on lot 14 in the 5th concession of Charlotteville. It was the best house which had been erected up to that time, and stands to-day as an old land mark, about a half mile back from the road running straight west from Vittoria. It is a two story frame house of considerable size. The frame was made of hewn timber, with bents four feet apart, strengthened by tie girths, morticed and tenoned—a marvel of axeman's skill. The planks for the floor and sheeting were cut out by the whip saw. The original roof is on the building at the present time. The shingles are of cedar, rudely whittled by the draw knife, and show in places an original thickness of over an inch.
A temporary jail was erected near the house, a log building fourteen feet by twenty-five feet, divided into two rooms—one for the debtors and the other for those charged with criminal offences. This building was erected during the winter of 1800 by day labor, and was used for nearly a year. The courts were held here until 1802, when they were removed to Turkey Point or Fort Norfolk under the authority of an Act passed in the year 1801.