Discovering the Village of Sombra

The village wasn't always known as Sombra; in its earliest inception, the village was called "Lewisville." The earliest settlers were Abraham Smith and Samuel H. Burnham in 1821. Lela Sutcliff related in an article in the London Free Presson March 11, 1961, that "1835 was the year the nucleus of the present village began and the first few houses to comprise it were erected." Samuel Burnham's son, Morgan Lewis Burnham, did much of the original construction; because of this, Lewis Burnham was considered the "father" of the village, and it was dubbed "Lewisville" in his honour. It was some years later that the name switched to Sombra. The village would blossom as a town hall valued at $1,800.00 was built in 1867.

The Toronto Leader, April 28, 1856, described Sombra as:

"The best Township of land in the County of Lambton and is fast filling up with enterprising and industrious settlers. The Village has only been in existence three years and already contains four Merchant's Shops and a large Hotel with as good accommodations as any west of London, one Blacksmith Shop, Tin Shop, Tailoring and Shoe Shops, Tannery, School House and Church... and is the principal place of import and export for a considerable portion of the County."

The first ferry in Sombra was The Silent, a sailboat run by Samuel Whiteley. When there wasn't any wind, he would use a rowboat to ferry customers across the river. He charged 10 cents a round trip. An old Irish woman is reported to have gotten on his case for those exorbitant prices, cornering him with this gruff statement: "You just take a stick in your hand and charge 10 cents for that?!" (Gazette, November 18, 1981). A second ferry was opened by William Bell and taken over by the American Joe Miller, causing competition for Whiteley's operation. It is rumoured that during one exceptionally sore argument, each ferry would only go to the middle of the river, where passengers were made to switch boats! The feud would end when Whiteley eventually bought out his American competitor.

Visit Discover Sombra Village and the Sombra Museum to learn more about Sombra's rich past and present.