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The Extraordinary History of FlamboroughAdditions and corrections to the First WDHS Edition
History is constantly being revised and enhanced as new facts emerge, errors in interpretation are discovered and new stories found. A new edition of The Extraordinary History of Flamborough is planned for 2022 that will incorporate all the corrections and new information below.
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Page xi
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(Line Two) Replace "ownership" with "belonging."
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Page 2
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Addition to "Beginning the Conversation":
This land is ancient. In 2019 Waterdown District High School student Jacob Micallef holding a tooth from a woolly mammoth he had found in Highgate, Ontario. Mastodons and woolly mammoths roamed Southern Ontario 10-12 000 years ago. Change "Indigenous Trails" to "trails used by Indigenous Nations"
Change "15th century" to "many generations prior to contact."
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Page 3
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Change (for the entire text) "Chonnonton Nation" to "Neutral Nation"
Change ". . . because of their role in keeping a state of peace between the Wendat Nation to the north and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the south" to ". . . since they did not take any side in the conflicts between the Wendat Nation to the north and the Haudenosaunee to the south"
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Page 4
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Addition to "Hood":
Source: Papers and records of the Wentworth Historical Society, Volume 10 (Hamilton: Griffin and Kinder, 1915), 32.
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Page 4/5
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Change "Boggle" to "Bogle" both sections
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Page 6
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Replace The Beaver Wars and the Destruction of the Chonnonton Nation:
The Beaver Wars and the Destruction of the Neutral Nation Precipitated by the European hunger for fur (particularly beaver pelts), conflicts broke out throughout the region during the 17th century. Many of these conflicts were proxy wars, fought by Indigenous Nations allied with competing European states. These alliances could change, but traditionally, the Nations of the northern Great Lakes fought with the French, while the Haudenosaunee Confederacy had strong relationships with the Dutch and British. As the land was drained of fur-bearing animals, Nations began encroaching on each others' territory. In 1647 a conflict broke out between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Wendat Nation. As keepers of the Western and Eastern Doors, the Seneca and Mohawk Nations sent warriors north, crossing into Neutral Territory. At its peak, the Neutral Nation had the ability to muster 5-6,000 warriors, but only 1,600 could be called upon due to outbreaks of disease brought by missionaries and other non-Indigenous people. Allied to the French, the Wendat were pushed off their lands by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy who were being supplied with muskets by the Dutch and English. Caught in the middle of the conflict, the Neutral Nation collapsed by 1650. By 1653, only a few Neutral villages remained in the area - their inhabitants ultimately joined other nations. |
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Page 31
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Change ". . . and one local legend says that he even came to Flamborough itself" to " . . . including West Flamboro Village (see page 104)"
Delete "The story goes that" |
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Page 35
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Addition to The Mississaugas of the Credit River following the War of 1812:
On January 8th, 2019, the Mississaugas announced that they were to be known by their pre-1847 name “The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.” |
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Page 39
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Correction to Dundas' Separation from West Flamborough:
The Town of Dundas remained within the Township of West Flamborough until the Act to establish The Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth came into effect on January 1st, 1974. The act established the Township of Flamborough, but annexed to the Town of Dundas the areas of West Flamborough within its boundaries. Section Two, subsection e, details the changes: The Township of East Flamborough and the Village of Waterdown are amalgamated as a township municipality bearing the name of The Corporation of the Township of Flamborough and the Township of Beverly and the Township of West Flamborough, save and except that portion annexed to the Town of Dundas from the Township of West Flamborough are annexed to such township. In "A Short History of Dundas" written for the town's centennial in 1947, T. Roy Woodhouse proclaims "Dundas is now growing in an easterly direction . . . Ere another century has passed, Dundas will have expanded until it has engulfed Waterdown, Ancaster and Hamilton. Would that I might live to see that day!" Source: Dundas Centennial Committee. Dundas Centennial: 1847 - 1947. Dundas: Star Printing Company, 1947. |
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Page 40
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Addition to Alexander Brown, Merren Greirson and Waterdown:
Alexander Brown built his second sawmill north of Dundas Street, on the opposite side of Grindstone Creek from the end of present-day Nelson Street. 
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Page 40
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Addition to Alexander Brown, Merren Greirson and Waterdown:
On January 5th, 1993, the Waterdown Review reported that the 120-year old Brown homestead, now inhabited by the Samson Chaffe Family, "with a frame of solid oak" was burned to the ground. The fire had been reported to the local fire brigade, who responded, but "owing to the fact that the fire tuck is not equipped with a pumper, it was of little use." Source: (1933, January 5). Fire Destroys The Chaffe Home. Waterdown Review, A1. |
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Page 42
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Corrections to "Alexander Brown, Merren Grierson and Waterdown":
Colonel Alexander McDonell was only granted Lot 7 by the Crown. Addition to "Alexander Brown, Merren Grierson and Waterdown":
Brief Overview of the History of Lot 7, Concession Three (west of Mill Street): - Crown Patent granted to Alexander McDonell of the Butler's Rangers August 23rd, 1796 - Sold to Alexander Brown on March 29th, 1805 - Alexander Brown sells a portion of Lot 7 to James Grierson (Merren Grierson's brother) on April 4th, 1820 - Alexander and Marion [sic] Brown sell a portion of Lot 7 to Ebenezer Griffin on October 3rd, 1821 Brief Overview of the History of Lot 6, Concession Three (east of Mill Street): - Crown Patent granted to Ebenezer Griffin on November 10th, 1837 - Ebenezer Griffin sells village lots (South of Dundas Street ), as well as 1/2 acre portion along the Grindstone Creek near the boundary with Lot 5, to Alexander Brown November 26, 1838 New section: "The Brown Family's Service in the Gore District Militia"
Alexander Brown can be found in the rolls of the 2nd Regiment of the Gore District Militia. In 1821 Brown is listed as a lieutenant, and in June 1824 he was promoted to the rank of captain (the same roll has his son, George, listed as an ensign). By the time of the Upper Canadian Rebellion Alexander Brown had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th Regiment of the Gore District Militia. His sons, Captain Alexander Brown Jr. and Ensign William Brown, are also listed with the 7th while Captain George Brown continued to serve with the 2nd Regiment. Source: Robertson, H.H. The Gore District Militia of 1821-1824-1830 and 1838; The Militia of West York and West Lincoln of 1804, with the Lists of Officers. Hamilton: Griffin and Kidner, 1904. |
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Page 44
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Addition to "Naming the Village of Waterdown":
Add "(which banned the imbibing of whiskey and other strong liquor, but not wine)" to "Being a prohibitionist and member of the local temperance society." Source: Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society, Volumes 2 (Hamilton: Griffin and Kinder, 1899), 59. Addition to caption for James Kent Griffin: "In 1854-55, James Kent Griffin was responsible for completing the first gravel road between Hamilton, Waterdown and Carlisle."
Source: Papers and records of the Wentworth Historical Society, Volume 19-20 (Hamilton: Wentworth Historical Society, 1915), 47. |
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Page 45
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Addition to "Naming the Village of Waterdown":
Adding further support to Chipman's assertion is a passage in an 1899 edition of The Journal and Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society discussing the early names for Grindstone Creek: With the land, [Ebenezer Griffin] got the sawmill at the falls and full control of the Waterdown stream. This stream was originally called Mill stream, but the name was changed to Waterdown at the suggestion of William Kent, Esq., the father-in-law of Mr. E. C. Griffin. Mr. Kent was a brother-in-law of General Count Joseph De Puisaye, with whom he came to Canada with a colony of French Protestant Loyalists [at the end of the 18th century - see section "French Nobility in East Flamborough"] Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society, Volumes 2 (Hamilton: Griffin and Kinder, 1899), 57. |
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Page 46
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King's College, Toronto (ca. 1885)
Addition to "Industrialization":
Between the village's founding and 1915, the area was home to 28 mills, operated over the years by 85 different owners. Quarries were soon opened in the area (an industry that still thrives in Flamborough). Ebenezer Griffin owned an open quarry located at the present-day southwest corner of Hamilton Street & Barton Street (the present-day location of "The View" condos) which provided stone that was sent, via Brown's Wharf, to be used in the construction of King's College (granted a charter by King George IV, it was the forerunner of the University of Toronto) from 1842-1843. The building was closed in 1856 and converted into the "University Lunatic Asylum", a women's hospital. Ultimately, the building would be demolished in 1886 to make way for the construction of the Ontario Legislative Building. New Section "The British North American House":
Built in 1824, the stone edifice at the corner of Dundas and Mill Street is one of the oldest stone structures in Southern Ontario. Originally called "The British North American Hotel," this establishment was the last old time stand-up bars in Ontario and maintained segregated male and female front rooms until 1966. Numerous pubs operated in the village throughout the late-19th century including the "Farmer's Inn," "Black Horse Hotel," "Crown Inn," "Waterdown Hotel," "Royal Hotel" and the "Boadicea House." John G. Dykes owned a brewery along the banks of the Grindstone Creek that supplied beer to the various establishments. Cotton, Larry D. Whiskey and Wickedness: Lake Ontario Series. Lanark: Larry Cotton, 2012. |
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Page 48
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New Section: "Ebenezer Griffin and the 1837 Upper Canadian Rebellion"
According to his son (George D. Griffin), Ebenezer Griffin was friends with William Lyon MacKenzie. However, the two men parted ways just before the 1837 Rebellion causing Griffin to be attacked in MacKenzie's newspaper the Colonial Advocate. When news of the Rebellion reached Waterdown, the local militia gathered at Griffin's house. Ebenezer Griffin served in the militia along the Niagara River in 1838 and was a lieutenant in the 7th Gore Regiment. The Journal and Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society records an anecdote from the Griffin family history concerning Ebenezer's son Absalom Griffin: The late Absalom Griffin, of Waterdown, was an ensign in the Gore Militia in 1837, and that early December he received orders to warn his men for immediate service. In fulfilling that duty, by exposure for a number of hours to cold, wet weather, ne contracted a cold which settled in his lungs and eventually caused his death. Source: Journal and Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society, Volume 2 (Hamilton: Griffin and Kinder, 1899), 175. Another account exists in the Journal of the Wentworth Historical Society that claims Griffin paid for lodging MacKenzie at Mr. Bailey's lodging house on David Farley's Corner (at the corner of Main and John Streets in Hamilton) around the time of the rebellion. While staying there, MacKenzie was known to be soliciting signatures in support of his cause outside of the Courthouse across the street. Ultimately, the leader of the 1837 rebellion was dragged out of his lodging and attacked by two men (Mr. Kerr and George Pitt) before escaping back to Toronto with the help from Dr. John Rolph. Source: Journal and Transactions of the Wentworth Historical Society, Volume 4 (Hamilton: Griffin and Kinder, 1905), 47. |
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Page 48
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New Section: "The First Municipal Election in East Flamborough: The Race for Waterdown's Widows"
Ebenezer Griffin drew up the first assessment roll for the township, when Waterdown was a community of 165 people, in 1841. The first election, held following the creation of the Province of Canada (1841-1867) at the North American Hotel (today's "American House") was conducted soon after with Alexander Brown (Tory Party) and Thomas Stock (Reformer) as candidates, with James MacMonies Sr. as the township's clerk. The election was detailed in an article published by an unknown author in the Dundas True Banner on March 30th, 1899. A problem emerged with " . . .both parties straining every effort to win, so much so that by three o'clock [it] was found that almost every available vote had been cast and each candidate had the same number of votes." The Tory supporters were worried because they knew that MacMonies would give the deciding vote, and he was known to be friends with Thomas Stock. Alexander Brown acted quickly, exploiting the rule that allowed widows with property assessed in their names were eligible to vote, and gone to collect Widow Kinsula. This triggered a frenzied dash into the village by the candidates to collect its eligible widows. "As soon as Mrs. Kinsula had cast her vote, not trace of Samuel Anderson [the proprietor of the North American Hotel] could be seen, until about 20 minutes before the poll was to close, when who should appear but Samuel Anderson with his double team [a carriage pulled by two horses], coming at a furious rate down Dundas Street, then proudly and gallantly handing out a lady in black, closely veiled, escorting her up the stairs to the table, where on giving her name it was found properly recorded." Widow Bigelow cast her vote for Thomas Stock, who, claiming victory, ensured there were no hard feelings by buying everyone a drink. His gesture had the effect of "allaying all anger and discord so much that an impromptu meeting was organized upstairs where the candidates set them up again . . . [Alexander Brown] declared that though beaten, he would try it over the next year." |
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Page 50
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Addition to "Religious Life in Waterdown":
In 2018, 21 Mill Street North was renovated by its owners, Birmingham Consulting Inc. Two of the original church pews were sent to Waterdown District High School and installed in the classrooms of Mr. Robert Flosman & Mr. N. Tidridge. Three pews remain in their original home on Mill Street. |
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Pages 53-54
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Surviving barn of the Woodhill Estate. Picture taken on August 16th, 2020.
Addition/Correction to "The Honourable Adam Fergusson" (remained "Woodhill (120 Mountain Brow Road East)"
Adam Fergusson died at Woodhill in 1862 following a stroke two years earlier. The estate passed to his son, Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair, who took up residence there. Fergusson Blair was also very active in colonial politics, running as a candidate for the Reform Party in Wellington District. He was appointed appointed receiver general in the ministry of John Sandfield Macdonald and Louis-Victor Sicotte. Fergusson Blair supported the 1864 Great Coalition of John A. Macdonald and George Brown and worked toward (including with local industrialist Sir William Howland) Confederation in 1867. Following the creation of the Dominion of Canada, Fergusson Blair was appointed to the Senate and made the first president of the Privy Council by Queen Victoria. Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair died prematurely in Ottawa on December 30th, 1867. The Woodhill Estate remained in the family until 1871 when it was sold to William Spence. In 1947 it was bought by John McColl, and from 1979 until 2007 it was owned by Robert Elstone. By 2008, the property was considered by the Burlington Historical Society for inclusion in Heritage Canada Foundation’s List of Top 10 Endangered Places. Despite the passage of over 170 years, the house retained "original pine-plank flooring, two iron fireplaces, a servants’ bell system, original trim details, fanlight transom, box shutters, paneled doors and moldings." The Society noted on the property's "density of history." In response, in 2009 the City of Burlington declared as being of cultural heritage value or interest pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Sadly, the Burlington Historical Society's concerns were prophetic as the house was destroyed by fire on July 10th, 2020. As of publication a small storage barn is all the remains of the original buildings. Sources: (2008, November 16). Trying to hold on to a jewel of history. Burlington Post. Peesker, Saira (2020, August 11). Historians mourn Waterdown estate destroyed by July fire. Hamilton Spectator. |
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Page 56
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Addition to "Waterdown High School":
Waterdown District High School's 215 Parkside location was built in 1993 for 16.5 million dollars and was the first secondary school constructed since the Wentworth County Board of Education was formed in 1969 (it would be merged into the new Hamilton-Wentworth Board of Education in 1988). |
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Page 58
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A mural depicting King William III
New Section: "Murals in the old Township Hall"
Photographs exist of murals that once adorned the interior walls of the old Township Hall, including one depicting King William III. The image of William III (aka "William of Orange") is a common one used by members of the Grand Orange Lodge of British America, a Protestant fraternal organization that began in County Armagh, Ireland, in 1795. Images used by the Masonic Order, including the All-Seeing Eye and Eastern Star, were also photographed. None of the murals were preserved when the hall was converted into local library in 1979. 
The All-Seeing Eye and Eastern Star.
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Page 60
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New Section "The Arrival of the Telephone":
(replacing the second paragraph on the page) On the heels of incorporation came the village's first telephone line, installed in the Stock Building at the corner of Dundas and Mill Street in 1882. |
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Page 60
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New Section "The Kirk Hotel" (adapted from Lisa Jefferies' notes)
The land on the corner of Main and Dundas streets once belonged to carriage manufacturer Thomas English. In 1868, William Heisse built a hotel which was renamed the Right House Hotel in 1875. In 1888 Patrick Kirk purchased the building and over the next three generations, converted it from a frame hotel to into a brick building, and a pantry and kitchen were added. A stream once ran through the back of the property (now the parking lot) and into the basement, providing a constant supply of cold water. This stream was allegedly used to help douse the Great Fire of 1922. The hotel remained in the Kirk Family's possession until 1966. In 1995 the bar was reopened as a family restaurant/pub and christened with a new name: The Royal Coachman. Addition to "Violence":
A 1967 history of Waterdown and Flamborough records the following, undated, anecdote about early life in the village: In the early days a gun was a household necessity and hunting an industry. Deer and bears were the biggest game, but rabbits and squirrels were also shot for food. Many shooting matches were held, and skill with a gun was greatly admired. There was one man who spent a lot of time and money practicing. He could do incredible feats with a rifle. If anyone was foolish enough to throw a half dollar in the air, he never saw it again. This man kept a store for a while. He had a little feud in a friendly way with the schoolmaster of the day. To torment him a little one day, he went out on the store verandah from which he could see the schoolhouse about a hundred yards away. He took his rifle and began shooting at the bricks of the schoolhouse chimney. Gradually he shot them loose and they fell into the chimney one by one closing it and smoking the pupils and teacher out. On another occasion, to create a diversion, he sent a few men out to dig up a few groundhogs which were plentiful. They brought in a dozen or so in bags, and he had them taken out in the centre of the crossroads of the village [Mill and Dundas?] and released. He sat on the porch with his rifle and shot them all before they could run away. He was as good with a revolver as the gunners depicted in the Western stories, and from all accounts he had occasion to use his skill. |
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Page 62
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New Section: "Electricity comes to Waterdown"
In his booklet "Electricity comes to Waterdown", local historian Robert Lalonde wrote: "On Monday the 18th of September, 1911, a political rally was held at the Waterdown Roller Rink for Gordon C. Wilson, the Conservative candidate for Wentworth County. Both the candidate and Sir Adam Beck addressed the crowd. The building was illuminated by hydro and it was officially the first night on which the Village of Waterdown was lit by hydro electric power." Source: Lalonde, Robert. "Electricity comes to Waterdown." Flamborough Histrorical Society, 2021. |
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Page 62
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New Section: "The Millpond or Reid's Pond"
During much of the 19th century a millpond pooled in the centre of the village, providing a focus for many community events. Historian Jonathan Vance, in his book A Township At War, provides a wonderful description of the millpond before it was drained for the railway line in the early 20th century: "It was the sort of place we imagine as typical of Victorian Canada. A favourite with fishers and swimmers, its banks were dotted with scattered groves of trees whose boughs nodded and bobbed into the water. A few barns, greying and weathered even then, stood on the east bank, leaning slightly to one side or the other, as if they were relaxing; beyond them, the headstones of the Union Cemetery were strewn across the hillside like dominoes. A courting couple might drift across the water in the communal punt - no one seemed to own it, but it was always there, pulled up on the shore and waiting to be used. Children splashed and chattered at its margins, while elders gazed into its mirrored surface as they debated and solved the world's problems. It was tranquil, unspoiled, and idyllic. But it couldn't co-exist with the railway. The creek bed was the best route through the village and down the escarpment, and everything in the railway's path must be sacrificed to progress." |
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Page 63
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Addition to "The Great War (1914-1918) & The Vimy Oak":
The Village Council presented each young man who enlisted with a wrist watch - a ritual that had to be discontinued as more and more were called to war. Source: Jonathan Vance. A Township at War. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2018. |
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Page 64
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New Section: "A Garden Party at 'The Clunes'"
The McGregor family residence, "The Clunes," was the social centre of the village during the late 19th and early 20th century. During the First World War, the property was the site of garden parties raising funds for the war effort. The grandest of these saw 3,000 people gather on the grounds during the summer of 1915. The garden party, a fundraiser for the Red Cross organized by the Daughters of the King, was detailed in Jonathan Vance's A Township at War and was attended by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Hendrie (a frequent visitor to East Flamborough) and former Lieutenant Governor Sir John Gibson. The star of the gathering, wrote Vance, was war hero Colonel James Ballantine. "With Ballantine's appearance at Clunes, the war at last came home to the township. They had heard of it from an eyewitness , who described to them the hell their boys had faced at Ypres. His account had breathed life into the often sterile newspaper stories and the sketchy reports that friends and relatives had sent in their letters home." |
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Page 65
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New Section: "The Spanish Flu comes to Flamborough"
The Spanish flu is estimated to have killed over 100 million people world-wide, including as many as 50,000 Canadians. Ontario claimed 8,705 deaths, but it is important to remember that their was poor record-keeping. Like other communities across the globe, Flamborough was impacted by the Spanish Flu, although records of specific cases and deaths have not survived. Dr. D.A. Hopper, the local Medical Health Officer, published the following notice in the Waterdown Review on October 17, 1918: 
The schools reopened on November 4, 1918, but the Waterdown Review noted on November 28th that ". . . Hopper, thoroughly fumigated the High and Public Schools on Saturday last." Early in the new year, schools and churches had to be closed again following renewed outbreaks of the coronavirus. Records show that the schools were permanently reopened on January 23, 1919.
References: Heritage Happenings (The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society), April-June 2020 (Volume 48, Number 8). When the Spanish Flu came to Ontario by Jamie Bradburn, 2018. |
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Page 66
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Addition to "Fires":
In 1983, local historian Dr. Don Woods drew a map identifying the locations of the ruins of the mills along the Grindstone Creek. 
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Page 66
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Addition to "Memorial Hall":
There was a fear after Flamborough was annexed by Hamilton in 2001 that the building would be demolished, but public outcry ensured it would be saved and preserved. In 2013 major upgrades were proposed for the hall including the addition of an exterior tower. Renovations were completed in 2017, two years behind schedule at a cost of nearly 2 million dollars. As part of the building's exterior renovations, a Flamborough Flag was permanently installed on November 9th, 2019. |
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Page 70
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Correction: "The Second World War and Memorial Park"
Renamed "Memorial Park, Waterdown's Backyard"* The photograph dates from 1946, not 1963. Names are correct. First paragraph replaced with: Continuing the tradition established by the creation of Memorial Hall, villagers wanted to commemorate the service of their neighbours by establishing something that could be used by the community in perpetuity. In August 1946, 12 acres of land, formerly a sand and gravel quarry, purchased for $1,200 from the Anderson Family by the Waterdown Amateur Athletic Association, Waterdown Women's Institute and the Waterdown Board of Trade. Together, these organizations (joined by the Flamboro & Waterdown Agricultural Society in 1949) created "Memorial Park," expanding the space to include an additional 8 acres, which was donated to the Village of Waterdown with the stipulation that it remain forever a community park for the use of everyone. Memorial Park was formally dedicated on August 18th, 1949, to the memory of more than 100 Waterdown and East Flamborough residents who served in the Second World War, including the eight young men that died overseas. *"Waterdown's Backyard" was coined by Cameron Scot during a meeting of a Public Art Focus Group for Memorial Park at the Waterdown BIA Office on June 5th, 2019. Source: "The History of Memorial Park," The Flamborough Archives, June 2019. |
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Page 72
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New Section: "Waterdown Transformed"
Following the Second World War a flood of people left the cities looking for a place to live "in the country." In a few short decades Waterdown was completely transformed into a suburban hub as more and more surveys were added to every nook and cranny of the village. The common sight of open fields within the village boundaries vanished by the turn of the century. Waterdown Suburban Development Timeline: 1945 - Waterdown Heights (Wellington Street & Churchill Street) 1949 - Memorial Park is dedicated on August 18th 1951 – St. Thomas the Apostle Creed Catholic School is opened on Barton Street 1952 – Highway Six is widened to accommodate more traffic 1952 - Hawksview Gardens Subdivision Registered (Howard Blvd & Orchard Drive) 1954 - Waterdown Gardens Survey Registered (James Street & Margaret Street) 1954 – Waterdown Public School on Mill Street is renamed Mary Hopkins Public School 1958 - Margaret Gardens Survey Registered (north James Street) 1958 – Aldershot is annexed by the City of Burlington 1959 - Clappison Drive-In opens on Parkside Drive, accommodating 930 cars 1962 - Berry Hill Court Registered 1964 - Village Plaza (Hamilton Street - east side) 1964 - Guy B. Brown Public School is opened on Braeheid Avenue 1967 - Sewers installed in the village 1968 - First apartment building (Waterdown Towers, 100 John Street West) built on John Street (overlooking Memorial Park). Other apartment buildings will be built in 1972 (50 John Street West) and 1973 (75 John Street West) 1970 - Glenlea Survey Registered (Nancy Crescent) 1971 - Edith Court Registered 1971 - Braeburn apartment building built 1974 – The Village of Waterdown is amalgamated with the Townships of East Flamborough, West Flamborough and Beverly to become the Township of Flamborough. 1975 - Buchan Court Survey Registered 1977 - Waterdown Standpipe constructed on Main Street North (replacing original water tower built in 1928) 1981 - Renwood Park Survey Registered (Flanders Drive) 1985 – The Township of Flamborough becomes the Town of Flamborough 1988 - Waterdown Shopping Centre built at 255 Dundas St E 1993 – Newest campus of Waterdown District High School is opened at 215 Parkside Drive 1994 – The Flamborough Santa Claus Parade is begun by resident Mary Lamb 1990s – Dundas Street is widened to accommodate the increase in traffic 2000 - Fortinos Plaza built at 115 Hamilton St N 2000 – Joe Sams Leisure Park is established 2000 – Allan A. Greenleaf Public School is opened on the WDHS Campus 2001 – Flamborough is annexed into the new City of Hamilton 2004 – Guardian Angels Catholic Elementary School is opened on Parkside Drive 2009 – Walmart opens in Waterdown 2011 – Residents declare a distinct Flamborough Coat of Arms and Flag 2014 – Souharissen Natural Area is dedicated 2018 – Hamilton’s Ward 15 (the one you are in now) remains as the only, distinctly “Flamborough” political jurisdiction after Hamilton changes its ward boundaries. *Thanks to Alissa Golden, Heritage Project Specialist, City of Hamilton, for her help creating this list. |
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Page 73
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New Section: "The Internet comes to Waterdown and Flamborough Schools"
In 1994 the Wentworth Board of Education allocated funding to allow its schools to have access to the Internet. Originally only one or two computers per school could access the rapidly expanding World Wide Web, but by 1996 multiple computers at each site had the ability to connect. Source: Honywill, Brad. (1996, January 25). Graduating to the Net: Schools on move to information highway. Hamilton Spectator, D12. |
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Page 75
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New Section: "Forced Amalgamation with the City of Hamilton: A Chainsaw Massacre, Eloping with Burlington and the ill-fated City of Wentworth":
On June 6th, 1996, the City of Hamilton voted to adopt the recommendation of a 1995 Constituent Assembly and annex the surrounding municipalities, including the Town of Flamborough. The move to dissolve the municipal governments at the Head of the Lake was widely unpopular, with 94% of suburban residents (95% in Flamborough) voting against joining Hamilton during a citizen-led referendum on February 8th, 1997. The Hamilton Spectator's Ray Di Gregorio reported that "In Flamborough, more people cast ballots in the citizen-led referendum than in any municipal election in the history of that community." Shortly after a report was made by Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman to the Municipal Affairs Minister Al Leach recommending that the Town of Flamborough be divided between Hamilton, the Regions of Halton and Waterloo, as well as Wellington County. Flamborough Mayor Ted McMeekin was quoted by the Hamilton Spectator saying "This is saying to the community, 'We'll be bringing a chainsaw through your heart and then slide this way through your kidneys.' There's blood everywhere. This is the [Premier Michael] Harris chainsaw massacre."" Deep divisions marked the debate over the next few years as various plans were debated by Hamilton and its suburban communities. Throughout 1998 Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac met with Flamborough Mayor Ted McMeekin to discuss merging the two municipalities. A Burlington-Flamborough Union was discussed at a 150-strong public gathering at LaSalle Park Pavilion on January 28th, 1999. The joining of the two communities seemed certain until the plan was scuttled a month later by a 5-4 vote of the Flamborough Town Council over a motion to study the proposed amalgamation. As annexation by Hamilton dominated local politics at the close of the 20th century, Dave Braden, deputy mayor of Flamborough warned reporter Joanna Frape "It would be so unpopular there may actually be a revolt if we're pulled into Hamilton." A planned merging of Flamborough, Dundas and Ancaster was even discussed by their respective representatives in 1999 as a way to avoid joining Hamilton. On August 28th of that year the councils of Flamborough, Dundas and Ancaster simultaneously voted (7 to 1, 9 to 0 and 5 to 1) to unite as the City of Wentworth. On November 26th, 1999, David S. O'Brien, the special adviser on restructuring appointed by the Progressive Conservative Government, announced that the proposed City of Wentworth would not be approved and that Hamilton's suburban governments would be merged into a new "supercity." Municipal Affairs Minister Tony Clement introduced legislation creating a new City of Hamilton the following month, but gave Flamborough the option of staying out in favour of being divided by neighbouring regions - an alternative residents and Council voted to take. The proposal (supported by local residents) submitted to Minister Clement offered the following: - Eastern Flamborough would become part of the City of Burlington and the Region of Halton. - The northwest corner would join the Township of North Dumfries and the Region of Waterloo. - And everything else would join the County of Brant. Clement ultimately rejected the plan and ordered the Town of Flamborough to merge with Hamilton. The forced marriage came into effect on January 1st, 2001, with Ancaster's Robert Wade elected as the mayor for the "New" City of Hamilton. The Waterdown District High School Choir sang out at Hamilton's City Hall as the newly elected Council was sworn in beginning another era for the region. Sources: (1999, January 28). Burlington-Flamborough union discussed. Hamilton Spectator, A6. (2000, April 3). Flamborough's plan for its future; Here is the full text of the proposal Flamborough council has sent to Municipal Affairs Minister Tony Clement. Hamilton Spectator, A08. Di Gregorio, Ray. (1997, February 10). Results please organizers: Voters arm local politicians for Queen's Park 'fight.' Hamilton Spectator, A3. Dunphy, Bill. (1999, November 27). Suburban politicians vow identities will survive. Hamilton Spectator, D02. Frappe, Joanna. (1999, August 24). Suburban Politicians Predict Bleak Future. Hamilton Spectator, A1. Hepfner, Lisa. (1999, August 30). Tri-Towns Spurn Hamilton: Ancaster, Flamborough, Dundas Councils Want to Form City of Wentworth. Hamilton Spectator, A1. Hughes, Rick. (2001, January 5). City marks historic moment. Hamilton Spectator, A03. Humphreys, Adrian. (1997, February 12). 'Harris chainsaw massacre' spilling 'blood everywhere': Flamborough mayor angry. Hamilton Spectator, A11. Little, Joan. (2000, March 27). Will amalgamation happen? Final answer?. Hamilton Spectator, A13. Mahoney, Jeff. (1999, February 24). Flamborough spurns merger with Burlington. Hamilton Spectator, A1. Nolan, Dan. (1999, December 7). Megacity leaps 1st hurdle; Flamborough can choose Hamilton or divide into neighbouring regions. Hamilton Spectator, A01. Prokaska, Lee. (1999, August 27). Three Towns Begin Merger Talks. Hamilton Spectator, A3. |
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New Section: "Flamborough Separatism"
In his 2003 article "Flamborough group releases battle plan," The Hamilton Spectator's Peter Van Harten described a stirring scene at the abandoned Flamborough Townhall (163 Dundas St E):
"In a bold move, rebels from the "Free Flamborough" forces occupied -- for more than an hour -- a City of Hamilton outpost in Waterdown that used to be known as the Flamborough town hall. Armed with nothing more than umbrellas and infant strollers, several dozen of them unfurled a discarded Flamborough flag found in a closet. They tied yellow ribbons around the microphones in the abandoned council chamber and duct-taped a Free Flamborough banner to the wall, just below portraits of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. And although they joked about retaliation from imperial forces in Hamilton, it was all serious business." Led by Peter Cooper, the Committee to Free Flamborough (CFF) was determined to led the former township out of the City of Hamilton. Together with now-MPP Ted McMeekin, the CCF submitted 11,000 signatures from Flamborough to the legislature at Queen's Park supporting deamalgamation later that year. The group even solicited advice and support from Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. Still active, the CCF continues to advocate for Flamborough's independance from Hamilton. Sources: Fragomeni, Carmela. (2003, December 4). Petition's in premier's hands; McMeekin registers 8,000 signatures supporting separation of Flamborough. Hamilton Spectator, A10. Van Harten, Peter. (2003, May 17). Flamborough group releases battle plan. Hamilton Spectator, A13. |
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Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger threatening Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring with attack in a September 20th tweet during the 2018 municipal elections.
New Section: "The 2018 Scramble for Waterdown"
During the 2018 municipal elections Burlington mayor Rick Goldring blindsided Hamilton mayor Fred Eisenberger by asking the provincial legislature for the green-light to annex Waterdown. Eisenberger retaliated by threatening to request his city's own merger with Burlington. The City of Cambridge even began discussing grabbing parts of northern Flamborough. The debate made national headlines, but fizzled after the election saw Goldring defeated, and with him any plans to pursue Waterdown. Source: Van Dongen, Matthew. (2018, September 18). Burlington mayor asks to take over Waterdown. Hamilton Spectator. |
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Addition to "The Souharissen Natural Area":
On November 7th, 2018, a Sacred Fire Marker was dedicated by Eugene, Cindy and Angel Kahgee, as well as Councillor Judi Partridge and Mississaugas of the Credit Councillor Erma Ferrell. 
Cindy, Angel & Eugene Kahgee are joined by Erma Ferrall and Judi Partridge. November 7th, 2018. Photograph by Mac Christie.
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The abandoned Clappison Drive-In, ca. 1990.
George Sjoerd Westra
New Section: "Clappison Drive-In":
Built in 1959, the Clappison Drive-In was located on Parkside Drive and could accommodate 930 cars. The theatre finally closed in 1985 and was demolished in 1991. |
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Addition to "Flamborough Centre":
Flamborough Centre Public School piloted one of the first Internet-based initiatives in the Wentworth County Board of Education. In 1996 the school participated in a program, Kids From Kanata, that linked them through daily emails with a northern Indigenous community. Source: Honywill, Brad. (1996, January 25). Graduating to the Net: Schools on move to information highway. Hamilton Spectator, D12. |
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Students from Waterdown District High School gather with Governor General Julie Payette and National Chief Perry Bellegarde around the cedar box (containing the wraps used for the sacred tobacco) following the historic gathering at Massey College. (front row, l to r) Ben Flosman, Aleaa Barnes, Victoria Stark, Gina Hemani, Principal Theresa Sgambato, The National Chief, Nathan Tidridge. (back row, l to r) Kyra Heidebrecht, Kasey Rupcic, Bailey Lowe, Madison Mallais, The Governor General, Mayar Alfarra, Mason Grenier (holding the box), Callum Reynolds, Robert Flosman, Elder Eugene Kahgee.
New Section: "Historic Cedar Tobacco Box"
On June 12th, 2019, there was a historic gathering of Canada's Governor General, Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners with First Nations leadership, including National Chief Perry Bellegarde, at Massey College's Chapel Royal. Part of the ceremony saw each representative of The Queen gift sacred tobacco to Elder Garry Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (on whose Treaty territory the gathering took place). The tobacco was brought to the ceremony in a handcrafted cedar box, emblazoned with the Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II, created by Greg and Lori Hand of Flamborough's Brittany Boxes. The ceremony was the first of its kind in Canada, and marked the first meeting of the Queen's Representatives with a National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. An important artifact, the cedar box is now held by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. |
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Page 104
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Correction "Titus Simmons" should be written as "Titus Simons"
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Page 104
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New section: "Tecumseh visits West Flamboro Village"
The following account was discovered in "Notes on Niagara, No. 32: 1759-1860" and was transcribed from one of Niagara's local newspapers at the time: REMINESCENCES OF TECUMSEH, 1813: Mrs. Van Every of West Flamboro, told her children, about 1860, what she could remember of the great warrior, Techumseh. "The Indians were near us. Tecumseh went off about five miles from West Flamboro village, near the great burial ground where your father and the late Hon. Jas. Crooks dug up the big copper kettles, pipes, beads, clay crocks and tomahawks without number. He was dark copper color, six feet in height, broad shouldered, deep-chested. He had long arms, a prominent brow, firm chin, Roman nose, piercing eyes and black hair. He wore a toque of eagle plumes, silver half moon ornaments in his fine robe and beads on moccasins and leggings. He was quiet, lonesome, proud. His wigwam stood north of our house. He often warned his people against firewater. He harangued thousands of Indians, who were still as statues of stone. When he raised his arm, they said "Hough!" meaning "Attention!" He was a man no one could forget, a perfect Demothenes in eloquence. He swayed his hearers like reeds. His words were like an electric charge. My brother at 16 would dress up in Indian fashion and repeat the speeches of Tecumseh, which seemed to have fixed themselves in the minds of my mother and brother. Some sentences I remember. They ran as follows: "The Pale Faces who fought against our fathers, the British are our enemies. They came to us hungry, and they cut off the hands of our brothers, who gave them corn. We gave them rivers full of fish and they poisoned our fountains. We gave them mountains and valleys full of game, and in return they gave our warriors rum and trinkets and --- a grave. The shades of our slaughtered fathers can find no rest, their eyes can see no herds on the hills of light in the hunting grounds of the dead. Until our enemies are no more, we must be as one man, one chief whose name is DEATH! I have spoken." Tecumseh was a remarkable man. Brave, merciful, he did everything in his power to prevent cruelty in his followers. He did what many white men have not done – conquered his love of drink. He travelled from the Gulf of Mexico to the North, trying to form all the tribes of Indians into one Confederacy, and shewed great administrative powers, so that his memory should not be forgotten. |
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Addition to "Christ Church & The Black Morden Plot"
Constructed under the eye of Rev Canon F.L. Osler, the stone church was consecrated by Bishop John Strachan on August 25th, 1865. Osler donated a stone christening font, known as the Tau Cross Font, that dates to the 5th century (found in a Cornish Castle it is believed to have been carved by Scandinavians in search of tin).
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Additions to "Dr. John Jenkins"
New entry (written by Lyn Lunsted): Enslaved in Virginia, Dr. John Jenkins came to West Flamborough in 1851 as a free man. He is listed in the Canada West Census as a Root Doctor, Baptist, aged 52 years old. His wife, Sarah Jenkins, is also listed (a white woman, aged 50, born in Vermont). Jenkins purchased property (in 1861 he is recorded living on Concession 5, Lot 6&7, with 70 acres of 110 under cultivation) worth of 5000 dollars. Dr. Jenkins was able to purchase the freedom of his youngest daughter Martha, and in 1857 learned of the location of his eldest daughter, Mary Jane and her husband Perry Higgins. They were owned by Richard K. Call (1792-1862), the ex-governor of Florida and third-largest slaveholder in the United States. Dr. Jenkins wished to purchase their freedom and wrote to Mr. Call hoping this could happen: Hamilton, July 8th /58 Much Respected Sir - It is with grateful feelings of gratitude towards you for your kind and benevolent treatment to my daughter, that I now take the opportunity to address your Ex. Gov. Call. I am satisfied that I cannot add anything to this world’s goods for my child, beyond what seems to flow from your own generous heart. Like other Fathers, a God has been pleased to bless me. I feel anxious to restore Mary the same Life Loving boon that God in his mercy has been pleased to grant to her sister Martha. It’s name is Liberty! I would now generously enquire if you are willing to let me have her freedom. What will be your price, as low as you can grant it to a Father? If you are a Father I presume you can judge of my feelings – my grief has been deeper than I had language to express. Through the mysterious darkness that threw a veil between myself and my children for many years – thanks be to the great (?). It has pleased God of late to shed light upon my path and open the way to hear from them and also give a lenient heart to the owners of Martha and to place her in my power to obtain her, for which they have my sincere thanks and I feel anxious to learn from your own pen, your mind and your price, if you will be so kind as to give me an answer. To this address: Dr. John Jenkins Hamilton, Canada West P.S. Please say to my daughter and her husband, her father and his family are well, hoping the same blessing attends her. There is some confusion as to what happened to Perry Higgins since some sources indicate that he remained behind in Florida, as Dr. Jenkins did not purchase his freedom. However, there are also references to a Perry Higgins owning property in West Flamborough, selling to Martha Jefferson ( Mary’s sister) in 1871. Mary also acquired land from her step-mother, Sarah Jenkins, in April 1870. John Jenkins died in 1869, and is buried in the cemetery at Christ Church Flamborough (Bullock's Corners). His tombstone reads: In Memory of John Jenkins Who Died July 6th, 1869 Aged 70 Yrs A Native of Virginia U.S. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. After John's death, Sarah Jenkins returned to the United States, living with a daughter from her first marriage, in Fort Wayne Indiana, where she died in 1879. 
John Jenkin's tombstone at Christ Church Flamborough in Bullock's Corners. Photo taken August 17th, 2020.
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Addition to "Freelton":
This hand-drawn map appears in Paul Anthony Lennox’s 1977 McMaster University thesis The Hamilton Site: A Late Historic Neutral Town. The map highlights the various “Neutral” (Chonnonton) sites located in West Flamborough and Beverly (see pages 3 and 4). Commenting specifically on the Hamilton Site, a 6-acre Indigenous community located on the south half of Lot 5, Concession VIII, in the Township of West Flamborough, Lennox writes: The foregoing analysis has indicated that the Hamilton site is a large double-palisaded late history Neutral town which probably formed the capital of a northern tribal tier of history Neutral settlements. The late date of its occupation is indicated by glass bead serration, and the possibility exists that it was one of the eighteen settlements visited by the Jesuit missionaries, Brebéuf and Chaumonot, in the winter of 1640-41. Our best dating estimate for Hamilton [archeological site] falls between 1638 to 1651 when the Neutral were dispersed from their homeland by [the Huadenosaunee Confederacy]. Source: Lennox, Paul Anthony. The Hamilton Site: A Late Historic Neutral Town. BA Thesis. McMaster University, 1977. |
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Settled around 1840, Freelton was incorporated in 1907 as a police village in 1907. Not incorporated by the province, a police village was a pre-Confederation organization of government created for a community smaller than a village ("hamlet") to maintain public order and deliver limited services to its residents. This status was abolished with the creation of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton Wentworth in 1974.
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Page 132
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Correction:
"The effigies of Joseph Brant and his wife" should read "The effigies of Joseph Brant and an unidentified woman" |
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Page 133
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New Section "The Looting of the Freelton/Misner Archaeological Site":
In 1985 Gordon Jackson, George Parkin and Gary Richer became the first people to be charged under the 1974 Ontario Heritage Act after they looted a previously untouched 17th century Indigenous (Neutral) archaeological sites located near Freelton. Led by Jackson, a former member of the Ontario Archaeological Society, the men plundered the area, including exhuming and desecrating 65 bodies. Before being disturbed, the area was considered the most intact sites of its kind ever uncovered in Ontario. Source: "The Freelton/Misner Site Looting and Prosecution" by William A. Fox. KEWA (Newsletter of the London Chapter, Ontario Archaeological Society), May 1985. Hamilton, Michelle. Collections and Objections: Aboriginal Material Culture in Southern Ontario. Toronto: McGill-Queen's, 2010. |
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Addition to "Conclusion":
In 2016, the Waterdown BIA estimated the community's population to be 19,876. The City of Hamilton expects that number to grow to 39,400 by 2031. (source) |