Streetsville's Motto
Having spent the last 8 months all over the place with a good 4 months of those in Europe, Britain and Scandinavia, I have to say that I have become a bit spoilt for history. I am a history junky and I so love old buildings and historical places. So it has become a bit of a shock to come back to Canada where it seems nothing of history is cherished. So it seems.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church built in 1867
Certainly here in Mississauga any square inch of land is converted to houses, suburban sprawl, condos or strip malls. It has been sad each year I returned here to see so many of my childhood memories gobbled up for the sole purpose of houses and shops. And it is not that these houses are providing homes in a high concentration way. They are oversized gargantuan behemoths that eat up the land and energy. My old house has disappeared and has been replaced by this gargantuan rectangular something or other. The pool is gone, the big yard with trees is gone and in place is what looks like a small school. Ridiculous.
One of the beautiful Victorian brick houses
But I digress. I am determined while I am here in Southern Ontario, to find its treasures, its history (what remains) and the quaint village feel that used to be here. So I headed to my closest favourite village that has persisted since the early 1800’s – Streetsville – located on the banks of the Credit River.
The quaint main street which is actually Queen Street, which is actually Mississauga Road.
Streetsville is north of me on Mississauga Road. I used to live a little closer to it and I have always loved going there because it is this little gem now becoming surrounded by sprawl and ugly developments. But it has been protected – more or less. I have been told that it has more heritage buildings per area than anywhere else in Ontario. Largely it has Hazel McCallion, Mississauga’s mayor, to thank, since she used to be the mayor of Streetsville way back and has been the mayor of Mississauga for 32 years.
A beautiful door in Canada - the United Church, formerly Methodist, built in 1876
I am so glad for her efforts, therefore, because otherwise this quaint little oasis in the ever spreading sea of ugly development is like entering a different world. I spent a beautiful sunny fall Sunday there walking the main street and taking pictures of the heritage buildings and just enjoying its energy.
The Cenotaph commemorating both World Wars
Streetsville seeks to keep its “small town” charm by retaining a variety of historical buildings and streetscapes. As part of this attempt to maintain a separate identity from the larger city, the names of several main Mississauga roads, as they pass through Streetsville, revert to what they were called when Streetsville was an independent village. These include Mississauga Road and Bristol Road, which revert to Queen Street and Main Street respectively.
I'll let it speak for itself
The beginnings of Streetsville are due to its founder, Timothy Street. In 1818, when the British made a purchase of 648,000 acres (2,620 km2) of land from the Mississauga peoples it had to be surveyed before it could be opened up for settlement. As was usual for the time, surveyors would receive a grant of land from the parcel that they surveyed as compensation for their work. Timothy Street, along with Richard Bristol, a qualified surveyor, were successful in getting the contract to survey parts of the newly available land. And from there the rest is history.
Christopher Bamford's house built in 1875 - so cute!
What I love about the little village are the red brick houses and the Victorian charm. It is due to a large quarry of red clay lay on the west side of the village that encouraged the use of brick for construction during its development and thankfully many of the original buildings are still there.
The Graydon Block built by John Graydon in 1891.
The Graydon Block in the reflection!
In 1821, Streetsville’s first general store, now known as Montreal House, was built, and still stands. Another landmark, Timothy Street’s house, was built in 1825 and is one of the oldest brick houses in Peel Region.
The Montreal House
In 1855, William Graydon and Peter Douglass built a large brick building, and sold it in 1859 to Bennet Franklin, a partner in Barber Brothers Toronto Woollen Mills. It became known as Franklin House. It now houses The Franklin House Pub.
The Franklin House
In 1858, Streetsville was incorporated as a village. After spending an afternoon enjoying the little village, I really can’t understand why in North America we think it is better to just raze all the old buildings and villages and build the ugliness that we do. It just saddens me. It makes me long for Europe. I know part of life is change but is it also about destroying our past?
An old barn, seemingly forgotten
Yup - just me.
This is a great entry for your blog. As always, I like the history and love the pictures. Glad you included one of the Cenotaph, because a visit to Streetsville would not be complete without seeing this landmark.
I just have one question: where did you find that forgotten/neglected barn?
Since you are looking for historical buildings in ON, I also have one suggestion for you: how about visiting downtown Oakville? It has just as interesting a history and beautiful buildings like Streetsville plus it has a lighthouse and harbour, but most important of all, it has the Erchless Estate Gardens & Grounds which also houses a museum dedicated to Oakville history. Interesting fact: Erchless was home to six generations of the Chisholm family over a period of 130 years!
Thanks for the tip. The barn was behind an older redbrick house which looked like it was likely going to be taken down as well. Right off the main drag …
Thanks, I’ll have to look for that barn before it collapses and the red brick house gets demolished…..
Being European, I understand how you feel about historic buildings and I’m thankful that so many old buildings and churches in Europe have been repaired after WWII. It seems that Europeans respect their past and they want to preserve their beautiful historical buildings for future generations to enjoy.