Watford was first settled in 1851 at what was known as
Brown\'s Corners, a
stagecoach stop between
the village of
Warwick and
Brooke Township. The
Great Western Railway was
built in 1856 and caused
the settlement to be relocated near
the tracks, in its present location. It was incorporated as the village of Watford in 1873. Watford was either named for the Watford in
England, or by
Col. Brown for his
home town of Watford, Ireland.
Many of the
current residents believe that
one of the first settlers, Col. Jeffrey Neal Brown, named the village. On a
journey from
London to
Sarnia, Brown purportedly stopped half way on his journey and said to his wife, \"We should
settle here and raise our family.\" Brown\'s wife responded \"What for?\" and Brown replied \"No, Watford.\" Still to this day this
story is told around
coffee shops in this quiet little rural village.[
citation needed]
There was a great
fire in the 1880s on November 5th that destroyed much of the town during a
Guy Fawkes night (
Bonfire Night)
celebration.
In 1972 Watford Roof Truss started manufacturing
wood trusses for delivery in the Southwestern
Ontario and
Southern Michigan markets. Watford Roof Truss is still a major employer in the town.
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