Georgetown, Ontario

Commencing in 1781, the British government purchased blocks of land from the Mississauga Nation. In 1818, they purchased land that later became the townships of Esquesing and Nassagaweya. The task of laying out the townships fell to Timothy Street and Abraham Nelles. Charles Kennedy was hired by Nelles to survey the northern part of Esquesing Township in 1819, and Charles Kennedy received a significant parcel of land as payment for his work. The brothers of Charles Kennedy, John, Morris, Samuel and George, all acquired land close to each another in the Silver Creek Valley. Charles Kennedy built a sawmill in a location where Main Street meets Wildwood Road today.

George Kennedy took advantage of the Silver Creek in the early 1820s to power a sawmill, and later a gristmill and foundry and then a woolen mill; a small settlement formed around the mills, often called "Hungry Hollow".[2] In 1828, John Galt of the Canada Company opened the York to Guelph Road (now Highway 7) which connected the settlement around George Kennedy's Mill with other settlements in the area. The road also extended to Galt, to Guelph and to Goderich.[3][4][5]

In 1837 the Barber brothers, including William and James, purchased land and the woolen mill and foundry from Kennedy in 1837; they renamed the settlement Georgetown.[6] The brothers started the paper-making industry in 1854, using electricity produced by a dynamo at the Credit River.[7] Their products included large volumes of wallpaper. John R. Barber's home, Berwick Hall, still stands at Main and Park Streets. The business prospered for over 100 years.[8] Other entrepreneurs arrived including Philo Dayfoot in the early 1840s, who started the local leather industry. In the 1850s, George Kennedy subdivided his land into small lots for sale to new settlers.[9]

Esquesing Village (Stewarttown) was settled around 1818 and became the seat of the Township of Esquesing. It was also on the main north-south route to the steamships at Oakville. The Stewart Brothers had a successful mill in Esquesing Village, and James McNab had a prosperous mill in Norval.

In 1846, Norval had a population of about 200 inhabitants, served by two churches, various tradesmen, a grist mill, an oatmeal mill, a distillery, two stores and a tavern.[10] Author Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote the Anne of Green Gables series lived in Norval from 1926 to 1935 and considered it to be "one of the prettiest villages in all Ontario".[9][3][11]

The settlement of Glen Williams had been called Williamsburg but the name was changed in 1852 when the post office opened. The Barbers' brother-in-law, Benajah Williams, was one of the first settlers here and the community's name was given in his honour. Limehouse, formerly Fountain Green, was a small settlement that grew after the railway arrived in the area in 1856; in addition to lime kilns (which opened in about 1840),[12] a sawmill, blanket factory and paint factory opened in the village.[9][6] In 1893, a fire destroyed the woollen mill, a paint factory and wood at the waterlime mill in Limehouse creating a serious financial problem for the settlement. The lime industry operated until 1917.[13]

In 1846, Georgetown had a grist mill, sawmill, cloth factory, tavern, cabinet maker, foundry, chair maker, two tanneries, two tailors, two stores, three wagon makers, three shoemakers, and four blacksmiths. The population was about 700.[14]

The Grand Trunk Railway arrived in 1856 and a line of the Hamilton and North-Western Railway reached the community about 20 years later. The two provided a convenient method for transporting not only passengers but manufactured goods.[2][3] Hotels opened near the station, including the Railroad Exchange in a building that still stands.[9] Georgetown was incorporated as a village in 1864.[15][16] In 1869 the population was 1500; the Ontario Gazetteer mentioned Barber Brothers as a noted paper goods manufacturer with a staff of 40.[17]

The settlement was incorporated as the village of Georgetown in 1865.[2] The 1860s and 1870s were prosperous years. Recently opened businesses in that era included the Georgetown Herald newspaper, Culp and Mackenzie's carriage making enterprise, the Creelman brothers' machine shop and the Bank of Hamilton, the first to open in the entire Halton County. By 1880, the Chapel Street School and Baptist Church and the Town Hall had been built; the high school opened in 1887.[8]

Georgetown residents began to receive municipal water in 1891, piped by gravity. Electricity was not available until 1913 although John R. Barber had purchased a generator in 1888 and installed it at the Credit River; that provided power for the family's paper mill.[8]

On May 13, 1895, brothers Sam & John McGibbon leased, in partnership, Thomas Clark's Hotel for $600/year. The Hotel McGibbon was built by Robert Jones and was sold to Clark in about 1867. A double veranda graced the Main & Mill Street side of the building until the hotel was ravaged by fire in the 1880s. After the fire, a third floor was added to part of the building. The McGibbon family lived at the hotel. Sam's wife, Ann, kept white linen in the dining room, and in its earliest years had been a popular place for wedding receptions and banquets.

By 1921 the village had over 2000 residents and was incorporated as a town in 1922, with LeRoy Dale as the first mayor.[8] Many historic buildings still stand in the heart of Georgetown and in its small, more rural communities.[18]

In the mid-1940s, the population was close to 4,000 and began to grow more quickly in the 1950s when Rex Heslop bought farms and developed the Delrex subdivision. The Hotel McGibbon was still operating although Sam McGibbon had died in 1940; a daughter, Gladys, and a son, Jack, took over the business until 1962 when it was sold to Isaac Sitzer Investments and later to George and Nick Markou purchased the hotel in 1978 and operated it until the property was sold to a condominium developer in 2015.[19]

In 1962, the Moore Park subdivision started construction and would attract more residents to town. By that time, Georgetown had its own hospital.[8][9]

The GO train arrived in Georgetown in 1974; the service has since expanded with a great deal of available parking at the Georgetown GO Station and frequent commuter trains on weekdays.[20][8] On January 1, 1974 Georgetown was absorbed into the new regional town of Halton Hills. One of most significant changes since then included the Georgetown South residential expansion that started in 1989. The two paper companies, Provincial Papers and Georgetown Coated Paper Company closed in 1991 and 1977 respectively.[8]

The Toronto Suburban Railway Company ran the Toronto-Guelph electric rail line through Georgetown from 1917 until the Guelph line was closed in 1931. This line had transported both goods and passengers but business had declined substantially.[8] The Georgetown Station on Main Street (at the current Canada Trust site) was a familiar landmark. The venture failed because of the Depression and the increasing popularity of the automobile, buses and trucks. Its proximity to the competing Grand Trunk Railway (Canadian National) line was also a factor.[21]

On July 1, 1923, the first 50 orphans of the Armenian Genocide arrived in Georgetown to be educated and trained for farming at the Cedarvale Farm, now known as Cedarvale Park, operated by the Armenian Canadian Relief Fund. The children were known as the Georgetown Boys. By 1928, most had homes on farms.[22] Aris Alexanian was a teacher and assistant superintendent at the school. He went on to open an oriental rug store in Hamilton, Ontario, which has grown throughout Ontario and is now known as Alexanian Carpet and Flooring. In 1929 the farm became the Cedarvale School for Girls; most of the residents found positions as domestic staff.[23] In total, 109 boys and 40 girls were taken in by the Canadian government, considered by many to be Canada's first humanitarian initiative. Many became Canadian citizens.[24]

Église du Sacré-Cœur

The area had no early history of a concentration of French-Canadians, but that changed after World War II. First, in 1947, a boys' orphan farm relocated from St. Catharines, to Georgetown. This orphanage was operated by Father Clovis Beauregard and his niece, Therese St Jean. The Acadian boys from the orphanage decided to remain here in adulthood. The boys had learned apple farming and other Acadian families moved here to assist them with their apple business. Second, in 1957 a French-Canadian Association was formed. By 1966, about 150 French-speaking Catholic families created their own parish when the old Holy Cross Church was rededicated as L'Eglise Sacre Coeur.

On January 1, 1974, Georgetown became part of the Town of Halton Hills when it amalgamated with the Town of Acton and most of the Township of Esquesing.

Together with the Town of Milton, the Town of Oakville and the City of Burlington, the Regional Municipality of Halton was formed, replacing Halton County. Halton Hills is well known for its terrain including slopes and inclines. In 1932, Bill Gauser proposed the idea to change the name from Halton to Halton Hills.

Georgetown Minor Hockey Association – Raiders – In 2013, the Acton Tanners and the Georgetown Raiders Minor Hockey Association completed their merger to create the Halton Hills Thunder Minor Hockey Association. Georgetown Raiders Sr A competed in the OHA Senior A and Intermediate A ranks in the 1970s and 1980s. They are not connected to another Georgetown Raiders team which is currently a member of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.

The second Saturday in June, Georgetown is host to a variety of Scottish traditional games and celebrations.

A farmers' market operates on Main St. in downtown Georgetown on Saturdays 8:00am – 12:30pm from June through October. The section of Main St. that hosts the market is closed off to vehicles during the event.

The Fall Fair was started in 1846. It is held the Friday to Sunday following the Labour Day Weekend. The annual event is held at the Georgetown Fairgrounds and consists mainly of carnival rides and rural contests, such as the tractor pull and demolition derby. The Georgetown Agricultural Society organizes and runs the fair each year.

In 2003, the Fall Fair was the scene of a riot which broke out between local youth (approximately 500) and the Halton Regional Police force. There were several teens arrested and at least another half a dozen shot by rubber bullets during the riot. No major property damage occurred, only a portion of a small white picket fence was damaged. Conflict in the years following the event has so far been avoided.[33]

The third Sunday in November, the evening parade begins at 5pm. Organized by the Georgetown Lions Club. Includes a variety of floats from local organizations and businesses, bands, and Santa Claus himself! The parade route is: Guelph Street from Sinclair to Mill Street and Charles Street to the Fairgrounds. These roads are closed to traffic from approximately 5:00–7:00pm.

Also known as "Head For The Hills", this festival is held the third Saturday of the month in September, and runs from 11:00am–6:00pm at Trafalgar Sports Park. Organized by the Georgetown Lions Club, Georgetown Kiwanis Club, Georgetown Kinsmen Club, and Georgetown Rotary Club. The festival showcases craft brewers from across Ontario, gourmet food trucks, live music, and games.

Catholic

• Holy Cross (with French Immersion)
• St. Brigid
• St. Francis of Assisi
• St. Catherine of Alexandria

Christian

• Halton Hills Christian School (a.k.a. Georgetown District Christian School)

French

• Sacré-Coeur

Public

• Gardiner Public School
• Silver Creek Public School
• Pineview Public School
• Park Public School
• Joseph Gibbons Public School
• Harrison Public School
• George Kennedy Public School (with French Immersion)
• Glen Williams Public School

Public

• Centennial Public School
• Stewarttown Middle School
• Silver Creek Public School
• Gardiner Public School

Catholic

• Christ the King Catholic Secondary School

Public

• Georgetown District High School
• Gary Allan High School (Adult Education)

The Bruce Trail goes through Halton Hills, passing north of Georgetown.

The town is developing a multi-purpose trail system in Hungry Hollow, on old railbeds and various other locations. A citizens group called HHORBA is trying to work with the Town in planning and constructing the trails to be as environmentally friendly, safe for hikers and enjoyable for bicyclists as possible. HHORBA helped construct a one trail and three bridges with members of the Bruce Trail. HHORBA in the past has been a member of the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

Located outside of the Mold-Masters SportsPlex at 221 Guelph Street, this facility was made possible by the co-operative efforts of the Halton Hills Community through the Skateboarders, Inline Skaters & BMX Bikers of Halton Hills (SIBAHH) Committee and the Recreation and Parks Department. Funding was provided through generous community donations and the Corporation of the Town of Halton Hills. The facility is user supervised and is managed through posted regulations.

Located on eighth line just north of 10 side road in South Georgetown. The facility contains a large indoor swimming pool and hosts various exercise classes plus other community events. Outside amenities include a splash pad, three baseball diamonds, soccer field, six tennis courts and park trails.