by Dana Stavinga

In 1800 Jacob Hoover, through his son, David, purchased twenty-five hundred acres of land along Lake Erie. The area was known only as Stoney Creek, or Walpole by the locals. In 1802 the first mill was built on Stoney Creek by Jessie Hoover. It was known as Hoover Mill.
The Steele and Evans families were among those taking up land alongside the Hoovers. Thinking that the crossroads was a good place for a village, in 1826, William Steele and his wife Susannah bought land from David Hoover and gave the little community the name of Williamsville, after himself.

In 1833 the local settlers cut a road though their woods and soon after a mail service was expanded from Dunnville to Vittoria with John Evans who was employed as a mail courier. It was a three day round trip and made it necessary that the little hamlet now have an official name. Selkirk was chosen.