Whitevale, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Whitevale is a hamlet
located in the city of Pickering
in Durham Region, Ontario
, Canada
.
. The hamlet was known as the village of Major or Majorville, because of the mill and the number of Majors who lived close by on the 5th Concession line.
Around 1855 Truman P. White
bought the saw mill, built a gristmill
and a cooperage
; and in 1866 built a planing factory. The village owed so much of its development and business prosperity to T.P. White that in acknowledgement, it adopted Whitevale as its permanent designation.
and in 1867 a large four storey brick woolen mill, that cost about $30,000 and was the pride of the village. The woolen mill was leased and operated for some years by Mr. Ellis, the grist mill in the year 1867 to 1874 by the Spink brothers and the sawmill by the Besse brothers.
Fires destroyed many of Whitevale’s booming industries and continually changed the face of town. A public hall which had been erected in 1860 was also lost due to fire. A carriage factory and the Cooperage went in 1874. The woolen mill was the next to experience a fire several years later, but the brick walls remained standing. This was later followed by the destruction of the planing mill and the Grist mill, which was then being operated by Mr. White himself. The planing mill was rebuilt on the site of the grist mill and subsequently burned in 1899. The grist mill machinery was rebuilt inside the fire-damaged brick walls of the old woolen mill. A devastating fire leveled the converted grist mill in 1961, but a modern feed mill was erected on the same site in 1962. In early 2011, the Regency Coffee Co. building (which includes a portion of the building that dates back to the 1880s) caught on fire during renovations, but only sustained smoke and roof damage.
The Whitevale Bridge has suffered from at least three separate occasions of flooding. In 1929 a heavy flood completely washed out the newly built bridge. In October 1954, the mill dam and the approach to the Whitevale Bridge went out due to Hurricane Hazel
when Duffins Creek overflowed. Finally, in July 2008 the concrete bridge suffered minor damage when heavy rains washed out a small section.
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...
located in the city of Pickering
Pickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
in Durham Region, 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...
.
History
Whitevale was an excellent example of nineteenth-century industry concentrating by a power source and then expanding of its own accord.Settlement
The hamlet was first settled in the 1820s when John Major built a sawmillSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. The hamlet was known as the village of Major or Majorville, because of the mill and the number of Majors who lived close by on the 5th Concession line.
Around 1855 Truman P. White
Truman P. White
Truman P. White was born in Markham Township in 1825, the son of Ira White, a well-known farmer and miller. After attending the public school as a boy he spent a year in an academy at Rochester, N.Y. About the year 1843 his father bought the S 1/2 of Lot 32, Con. 5, and the S 1/4 of Lot 32, Con. 4,...
bought the saw mill, built a gristmill
Gristmill
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 :...
and a cooperage
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
; and in 1866 built a planing factory. The village owed so much of its development and business prosperity to T.P. White that in acknowledgement, it adopted Whitevale as its permanent designation.
Growth
The newly named village of Whitevale may be said to have had its beginning in the year 1855. In that year Donald McPhee opened the first store and T.P. White erected a grist mill that cost $10,000, which for equipment far surpassed all others in the township at the time. In 1866 he built a large planing millPlaning mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and in 1867 a large four storey brick woolen mill, that cost about $30,000 and was the pride of the village. The woolen mill was leased and operated for some years by Mr. Ellis, the grist mill in the year 1867 to 1874 by the Spink brothers and the sawmill by the Besse brothers.
Prosperous Times
Whitevale during these years was a busy place. In 1890 Whitevale contained a stave and heading factory and a barrel factory both owned and operated by the Spink brothers; three general stores, one owned by James Taylor and Donald McPhee; a wagon and carriage factory, operated by the Pollard brothers; a cheese factory, owned and operated by P.R. Hoover and Co.; the merchant and tailoring firm of J. Rose and Son; the shoemaker shops of John Allen and D. Moodey; the butcher shop of Israel Burton and the tinsmith shop of S.B. Wigmore. In addition, Whitevale contained two blacksmiths, two wagon shops, a school house, undertakers, harness shop, grist mill, brush factory, grindstone factory, barber shop, three dressmakers, three gardeners, money order and post offices, hotel, brass band, two churches and four lodges.Important Historical Structures
Whitevale Church |
 |
 |
| Whitevale School Construction date: 1865 The Trustees of the School purchased this property in 1864 from James White for $150.00. This new school was to replace the 1842 school building located on the corner of the John Sleigh Farm, Concession 5, Lot 27. The construction of the present building was financed by Truman P. White. The school was used for educational purposes until 1968 when it was closed due to the government policy of regionalizating district schools, it is now a private residence. |
T.P. White's House Construction date: c. 1850. Due to its Classical Revival detailing, it is generally felt that the Truman P. White house was built around 1850. The 1861 Census Return notes that T.P.White lived in a -story frame dwelling. Originally the house had a front-gable plan with a side entrance and return eaves detailing on the front facade. A later nineteenth-century addition on the west side of the building gave the structure its present saltbox appearance. The T.P. White house is one of the most important heritage structures in Whitevale. |
George Gilchrist's House Construction date: mid-1860s This house may have been built by George Gilchrist , a local planer and later owner of a sash and door factory, in the mid 1860s after he purchased the property from T.P White. It is considered to be one of the more important heritage buildings in Whitevale. Note that this house (located directly across the street from the T.P. White House) was a mirror image (before the addition made onto the T.P White House). |
Fires
Floods
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...
when Duffins Creek overflowed. Finally, in July 2008 the concrete bridge suffered minor damage when heavy rains washed out a small section.
Historic Organizations
- Lodge No. 282 of the Ancient Order of United Workmen was organized in Whitevale on June 17, 1887. The following were the charter members: George Burton, C.C. Reesor, William Boyd, J. Thornton, William Coakwell, E. Nighswander, S. B. Lynde, John Turner, W.R. Barton, Walter S. Major and A.E. Major. In 1900 the lodge was transferred to Green River.
- Court Pride of the Vale, No. 7144 of the Ancient Order of ForestersAncient Order of ForestersThe Ancient Order of Foresters is a friendly society which was formed in 1834. The society is now known as Foresters Friendly Society, and has approximately 70,000 members...
was organized on July 26, 1885. The following were the charter members: J. Kirton, J. Ferguson, A. Besse, Dr. W. H. Carleton, Levi Cooper, John Burkholder, S. Pennock, William Lount, S. Mitchell, Robert Birnie, Donald R. Beaton, Fred Fuller and Charles C. Reesor. - Brougham Lodge No. 155 of the Independent Order of Odd FellowsIndependent Order of Odd FellowsThe Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were...
was instituted in the village of Brougham on January 29, 1875 but was destroyed by a fire in December 1892. In August 1893, a duplicate charter was issued and the lodge moved to Whitevale.
Present day
Community Events
Whitevale has always been a proud, friendly, close-knit community and prides itself on its annual community events. These annual events include the Fisherman’s Breakfast held in April at the community centre, the Corn Roast held at the Whitevale Church at the end of the summer, and the Whitevale Spring Festival which has been held every May since 1972. These events are held for both villagers and out-of-towners. The Whitevale and District Residents’ Association (WDRA) helps organize events and oversees many aspects of the village, looking out for the best interests of the town and its citizens.Facilities
- Pickering Public Library
- Whitevale United Church
- Whitevale Cemetery
- Whitevale Community Centre
- Whitevale Park
- Seaton Hiking TrailSeaton, OntarioSeaton is a section of north Pickering in Ontario, Canada. Seaton includes the communities of Cherrywood, Green River, and Whitevale, as well as the southern edge of Brougham.-Politics:...
(along Duffins Creek)
Film Shoots
Television
- The Canadian television show Paradise FallsParadise FallsParadise Falls is a weekly soap opera shown nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It is set in a summer cottage community in Central Ontario....
was filmed in the village of Whitevale
Movies
- Parts of David CronenbergDavid CronenbergDavid Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
's film Dead ZoneThe Dead Zone (film)The Dead Zone is a 1983 horror-thriller film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Directed by David Cronenberg, the film stars Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, and Tom Skerritt...
were filmed in Whitevale (1983) - Academy Award Nominated film,Lars and the Real GirlLars and the Real GirlLars and the Real Girl is a 2007 American-Canadian comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson...
(2007) - A Home At The End of the WorldA Home at the End of the WorldA Home at the End of the World is a 1990 novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Michael Cunningham.The book is narrated in the first person, with the narrator changing in each chapter. Bobby and Jonathan are the main narrators, but several chapters are narrated by Alice, Jonathan's mother,...
(2004) - Sins of Eden - Lifetime TV Movie (2011)