Jackson’s Point is named after John Mills Jackson a merchant and political author who settled here in 1828. Jackson was a part owner in the steamship Simcoe that was built nearby in Holland Landing. Jackson was made a Justice of the Peace in 1833. He died in 1836 on a trip to his native England. One of Jackson’s lasting legacies was spearheading the building of St. Georges Anglican Church on Hedge Road. The arrival of the Lake Simcoe Junction railway in 1877 signalled a coming of age for Jackson’s Point both as a commercial centre and a summer playground. The Jackson’s Point wharf was a hub of commerce with ice from the lake being shipped by train to Toronto, In the summertime the train provided passage for Toronto residents to the cool waters and tranquil breezes of Lake Simcoe. The Toronto and York Railway began service to Jackson’s Point in 1908 ushering in a new era of prosperity. By the 1890s Jackson’s Point had become a popular tourist destination with a hotel and summer cottages. The Briars Resort would rise to international prominence as a resort destination. By the 1910s Jackson’s Point had earned the distinction of being “Ontario’s first cottage country” a title it proudly proclaims to this day.