Armadale is the name of a community that overlaps into the Town of Markham

Markham, Ontario

Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...

 and the former city of Scarborough

Scarborough, Ontario

Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...

 in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The historical community is situated in the south-east of Markham and north-east of Scarborough.

History

Armadale’s past began long before the first European settlers even reached the area. Archaeological initiatives spearheaded by the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 and the Royal Ontario Museum

Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...

 led to a wealth of First Nation artifacts like arrowheads and pottery being unearthed. On the west half of Lot 2 Concession 8, there is even a dark patch of soil that demarcates the position of an age-old Iroquois

Iroquois

The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...

 longhouse.

As early as 1805, United Empire Loyalist settlers moved into the region (Steeles Avenue and 8th Line). The community's name was first known as Magdala. A postal station was established in 1869 along what is now Passmore Avenue, but the name Magdala was not accepted and the post office became known as Armadale. It was aptly named after a small village near Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

Between 1840 and 1860, the hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 thrived as a small mercantile center boasting two blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

 shops, a hotel and a post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

. The fortunes of the bustling community were brought to a premature end when the establishment of the Toronto and Nipissing Railway

Toronto and Nipissing Railway

The Toronto and Nipissing Railway was chartered in 1868 to build a narrow gauge railway in Ontario, Canada from Toronto to Lake Nipissing, via York, Ontario, and Victoria Counties. It opened in 1871, with service between Scarborough and Uxbridge. By December 1872 it was extended to Coboconk...

, built in 1871, which by-passed Armadale. When rural mail delivery was introduced in 1917, the community's post office was closed. Only the historic Armadale Free Methodist Church (1880) remains as a reminder of the hamlet's early settlement.

Other buildings in the small community included:

• blacksmith shop
• brick making yard
• several farms
• general store operated by the Beare Family
• Temperance hotel
• Tavern

Urban development

The Markham portion was developed in the 1980s and 1990s as a residential community from farm land. This area of Markham is home to predominantly middle to lower-income families, and basement apartments are common. There is also a visible infrastructural decay of neighbourhoods located here.

South of Steeles Avenue, the land has remained undeveloped with many abandoned farms and apple orchards. Small industrial and commercial parks were built in the area. There are many businesses and factories along Passmore Avenue. A plaza, containing T & T Supermarket

T & T Supermarket

T & T Supermarket is a Canadian supermarket chain which sells primarily Chinese and Asian foods. The supermarket chain is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia. In 1993, the first T & T was opened in Burnaby's Metropolis shopping centre in Metro Vancouver.With rapid expansion, T & T is now...

 along with many shops catering to Asian

Asian people

Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

 customers, was recently opened to the east of the farm along Middlefield Road and Steeles Avenue. Along Steeles Avenue east of Markham was a small farm selling vegetables with industrial parks lining the south part of the farm, however this farm will soon disappear as a new Asian-oriented shopping centre will be built on the property.

Places in Armadale

• Armadale Community Centre
• Armadale Public School
  Armadale Public School
  Armadale Public School is a public elementary school located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-east of the major intersections of McCowan Road and Steeles Avenue, near the Toronto district of Scarborough. The school is part of the York Region District School Board...
  
  
• Armadale Tennis Club
• James Edward Park
• Milliken Park
• T&T Supermarket Plaza
• St.Vincent de Paul CES

External links

• Scarborough Historical Society