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Although St. Philip's Church is located on the Humber River's west bank in Etobicoke, the congregation originally met on the east bank in north Weston. A parsonage and chapel were built on Rectory Rd. The chapel later became St. John's Angilican Church. At the turn of the 19th century, sawmills for the plentiful timber and grist mills for flour, began to appear on the west bank. EARLY SETTLER DISPUTES AROSE One of the early known settlers Harnessing the river power was an enterprising man by the required many dams which were name of David Holly. He left crowded together and disputes Pennsylvania in 1807, and after arose among the owners. A man a brief period in Vaughan Town- named Wadsworth brought suit ship with fellow Mennonites, he against Robert McDougall and arrived at "Humber" in 1810. won it, shortly afterward acquiring Holly applied for a Crown McDougall's property. Justice Reserve to build a mill to replace was done and seen to be done in an earlier structure. Conrad those days. John Collins in his Survey of the Humber reported to Governor John Simcoe in 1792 that "fine stands of timber exist about seven miles up the Toronto River", as the Humber was then known. Simcoe chose a site for settlement near the point where Lawrence Ave. crosses the Humber today and named it "Humber", and renamed the river at the same time, in 1796. T' Holly Constructed his first mill on the west bank, and in the next few years he seems to have been very industrious, building several more. During the War of 1812 these mills supplied the military with both flour and lumber, these were prosperous times for the little settlement. There was growth on both sides of the Humber at this time. James Farr purchased the first of the Holly mills, along with 150 acres on the Etobicoke, or west side, and he named the area Weston, after his home town in England. The property that Farr occupied is now the Weston Golf and Country Club. The Humber was first spanned by a bridge in 1816, and the roads that connected to the bridge, on both banks became Bridge St., it is now Lawrence Ave. By 1830, mills and other manufactur- ing stretched from below Lawrence up to Wilson Ave., including cooperage for flour barrels and by 1840, a distillery, to the joy of Rivers were an important source of many things to pioneers _. power for mills, food and transportation. The Humber abounded with salmon, wild game roamed the forested banks and the waterfalls were capable of being dammed for power. a the CENTENNIAL page 2 Early in the 19th century Weston was described as "the most important place on the Humber River." Indeed, Weston was a child of the river, like many other villages of the period. While Weston no longer exists as a municipality, its history remains in the minds of many who live in the area. What was known as Weston in early years in now split by the same Humber River into a part of Etobicoke and a part of York. Holly applied for a Crown Reserve to build a mill to replace an earlier structure. Conrad Countryrnan had his mill destroyed by fire shortly after it was erected and little is known of him. The‘Weston Centennial Committee would like to thank the many citizens who contributed articles to this newspaper. The views and remembrances are those of the authors and have not been checked for historical accuracy. However, we hope you will find them as interesting and entertaining as we have. . . The Public Relations Committee. ’ Weston, Child Of The River, Place Of The Mind CENTENNIAL Up to the middle 1800's, settlement had mainly been on the lands of the west bank of the river. However, when the pest office was located on the east side of the, Humber, things began to change. The Weston plank road to connect Weston with Dundas St. also had a great economic impact, and the tide of settlement slowly turned. In April of 1850, a final blow was struck in favor of the higher level east bank. A flood roared down the river carrying with it huge blocks of ice, destroying mills and homes on the lower west bank. By 1851, most of the demo]- ished businesses had been re- established on the east bank, using the higher ground. , With a population of nearly 1,000 in 1881, Weston was granted village status by incorporation and adopted the motto, "Equal Justice To All." William Tyrrell was elected the first reeve. Industry thrived in Weston and the industrial growth brought settlers and workers to the sub- THRIVING INDUSTRY The final chapter in the political history of Weston as a separate town ended on Jan. 1, 1967, when amalgamation of the 13 Metro- politan Toronto towns and town- ships were consolidated into six municipalities with Weston inte- grating into the Borough of York on the east bank. The area on the west bank was already part of Etobicoke. Whatever side of the Humber they live on, many of the residents of the area still say they are "from Weston. Ft By Jim Gunn, Courtesy, Etobicoke Guardian. In 1915 Weston was accorded the status of town, and Dr. W.J. Charlton was the first mayor. From 1838 or earlier, St. Philip's congregation met in private homes or halls until their first church was constructed in 1831, on land donated by Edward and Thomas Musson. urban atmosphere. While industry made the east bank home, many homes were built on the west bank and what we know as the Westmount section of the then -- Township of Etobicoke. Circuit preachers served the congregation, in this church of barn and siding construction, until the first resident minister was engaged in 1854. St. Philip's second minister, the Rev. William Johnson served from 1856-1880, Soon after arriving in Weston, Dr. Johnson began to hold additional services in the village, in the new brick Common school which was also used for Sunday School and Vestry meetings. To protect highways, side- walks and trees. 1.-fee in lieu of statute labour - $1.50 _ 2.-not lawful to drive cattle on Entirely at his own expense, with much of the carving done By-law 9 Feb. 13, 1882 By-law 12 March 10, 1882 Weston's original Town Hall, was constructed in 1883, at the corner of Weston Rd. and Little Ave. This handsome edifice contained the general municipal offices, the council chamber and the Mechanic's Institute on the main floor. The second floor was entirely occupied by Dufferin Hall, used for plays, concerts and public oratory. This building was unfortunately demolished in the 50's to make way for the newer Town Hall located at 2000 Weston Rd. sidewalks 3.--not lawful to injure trees 4.-not lawful to block roads, lanes, etc. S-fine of from $2 - $20 for above offences To provide for the preservation of public morals in the Municipality of Weston. St. Philip's Church Established Weston's Educational Standards . . . AND YOU THINK YOU’VE GOT IT BAD with his own hands, Dr. Johnson built a chapel beside the parsonage on Rectory Road, in order to celebrate the High Church services which he preferred. His love of ritual and High Church ceremony were at odds with the Low Church preferences of his congregation at St. Philip's. He called this building, the Chapel of Ease. Concerned that his children have religious as well as secular instruction at school, Dr. Johnson rejected the two existing schools - the Common School and Banks Private School and taught his children at home. Other parents were anxious to have Dr. Johnson teach their children and when the school burst his study to its seams, Continued on Page 15. Around the year, 1926, Mr. James Gove emigrated to Canada from England, and settled in Weston. This marked the begin- ing, of the appearance of beauti- ful stone walls, around many of the large homes, in Weston. James Gove was a Master Stonemason. an artist in his craft, and the lovely river stones, hauled from the Humber River, were used by him, td enhance the front entrances of old and new buildings. The addition of well designed verandas, and steps of the attractive stone created a new form to old homes which we knew would last forever. After the second war, a War Memorial was designed by Tiny 1.-oot lawful to sell or give intoxicating drinks to children, idiots, insane persons, etc. 2.-not lawful to post indecent placards, etc. on any walls, fences, or Public Highways 3.-no swearing 4.-not lawful to drink on a Public Highway 5.-"it shall not be lawful for any person to keep a disorderly house bird house of ill fame, or allow or harbour persons of bad character either male or female to frequent his or her house." 6.---not lawful to keep a gambling house 7.--not lawful for vagrants to be drum; in the street Jim Cove Created. . . . Artistry in Riverstone by Elsie MacPherson The Gove family lived in a large house on Weston Rd. at Fern Ave. and Jim could often be seen, in his retirement years, strolling the streets of Weston with his faithful dog. Shaw, of the Royal Can. Legion Branch, 213. This was then created, in stone, by Jim Gove, who was also a Legion member. The beautiful stone wall which surrounds the park, on Little Ave. was added. This park now called Memorial Park, is truely a mem- orial in the finest way to Tiny and Jim, and all veterans, who fought to keep this glorious Canada of ours, free. By-law 13 8.-"It shall not be lawful for any person to indecently expose his or her person near any public highway or other public place by bashing, beating or otherwise between the hours of seven in the morning and eight in the evening 9.-not lawful to race with horses in the street 10.-S2 - $40 or 21 days if no $ or chattels Possibly the oldest house in Weston, 6 Humberview Cres. has been dated back to 1845, but the owners suspect it could date 1828. To supress the spread of Canada Thistles -amended by #325 -presented by Jacob Bull