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Trafalgar Township Historical Society "Documenting, celebrating and preserving the agricultural heritage of North Oakville" Winter Newsletter 2012 michelle@tths.ca 905-257-9080 2431 Dundas Street W. Board Report Please join us for our Annual General Meeting Tuesday February 28th at 7pm at the school house. Ed Butts will be speaking on the history of Sheridan Nurseries. Lend A Hand We are in need of more board members urgently. We really need a few more people who could pitch in. We need people to help with the following... Scan all our documents so we have back-up copies of everything for safety. Co-ordinate renters at the schoolhouse. Write funding proposals Dust & clean monthly Help file and sort everything for the archives Put together the newsletter 4 times a year Assist with organizing the fair & distributing posters Time To Renew Your Membership for 2012 We count on this income to cover the heating and insurance costs of the schoolhouse. ($25 for individuals & $35 for families) made payable to Trafalgar Twp. Historical Society. Send to Jane Watt, 3089 Jaguar Valley Drive, Apt. B2, Miss. Ont. L5A 2J1 Old Bronte Road/Khalsa Gate Streetscape Plan This report went to Council December 12, 2011 and TTHS made a delegation to counsel regarding our concerns. The majority of the plan is fine but we are concerned that the same protections for heritage south of Dundas along Bronte have not been included for Bronte North of Dundas. The area south of Dundas has been called the "Historic Core" while the north area has been called "Upper Village. We would like both areas to be called "Historic Core" and have the same focus. You can see the descriptions on P. 24 of the report. The report lacks photos of the heritage buildings north of Dundas. We also feel that the historic core should extend down to the school house to include the Hagar house, Palermo church, the Switzer home and the 1820 home just west of the schoolhouse. We would hate to give a developer ammunition from a town document that demolition or not preserving is an option in the "upper village." .Counsel voted unanimously to defer the item until next year until further consultationcould be made. Please review the details here http://www.oakville.ca/business/old-bronte-road-streetscape-plan.html and forward comments to iwaghray@oakville.ca. Please cc michelle@tths.ca so we can insure the comments are included in reports to counsel. Town Request We have received a request from the town to pass on a link for a survey on election signs to our Oakville members. The deadline is February 10th. I requested a hard copy and can print them off for anyone needing one. Here is the linkhttps://www.surveymonkey.com/s_thankyou.aspx?sm=5Cps3pmWb %2b1CpT0FnZKpPp0AJYtPw1Xm7FGSE%2fPV9LA%3d War Memorial Plaque Installed 1 Thank You to the Town of Oakville for the donation of the War Memorial plaque that had resided in the old Trafalgar Town hall on Trafalgar just below Dundas Street. It has been installed at the top of the stairs in the school house. A replica of the plaque is at the Trafalgar War Memorial. Schoolhouse Speakers Series On November 29th John McDonald was our guest speaker. He spoke on the life of William Halton for whom Halton region is named. John had copies of his most recent book Halton's Heritage, for sale. Thirteen people braved the blustery, rainy evening to attend. Betty Hughes, Jane Watt and Margaret Wark provided lots of refreshments and goodies! Tuesday February 28th at 7pm- Annual General meeting. Ed Butts ­ Author & Historian will join us to share his research on 99 years of Sheridan Nurseries "A Patch of Sandy Loam" Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7pm "Schoolhouse in Action: Breathing Life into your Historic Educational Buildings" Guest Speaker: Alison Little from the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation, Ontario Heritage Trust www.enochturnerschoolhouse.ca Schoolhouse Archives You are welcome to visit our archives on Friday March 23rd and Friday May 18th between 1:30-3:30. We are always adding family histories, journals, relevant school texts (elementary), photographs and postcards. Items can be scanned and returned. Most recently we have added the King Family by Rory McAlpine with photos and documents to our archives. . Canadian/World History Books At our open houses and regular meetings, we have used books for sale at $2 each. Funds support the work of the TTHS. WE accept donations of books in good condition. For this fundraiser. TTHS Board Meetings Our upcoming board meetings are at the schoolhouse at 3pm on Friday March 23 & Tuesday Tuesday April 17th. Please let us know if you are interested in attending. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in discussion. michelle@tths.ca Scanning Thank you to the following for new pictures for our scanning project....Shirley Mack has donated her research that she did with her brother Dennis Hill on the Smith family of Trafalgar and it has been scanned and uploaded to Our Ontario. Lena Ruel has also passed on some great photos that have been uploaded. In response to In In response to Ross Warks's information in the last newsletter we have gained some great photos of Hornby Orange Lodge. These have all been uploaded as well. Please visit Our Ontario and see if you can add names to any of the people in the photos for us. Articles Of Local Interest 2 Ross Wark wrote a brief article fir the June 2011 newsletter of Oakville Historical Soc. Called Oakville Postcards: Windows on our past. His eclectic view of Bronte should appear in the March 2012 newsletter. Oakville Memories: Old and New, written by local authors are currently available on the O.H.S. website at www.oakvillehistory.org Queries & Contributions McDonald/Rogers/Howell My Gr Grandfather Thomas McDonald married Rachel Rogers in Trafalgar on the 24th Feb 1846 by Rev. Samuel Porter. His eldest son Alexander, married Mary E. Howell in Trafalgar, on the 28th Jan 1880. We are keen to know if any of your members know of the family when they were living in Trafalgar. Thomas's father's name was a Mr A. McDonald, first name not known. We would welcome any info about the family. Best Wishes, Noel Sivewright, Australia. noelsivewright@bigpond.com.au Queries & Contributions Continued Menary My question is whether you might have information where the exact location of William Menary's farm was located in Trafalgar Township and if you have any records of the exact date of his death or information where he might be buried. He settled in trafalgar c. 1820. I do not know if he was granted the land in Trafalgar Township by the Crown or if he may have purchased the land from a previous landowner. I do know that lands, south of Eglinton Avenue/Lower Base Line Road in Halton and Peel were obtained from the Mississauga Indians through the Toronto Treaty 13A in 1805 while lands to the north were obtained by treaty in 1818 which suggests, by the date of William Menary's arrival in Trafalgar Township shortly thereafter, that his farm was probably located in the north portion of the township as land would have become recently available settlement. If we can establish when William obtained this land (though the Deed may be dated several years after he settled on the farm) it would also provide a more accurate date of his arrival in Canada. Chris Amos eamos@sympatico.ca Heritage Events Around Halton February 4th February 8th Heritage Fair at Burlington Central Library 9:30am to 3:30 pm. The day long event features displays from many local Heritage Associations: Esquesing Historical Society -People of Esquesing, Born Here, Stayed Awhile, or Just Visited Join Ray Denny as he reveals his list of interesting people from Esquesing and their claim to fame! Knox Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Georgetown 7:30 p.m. The Avro Arrow ­ a video and talk by Steven Shaw. St. John's United Church, Randall Street, Oakville, 7:30pm The War of 1812 Steve Collie, a Brampton historian, takes us on an exploration of the War of 1812. Knox Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Georgetown, 7:30pm Redcoated Ploughboys: A History of the Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia. By Richard Feltoe with Mississauga South Hist. Soc. Regency retirement Resid. 29 Mississauga road Mississauga. 3 February 15 March 14 March 20 Roads and Bridges over Sixteen and Twelve-Mile Creeks- Author Unknown, was in the possession of Frank Chisholm. When in 1793 Governor Simcoe, with his company of Grenadiers cut Dundas Street through the wilderness, he found his greatest engineering difficulties in the district since called Halton County. Where this great military highway crossed Sixteen-mile Creek (three and a half miles north of Oakville) he found a gorge of surpassing beauty. It was over one hundred feet deep, with almost perpendicular sides, and was one thousand feet wide. To bridge this, was beyond the engineering skill of the day, so long detours were made along the face of the banks, where a narrow roadway was dug with the labor of incessant from the hard red clay and stones forming the banks. Along these roads for a century and a third the travelers have clung antlike. The number of needless miles travelled and the time consumed all these years reached unbelievable figures. At Twelve Mile Creek, three and a half miles above Bronte (Tansley), another gorge was encountered, 95 feet deep and 542 feet wide. Here another detour was made and the creek crossed by a bridge 60 feet long. The grade here was too deep for the stage coach from Dundas to Toronto and with 25 or 30 passengers could not be hauled up the grade with four blood horses. So the government erected a wooden bridge 50-ft. high and 250-ft. long, thus reducing the hills to usable extent that the stage could make the grade, and farmers teams could haul a couple of tons up it. When, later, the municipalities had been organized. Nelson Township was responsible for the bridge. It became dilapidated and unsafe for traffic. To build another was beyond the resources of the township. So it was abandoned and the old trail around this was taken and for over half a century the people painfully climbed the old hills. When the autos came, these hills were intolerable and many accidents occurred, and some deaths. Something had to be done. In 1918, Halton induced the government to make Dundas Street a provincial road, and a high level bridge was completed in 1919. It is 542 feet long, 92 feet high and 20 feet wide. The looking for fresh worlds to conquer, the Halton Council travelled three and a half miles eastward to the Sixteen'Mile Creek and took the biggest bridge problem ever attempted in Ontario. In 1820, the bridge being built has nine spans, eight being 108 feet long and one 66 feet long, 1930 feet in length, 115 feet high. and 20 feet wide. There were 60 men employed and it was opened for traffic that year. The company had a comfortable dining hall and sleeping quarters for the men. And labor troubles were non-existent. Down in the ravine, where the old road crossed the river, the bridge was 88 feet long and was erected in 1885, and was the first steel bridge I built in the county. Dr. Buck, then reeve, did the engineering himself. And every day superintended the abutments of dressed stone, that after 35 years were as solid as ever. The bridge was the longest span in the county, 88 feet, and Dr. Buck said at the opening that after every person there was dead, this bridge would be substantial and carrying traffic. It was till strong, but had to give way to modern rush and ideas. The valley spanned by the new monster bridge was a unique history. This was one of the first spots settled in the district. A Mr. Chambers, early in the last century, built a dam in the hollow, the power being utilized to operate a saw and grist mill. He, for a number of years represented the old Gore district in parliament. On being defeated, he became despondent and shot himself. Now came the golden days of the valley. John Proudfoot came and everything boomed. The dam was strengthened, and the saw and grist mill were run day and night. A tannery, carding mill, stave and barrel factory, distillery, where whiskey, "the pure quill", was sold at 15 cents a gallon, and a brewery was started. Stores, a tailor shop. Blacksmith and wagon shops, boot-makeing establishment were stated also. 4 A large hotel was built with twenty bedrooms, where the stage coach passengers got splendid accommodation. There was a spacious bar-room where the questions for the day were discussed. The place was a hive of industry, teams coming with logs, wheat, wool and other commodities, others going away with lumber and flour. Bran at that time was thought to be of no value and was dumped into the river with the sawdust. This place was called Proudfoot Hollow and the spot where Oakville now stands was still an Indian reserve, not a tree being cut. A thriving town of worker's houses arose, gardens and orchards were planted, and many hoped it would develop into a city. The Great Western Railway was built and the stage coach ran no more. Oakville had for years been sapping the Hollow's industrial strength, and business began to lag. The last building completely disappeared over a quarter of a century ago. And not one stone remains upon another of all the former buildings. Only the remnants of some former apple orchards, and here and there a struggling rose bush gives mute testimony of the home-making instinct of the people of long ago. Visitors walk over the scenes of all this former activity and view the mill-race where the waters of the river which turned the wheels of industry, turn them no more. The Oakville Record-Star Thursday, September 7, 1944. PALERMO- Locals and Personals- submitted by Jane in Cooksville (Mississauga) Ontario, Canada The United Church Sunday School held a very successful picnic at the home of Mr. & Mrs. C. Vansickle on Wednesday afternoon. There was a good attendance of both old and young. After an enjoyable program of races and games a delicious picnic supper was served at five o'clock. The Palermo Women's Institute was entertained at the September meeting of the Omagh W.I., held at the home of Mrs. Dolby, on Tuesday afternoon. A number of the Palermo ladies attended. The Palermo Junior Farmers' and Junior Institute held a wiener roast at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Kingston on Wednesday evening. Although the weather was too wet for much outdoor activity, those who attended had a good time. A family gatherimg was held at the home of Mrs. A. Hill and Mrs. E. Christener last Saturday evening, as a surprise party for Mr. & Mrs. E, Wettlaufer in honour of their wedding anniversary. A splendid evening was spent in playing progressive euchre, and a presentation was made to the guests of honour. Guests during the weekend at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Vansickle were Mrs. Douglas May of Sterling and her husband, Pte. Douglas May of Camp Borden, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Ball and daughter of Baltimore, Mr. & Mrs. Frank Ball of Brantford, and Cpl. Cecil Joubert, Brampton. Professor and Mrs. Waterbury have retuned to New York after spending the month of August with Mrs. Waterbury's sisters, Mrs. A. Hill and Mrs. E.Christener. 5 1819- 1829TRAFALGAR TOWNSHIP ORIGINAL LAND GRANTS (By Irene Saunders) Name of Locatee Residence 1819 Willmott John York (T) Deed No. Lake John Deed No. York (T) Lot 10 17 10 3 Conc 2NS 2SDS 3 3 6 10 13 2 15 4 4 1 3 4 1 8 8 8 Date Issue ID Date 8 1 8 8 1 8 1 8 8 18190210 18190612 18190908 ND 18190407 18190612 Trans Type FG L FG Type Lease/ FG Sale 1819 CR 1819 1819 SUE FF M FG L FG FG FG FG L L 1820 CR CR M CL COMM COMM Archival Reference RG Series Vol Page 01 C13 01 C112 01 C13 01 C13 01 C13 01 C13 01 C13 01 C13 01 C112 01 C13 01 C13 146 006 007 035 146 002 146 004 081 173 054 003 124 004 124 004 007 037 090 033 090 028 Dea Edmund York Deed No. McQueen Duncan Trafalgar Deed No. Beebe Joshua Deed No. Louth E½ 18190225 FG 18190612 18190519 ND 18191117 18220223 18190225 18190219 ND 18200728 ND 182007 ND 182007 ND 18200428 ND 18200726 18220205 18210404 ND 18210404 ND FG FG FG Clarke James York (T) Deed No. Jackson Alex C York Oates Edward York Deed No. 1820 Ruxton Robert Trafalgar Deed No. Hopkins Ephraim Trafalgar N ½ Deed No. Stephenson William Deed No. Corkrell Mary Deed No. HE26 Watson John York (T) Deed No. 1821 Whitney Saml Trafalgar Deed No. McArthur Wm Trafalgar Deed No. E½ FR ½ R½ 25, 1SDS 2 2 3 4 1 23, 3SDS 23 3SDS 2SDS 13 3 5 2NDST 8 8 8 8 Waterloo S ½ 25, 1SDS 18 1SDST 11 08 13840 001 023 01 C13 01 C112 01 C112 D1 C112 01 C13 01 C13 146 037 007 039 007 039 007 050 132 048 123 038 1822 Flanagan Charles Trafalgar 17 Deed No. Lawrence Samuel Toronto E ½ Deed No. 18220109 L CR ND 1 18220205 FG M ND 8 18230108 ND FG M 1823 McGuire Barnabas York Deed No. S½ 6 Eastman Thomas Deed No. Queenston S ½ 9 2SDS 1 2SDS 8 8 8 8 18230514 ND 18230108 ND L L FG FG M M 01 C13 01 C13 123 039 123 038 McGuire Barnaba York Deed No. Flannigan John Trafalgar Deed No. Smith William Trafalgar Deed No. 16 2 2SDS 3 18230625 ND 18230430 ND CR CL 01 C112 007 053 01 C13 152 125 1824 McMurray Lawson Trafalgar W ½ 5 2 Deed No. 1825 Trotter James Trafalgar E ½ 8,10 Deed No. 1827 Coates Thomas Deed No. Caldwell George Deed No. Bissett D. Deed No. Shane S. Deed No. Lake John Deed No. ½ 11 ½ 11 1 W ½ 24 3 2SDST 9 4 5 1 8 8 1 5 5 5 5 5 18240901 ND 18250302 18250621 18270321 ND 18270321 ND 18270614 ND 18270524 ND 18270612 ND S S S S S FG FG FF FF 01 C13 01 C13 CC B3 CC B3 CC B3 CC B3 CC B3 033 070 054 122 023 001 023 001 023 003 023 002 023 003 1828 Clarke Samuel Trafalgar Deed No. Livingston Miles Deed No. 1829 Ruxton Robt Deed No. E ½ 10, 4NS 3 1NDS 4 2 3 7 5 2 8 8 182807 ND FG COMM M CL 01 C13 CC B3 091 005 024 046 001 057 090 061 124 003 033 068 033 068 W ½ 11 E½ 15 18281013 FG 18340319 18291210 ND 182907 ND 18290225 ND 18300316 S FG FG 01 C1113 01 C13 01 C13 FF ND FF 01 C13 01 C13 Boulton Henrt John York Deed No. McKerlie William Deed No. Hixon Joseph Deed No. Davis Asanel Deed No. E&W ½ 13 3 3SDS 3SDS COMM M Nelson 9 31 Nelson 32 FG FG 18300316 ND 7