Halfway was established with the opening of its post office in June of 1861, with Henry Y. Reed as postmaster. Contrary to popular belief, Halfway was not named for being halfway between Barry’s Bay and Combermere, but for being the midway point between Craigmont’s corundum mines and Barry’s Bay’s railway station – horses and drivers carrying the mineral from one place to the other needed a place to stop and rest.
The settlement grew in the late 1890s and early 1900s, and boasted a stopping place/hotel, stables and barns, and later convenience stores and a restaurant. Original settlers included Kashubians and Polish immigrants with last names that included: Smaglinskie, Recoskie, Prince, Lipenskie (Lepinskie), Etmanskie, Dombroskie, Krezel, Kuiack, Yantha, Yaskolskie, Olsheskie, Kosnaskie, Murack, Hudder, Yarascavitch, and Zilney. These first homesteaders built homes, farms, and businesses in the area.
The school opened in 1921 on land donated by Paul Smaglinskie. A frame clapboard structure, the school was called S.S. #1 Radcliffe, though was commonly called Halfway School. Prior to the school opening, residents would walk to Brudenell or be educated at home. In later years, Halfway boasted a gas station, elementary school, and a sawmill, with a population of approximately fifty people.
In 1937, Highway 62 was completed and connected Barry’s Bay and Combermere. As this became the preferred route for vehicle traffic, Halfway became less busy, with the post office closing in April of 1945.
Though never formally incorporated as a town, the community still carries a strong sense of identity. Today, Halfway is home to many descendants of original settlers to the area, as well as a popular Polish scouting camp and numerous seasonal residents. The old school house still stands on Old Barry’s Bay Road, now incorporated into a permanent residence of one of the original settlers of Halfway.