A brief history of Robert Simpson Park

In view of the recently released Waterfront Master Plan by the Town of Arnprior, I thought that a brief overview of the history of Robert Simpson Park would be a welcome topic. Whenever I visit the Park, I’m impressed by the sweeping beauty of the site which overlooks the Ottawa River at the mouth of the Madawaska River. When I began my research, I made certain assumptions about the Park but now I have a much better understanding of how the Park was created, developed and maintained over the last 130 years. You may surprised to learn that we once had a commercial vineyard and fruit orchard in Arnprior!