A small town along the shores of Lake Huron, not a lot of sites but a lot of history.
St. Joseph's is the type of town you drive through your whole life and never really see. At least that is what I have done. Until now. There is little more than a Memorial Park, Forever Furniture's Warehouse store, Masse's fruit stand, small beach access and homes. They are also in the process of (finally) rebuilding the gas station that is along the highway. I have been through this community hundreds of times, I have even been to the Memorial Park before. However, it wasn't until Jeff and I needed a place to eat our Sushi lunch; purchased in Grand Bend but obviously there was no parking available there. See the post on Grand Bend for more about this; that we actually took the time to check out the park.
You can check out the Archives and Museum at Hessenland Country Inn (https://stjosephmuseum.ca/). I recommend having a wine tasting while you are there. Hessenland has their own winery. They also have quite nice accommodations if you prefer to stay away from the busier towns along the highway.
The Memorial park has lots of trees and beautiful flowers. It is, surprisingly, well maintained for a park that I do not usually see anyone at. There is a brick walk with plaques telling the history of St. Joes. Being from here it was fun to see so many family names that I know. I also visited this park with my mom, she worked at a local Nursing Home, so she had first hand knowledge of the stories that the families shared about the history of this community. That is the value of a local guide :).
There is a statue celebrating a local Catholic Saint, Brother Andre. They also have a memorial to our Veterans.
There are 2 plaques that I found to be the most interesting;
The plaque that educates on the Storm of 1913, that claimed the lives of hundreds of sailors in Lake Huron. The Goderich Museum has a wonderful exhibit about this storm that provides even more information. https://www.huroncountymuseum.ca/
The plaque pictured above educating on Narcisse Cantin, the reason St. Joseph's exists in the first place. Cantin had dreamt of building a canal from Lake Huron to Lake Superior. His plans were approved, despite debates on the topic, by the Government. Unfortunately WWWII broke out and the canal was never finished, let alone started.
Turn left onto HWY 21 from the park and take the first left into the subdivision on the other side of the river. The first house located there is the Cantin homestead. Drive all the way to the back left corner and you will find a delightful little, public access, beach.
Once you learn all this Canadian History stop by Mouse Masse's Fruit Stand for some veggies. Depending on what season it is you can get strawberries (June- early July); sweet corn (August); pumpkins and gourds (September - October).