The Sandwich South Historical Society is celebrating the community's heritage.
Members of the community gathered at the Walker Rd. Fire Hall in Oldcastle for cake, fire truck rides and the planting of a maple tree to commemorate the occasion.
Chairperson of the Sandwich Historical Society, Wendy Cunningham, says the event was a way to celebrate a community that has been around since before Confederation.
"It is hard sometimes for people who have lived their whole life in an urban setting to understand the rural connection that people have," says Cunningham. "It is a whole different culture. We are connected passionately with the land. For us the land is like our child and people do not move in or out, it is a simpler way of life."
Oldcastle resident Judy Wellwood-Robson says her family has been a part of the community since it was first founded 187 years ago.
"My family has been here since 1830 and we still live on the farm today," says Wellwood-Robson. "I am the fifth generation and my grandchildren are the seventh so we are still going."
Cunningham says the group planted the maple tree because it symbolizes the depth of their connection to the area.