Municipality :
Community : Bradford
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Concession :
Description : The town of Bradford came into being in May of 1857, but was not formally inaugurated until January 1st, 1858 - which means that, sometime in the next 12 months, Bradford celebrates its sesquicentennial. Town Council has decided to accept January 1, 2008 as the date of the 150th Anniversary - in part because it gives the municipality more time to get things rolling, and get co-ordinating committees in place. "This is a high priority," says Mayor Doug White of the Planned Sesquicentennial Celebrations. "We want to do this right. We want this to be a celebration the likes of which this Town has never seen before." Not only that, White says, but "we want the entire community to be part of this." The Mayor and several members of Council will sit on a Sesquicentennial Steering committee, headed by Councillor Del Crake; and the BWG Recreation Department will take on a co-ordinating role, in addition to running Town events. But members of the community - churches, schools organizations and associations, clubs, businesses, individuals - are invited to get involved, by sending a representative to sit on an Advisory
Community Group Committee, by planning an event and contacting the Recreation Dept. to have it listed on the Sesquicentennial Calendar, or by volunteering for Town events or fundraising activities. Some of the ideas already under consideration include a New Year's Eve Black Tie Gala, on December 31, 2007, to kick off the Official Town celebration which could culminate in a huge community-wide party and formal proclamation on July 1,2008, at the Canada Day Celebration. "The sky's the limit - we want the community to come up with every idea. Nothing is too minor, and nothing is impossible," says Mayor White. "There's a tremendous amount of pride in the community. We want the participation of everybody," adds Councillor Crake. Interested in getting involved in the 150th Anniversary Celebrations for the town of Bradford? Contact Nick Warman Manager of Recreation. In the Jan. 9 meeting of Council, Councillors Del Crake, Jeanny Salmon, Mark Contois, and James Leduc were appointed to a Sesquicentennial Steering Committee.
Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
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Concession :
Description : He called water "a much more valuable commodity than oil and gasoline...It's liquid gold." New Tecumseth Mayor Keogh spoke of the vision that led to the development of the water pipeline from Georgian Bay. The signing opens the way for negotiations to being in earnest, for the purchase from Collingwood and New Tecumseth, and the design and construction of the pipe to Bond Head. The route proposed follows a former railway track south of Alliston to the 11th Line New Tecumseth, down the 15th Sideroad to the Beeton Road, and east to County Road 27. Earlier that morning, Bradford West Gwillimbury had met with the Ministry of the Environment, and finally received a new water-taking permit for its main municipal wells - with a warning that the wells will be closely monitored. "There's reason to monitor with great care," Thompson said, noting, "There was no request for additional water (from the wells), and no offer of additional water. We're nearing the limit of what the aquifer can offer. There's significant growth, and there's not a hope that could be accommodated by the aquifer. The town has agreed to growth, through its Official Master plan, he said, but without the Georgian Bay water, "realistically our community is not going to grow." The agreement will ensure not only that the Official Plan can be met, but that the Town will have a secure and reliable source of potable water.
Municipality :
Community : Newmarket
Lot :
Concession :
Description : The first resident of a clearing in the woods that grew into the Town of Newmarket was a Pennsylvania miller named Joseph Hill. He eventually lost all his property here in a court battle and, as war broke out in 1812, left for Pennsylvania rather than swear allegiance to the British Crown. Hill and another Quaker miller, James Kinsey, arrived in the spring of 1801 with Timothy Rogers' first group of settlers. They build a dam and mill where the Holland River and the old Indian trail crossed. Today we call his millpond Fairy lake and a heritage plaque stands close to where the mill was built. There was a small technicality Hill ignored - he didn't own the land on which he built and it was grabbed up 1802 by York mason Joseph McMertrie. But Rogers, who was anxious to see the mill and store in his new settlement survive, came to Hill's aid by buying the property from McMertrie in 1804 and turning it over to Hill. Enter Elisha Beman, a shrewd New York Entrepreneur with good colonial government connections. He bought land and built a mill upstream from Hill. This was the start of a feud which lasted until Hill fled back to the U.S.
Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
Lot :
Concession :
Description : There comes a time with every project when the decision is made that this is the end. The first chapter of the History of West Gwillimbury - WEGWHIST project - is off to the printer, and we have 2 other chapters almost ready to send. We have other chapters that still need some work, but we will be using only material at hand. This means the end of our research. We thank the many who provided a story and pictures of their families, unfortunately that did not provide us with a story, and thus there will be no mention of them in the families chapter. The West Gwillimbury History project is a volunteer effort, involving a team with a variety of skills and talents who have written, photographed, organized, arrange, edited and prepared the book for the printer.
Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
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Concession :
Description : That was the advice of Dr. Neil Watters, speaking to the Scotch Settlement Historical meeting last Saturday afternoon. He reminded those in attendance of the many contributions the Osler family made to the community of Bond Head, South Simcoe, Canada, and in the case of Sir William, to the world-wide field of medicine. In April 1837, the family came to the village of Bond Head, on the edge of the Canadian wilderness, surrounded by forest, where bears and wolves roamed. Dr. Watters noted that visitors from abroad still come Bond Head to visit the church. He urged Governments to meet the challenge: "Find some way to preserve Osler Church!" Dr. Watters, in his own way, is establishing a precedent in Town - taking the initial steps towards the designation of the log house on his property on the 12th Line, as a Heritage property. The log house, built in 1834, is a rare example of an original log house built by the first settlers in West Gwillimbury and is the first property to be designated since the Heritage Committee was formed by 18 months ago.
Municipality :
Community : Bradford West Gwillimbury
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Concession :
Description : In a special meeting of Council on December 8, Bradford West Gwillimbury Council returned to the Heritage debate, with a presentation by Burt Duclos of the Ministry of Culture. Duclos advised Councillors that the Ontario Heritage Act requires municipalities to keep a "current, publicly accessible register of properties of cultural heritage value or interest" - but that it is up to Council to determine what appears on the Registry, and what buildings are "designated" under the Act. Registry does not confer designation - it only provides temporary protection from demolition or alteration, requiring a homeowner to notify Council of the proposed work 60 days in advance. The Heritage Registry, besides "creating an inventory of your assets," also provides time for sober second thought and negotiation - but does not interfere with the rights of the property owner, or involve any legal implications, unless Council decides to Designate. The process? Identify buildings of interest; conduct research into their history or importance; carry out a site analysis and measurements; and finally, evaluate the property, using criteria developed by the Province. The evaluation looks at the "what" but also "more importantly, the 'why?' An evaluation will lead you to make informed decisions," Duclos said - and possibly to designation. "What if a property owner doesn't want his property designated?" Councillor Mark Contois asked. "It is Council's authority to make the decision," said Duclos; there is no statutory requirement to seek the approval of the homeowner - although the Ministry urges municipalities to involve the owner in the discussion as much as possible. But just being listed on a Heritage Registry has no impact, Duclos said.
Event Date : Saturday, September 08, 1900
Event Type : Death
Municipality :
Community : Bradford
Street :
Lot :
Concession : 0
Description : Died at Durham Place" Bradford.Age: 71st year.Born in Township of Trafalger County of Halton on May 30th 1830.Married Harriet Saunders daughter of George W. Saunders St. Vincent Township County of Grey in 1855.Moved to Bradford from Barrie in 1860 to run the T. Smith & Sons' Sawmills. More than 20 years later the mills moved north and he became involved in farming. Leaves a widow and nine children: T.S. Durham of Sault Ste. Marie; Sidney of B.C.; Mrs. E.S. Meeking of Allandale; James E. of Tonawanda N.Y.; Edgar and Miss Ella of Bradford; Clara of the Jewish Hospital Cincinnati Ohio; Hattie of Sault Ste. Marie and Wilbert of Bay City Mich.Interred in Barrie Union Cemetery."
Death card for James Campbell.
John MacDonald Campbell wearing hat between the children.
Jimmy Welsh Mailman.