Pine Grove, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Pine Grove is an unincorporated community located in Woodbridge
, part of Vaughan
in Ontario
, Canada
, in what was once York County
.
, came to Pine Grove where he erected a grist mill and saw mill in 1828. In 1831 he built a store. In 1840 John Smith sold the mill to John W. Gamble who later became the first reeve of Vaughan Township. The mill was sold to Gooderham and Worts in 1860. By the time of Confederation
, Pine Grove was home to a flour mill, churches, three hotels, a blacksmith
shop, harness shops, a spool factory, one common school and a large general store with a post office. A stage coach ran daily to Weston.
On October 15, 1954, Pine Grove was hit by Hurricane Hazel
. The flooding of the village along Islington Avenue destroyed several buildings and the Mill Dam. Today the flour mill, the last on the Humber River
, is still being operated by the Hayhoe family, who purchased the mill from Fred Hicks on June 1, 1935. Harold Hayhoe on June 1, 1935 bought Hicks Flour Mills and renamed it Hayhoe Bros.. He became the seventh owner of the mill dating back to 1828 and he paid more for the land that came with the business than the mill itself. Freshly graduated from the University of Toronto
, Engineering, he took the advice of his father in the middle of the Depression and "got in the food business". Harold's brother Edwin joined him shortly after and a third brother Boyce came in 1939. For years the Hayhoe Bros. operated the mill in Pine Grove, Ontario and built it into an efficient wheat milling business. Harold's son, John Hayhoe joined the company in 1964, one year after graduating from the University of Western Ontario with his MBA . In 1964 Harold Hayhoe bought out his two brothers Edwin and Boyce. In May 1968, Hayhoe Bros. became Hayhoe Mills Ltd., an Ontario Limited Corporation.
Don Hayhoe, another son of Harold's also joined the company in 1965 and together Harold and his two sons operated the business until 1985 when Harold Hayhoe retired. Harold Hayhoe, a true milling pioneer, died December 30, 1987. Don Hayhoe left the business in 1994 when John Harold Hayhoe, who had built the milling business into significant Ontario marketshare, bought him out. John Hayhoe owned the business until 1998 when ownership succeeded to his sons. Mark, Greg and Dean Hayhoe continued to own and operate Hayhoe Mills Limited until March 2007 when the mill was sold to New Life Mills, a division of Parrish and Heimbecker Limited. John Hayhoe, after a battle with Parkinson's disease died on June 20, 2007; the same day the transition of the mill to the new owners was complete.
On July 1, 2008, Canada's 141st birthday, Hayhoe Mills had a large fire and for the first time in 180 years the sound of grinding grain is not heard from the mill on the Humber.
Woodbridge, Ontario
Woodbridge is a large suburban community in the City of Vaughan, just north of Toronto in Southern Ontario. It was once an independent town before being amalgamated with nearby communities to form the city in 1971. Its traditional downtown core is the Woodbridge Ave...
, part of Vaughan
Vaughan
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
in 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...
, in what was once 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...
.
History
The lands located on the east half of lots 9, 10 and 11 of concession 7 were first patented to David Thompson on May 20, 1801. By 1830, it was a well settled community. John Smith (Schmidt), a farmer from EdgeleyEdgeley, Ontario
Edgeley is a small unincorporated community located in Vaughan, in York Region, Ontario, Canada. The first inhabitants of the Edgeley area came from Somerset County, Pennsylvania, circa 1800. Early family names were Smith, Stong, Shunk, Hoover, Burkholder, Muskrat, Snider, Brown, and Dalziel...
, came to Pine Grove where he erected a grist mill and saw mill in 1828. In 1831 he built a store. In 1840 John Smith sold the mill to John W. Gamble who later became the first reeve of Vaughan Township. The mill was sold to Gooderham and Worts in 1860. By the time of Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
, Pine Grove was home to a flour mill, churches, three hotels, a 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...
shop, harness shops, a spool factory, one common school and a large general store with a post office. A stage coach ran daily to Weston.
On October 15, 1954, Pine Grove was hit by Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
. The flooding of the village along Islington Avenue destroyed several buildings and the Mill Dam. Today the flour mill, the last on the Humber River
Humber River (Ontario)
The Humber River is one of two major rivers on either side of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the other being the Don River to the east. It was designated a Canadian Heritage River on September 24, 1999....
, is still being operated by the Hayhoe family, who purchased the mill from Fred Hicks on June 1, 1935. Harold Hayhoe on June 1, 1935 bought Hicks Flour Mills and renamed it Hayhoe Bros.. He became the seventh owner of the mill dating back to 1828 and he paid more for the land that came with the business than the mill itself. Freshly graduated from 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...
, Engineering, he took the advice of his father in the middle of the Depression and "got in the food business". Harold's brother Edwin joined him shortly after and a third brother Boyce came in 1939. For years the Hayhoe Bros. operated the mill in Pine Grove, Ontario and built it into an efficient wheat milling business. Harold's son, John Hayhoe joined the company in 1964, one year after graduating from the University of Western Ontario with his MBA . In 1964 Harold Hayhoe bought out his two brothers Edwin and Boyce. In May 1968, Hayhoe Bros. became Hayhoe Mills Ltd., an Ontario Limited Corporation.
Don Hayhoe, another son of Harold's also joined the company in 1965 and together Harold and his two sons operated the business until 1985 when Harold Hayhoe retired. Harold Hayhoe, a true milling pioneer, died December 30, 1987. Don Hayhoe left the business in 1994 when John Harold Hayhoe, who had built the milling business into significant Ontario marketshare, bought him out. John Hayhoe owned the business until 1998 when ownership succeeded to his sons. Mark, Greg and Dean Hayhoe continued to own and operate Hayhoe Mills Limited until March 2007 when the mill was sold to New Life Mills, a division of Parrish and Heimbecker Limited. John Hayhoe, after a battle with Parkinson's disease died on June 20, 2007; the same day the transition of the mill to the new owners was complete.
On July 1, 2008, Canada's 141st birthday, Hayhoe Mills had a large fire and for the first time in 180 years the sound of grinding grain is not heard from the mill on the Humber.