4 Friday, February 23, 2024 brooklintowncrier.com The Story behind Cassels Road By Jennifer Hudgins Though just over a kilometre long, Cassels Road is a story told in three parts. When the bridge over Lynde Creek was constructed in 1954, it resulted in the unification of the road's original two parts: Mill at the west end and King at the east. The third part came later. Part 1 While the exact year Mill Street was named is unknown, the significance of the Brooklin Mill as a central and defining feature in the area provides insight into that part of the street's naming. In 1848, the Brooklin flour mill, established by brothers John and Robert Campbell, laid the foundation for the street's designation. Over the years, additional structures were built along Mill Street, encouraging growth within the Village. These included the Globe Hotel, possibly constructed in 1857 on land that is now Grass Park, the Methodist Church (now the Brooklin United Church) erected in 1867 and the Masonic Hall completed on the north side in 1871. A tavern on the southwest corner of Church and Mill Streets (1850) was later torn down and replaced by the Bible Christian church established in 1876. Today, it's the Brooklin Community Centre. One noteworthy resident of Mill Street was Dr. James Moore, the first President of the Royal Canadian Legion, Brooklin branch 152. He began his medical practice in 1900 and was a well-known and well-liked figure in the community. He fought overseas during the First World War and, upon returning home, served for many years as the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Whitby Township. Part 2 Meanwhile, on the east end was King Street, named after King George III (1760-1820), the monarch during the early years of Upper Canada, which is present day Ontario. This naming tradition was common during the settlement period with Brooklin streets like Princess, Queen and also carrying Royal titles. No commercial buildings were erected along King Street. Instead, it was lined with single family dwellings. In 1927, Adelaide McLaughlin, the wife of Col. Robert Samuel McLaughlin, founder of McLaughlin Motors in Oshawa (General Motors), bought one of these houses for her parents Ralph and Victoria Mowbray, from Richard T. Harrison, a former Whitby Township Clerk. This historic house at 57 Cassels Road is still standing. Part 3 The renaming of the merged roads to Cassels, which extends to the west side of Baldwin, was to honour Walter G. Cassels, a Toronto lawyer. He and his partner George Ferguson were the driving forces in the development of the Meadowcrest subdivision during the 1950s. In fact, all the streets in that area are named after the lawyers who were part of a legal consortium. So, from the early days of Mill and King Streets, to their unification in 1954 and subsequent extension into a new subdivision, Cassels Road represents another interesting chapter in Brooklin's history. Mill Street looking east Mill Street looking west