Churchville, Peel Regional Municipality, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Churchville is a rural
hamlet
in the south-west corner of Brampton
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is designated as a heritage community under the Ontario Heritage Act
.
on the Credit River
in what was then Toronto Township, York County
. This small area surrounding the mill on the floodplain
of the river valley was where the original town was focused.
Over the course of its history, the village grew to include many homes, a slaughterhouse
, a tannery
, a school house, a wooden boardwalk
, several churches and small hotels and a cemetery. Many of these structures no longer exist, although some houses have survived from Churchville's early period, and are designated heritage houses.
Churchville, along with the northern extremities of Toronto Township, were amalgamated with into the new City of Brampton on January 1, 1974 as part of the restructuring of Peel County
(which separated from York County in 1851) into the Regional Municipality of Peel.
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the south-west corner of Brampton
Brampton
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, 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...
. It is designated as a heritage community under the Ontario Heritage Act
Ontario Heritage Act
The Ontario Heritage Act, first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage value or interest....
.
History
Churchville was officially founded in 1815 by Amaziah Church (b. 1766 - d. 7 Sep 1831), who built a gristmillGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
on the Credit River
Credit River
The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately 1,000 km²...
in what was then Toronto Township, York County
York County, Ontario
York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
. This small area surrounding the mill on the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of the river valley was where the original town was focused.
Over the course of its history, the village grew to include many homes, a slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
, a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, a school house, a wooden boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, several churches and small hotels and a cemetery. Many of these structures no longer exist, although some houses have survived from Churchville's early period, and are designated heritage houses.
Churchville, along with the northern extremities of Toronto Township, were amalgamated with into the new City of Brampton on January 1, 1974 as part of the restructuring of Peel County
Peel County, Ontario
Peel County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1851 from a portion of York County. In 1973, Peel County became the Regional Municipality of Peel, as a result of the Ontario provincial government's regionalization of the rapidly developing counties...
(which separated from York County in 1851) into the Regional Municipality of Peel.
External links
- Churchville at Geographical Names of Canada
- http://spacingtoronto.ca/2010/02/05/gtas-lost-villages-churchville GTA's Lost Villages: Churchville