In 1967, the CCRA in association with the local community opened Adams Park on Lawson Road.
The plague inscription reads as follows:
In commemmeration of “Uncle Tommy Adams” or American Dutchman” who came to Canada in 1808 from Vermont United States and settled in this vicinity. He built a loghouse over looking the lake and replaced it later with a brick dwelling. This house was struck by lightning in about the year 1832
when his son William was killed.
Thomas Adams was a carpenter and captain of an American sailing vessel during the war of 1812. He was driven for refuge into Highland Creek. There fearing his cargo of guns, brass kettles and ammunition might be seized he threw everything overboard and tradition adds “the drowned cargo is still supposed to be lying at the bottom of the creek”.
Old Tommy Adams, a man of diversified trades, was the pioneer flax grower in 1825. It was scutched, heckled and spun here by primitive methods being used chiefly for ships.
About 1834 Thomas Adams in partnership with John Allen, built a sailing vessel at the mouth of Highland Creek. They named her the “Mary Ann” and it was engaged for many years in local trade and proved of great service to the farmers ashes, grains and shingles away and bringing back flour, salt, lime etc.
Adams built the first schoolhouse in the area in 1836, a cottage of planks which stood on Kingston Road. Many of the first frame houses in the neighbourhood were also erected by him.