Cody’s Corners

Beginning in 1832, Elijah Cody, his wife Phila and their family took title to land on Lots 5 and 6 on Concessions 4 and 5. Today, this intersection at County Roads 6 (37th Line) and 17 (Road 74) and the Slant Road (39th Line) is known as Cody’s Corners.

Elijah Cody, originally from Marcellus, New York, first settled in West Oxford Township, where he farmed and operated a tavern. In 1824, he purchased land in Zorra at Lot 16 in Concession 7. This Cody family was among the first United Empire Loyalist settlers in Zorra Township. Five generations of Codys lived at this corner, including Elijah, Harrison, Elmer, Andrew, and Bryden.

The first school was believed to be a log structure built on the northeast corner about 1848 or 1849. When the school became too small, a frame was built on the southwest corner. In 1870, a new brick schoolhouse was built on the northwest corner. During the winter of 1899, a devastating fire swept through this school, leaving only the brick walls standing. In short order, S.S. # 5 Cody’s school was rebuilt and remained until its closure in 1966.

The school was the center of activities in this area. It was the meeting place for the Methodists and the Baptists, and Sunday school continued into the 1930s. The community remembered the war heroes who attended this school and the visits from former student Dr. Oswald J. Smith, founder of Toronto's People’s Bible Church. Another community member, Robert Douglas Hayward 1927-1961 brought international fame to Canada, Zorra and Cody’s Corners when he drove the world champion speedboat “Miss Supertest III” to victory to win the Harmsworth Trophy in 1959 and defended the title in 1960 and 1961. Today, a cairn stands at the southeast side of County Road 6, with plaques on three sides commemorating the Cody family, Oswald Smith and Robert Hayward.