It’s time to learn about Milton street names!
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society President John Challinor II to gather information and details about the namesakes of our roads. If you weren’t aware, he and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, writing Milton Streets back in 2007.
Recently, we covered Halton Avenue and McCready Drive. This week, we’re focusing on Hannant Court and McCartney Crescent. Starting with Hannant, Challinor says the street was named after a former Milton mayor who once ran the old mill.
The old mill was found at the intersection of Martin Street and Millside Drive, across from Mill Pond. It was gristmill that ran off the power of the nearby pond. Following the interview, Challinor sent the following history of the old mill:
Martins Mill, established by Jasper Martin in 1821, was sold to Robin Hood Flour Mills in 1961. The original mill was destroyed by fire in 1855 and the second mill was destroyed by fire in 1963, but was rebuilt by the company shortly afterwards. It finally closed in 1990 and the company sold the lands to a developer, who built the Village By The Pond condominium on the site.
Regarding Hannant’s service as mayor, and many other Milton mayoral terms over the history when compared to the lengthy 42-year term of Gord Krantz, it may seem that some have been forgotten over the town’s history. Challinor says he is currently working on a project that will detail the few Milton mayors that have not been recognized with a street name.
Moving on to McCartney Crescent, he confirms that McCartney Crescent isn’t named after a Beatle. Instead, it’s named after a local farmer who played a major role in creating the Plowing Match.
Plowing Matches are competitions that farmers take part in. The Halton Plowing Match is scheduled for Friday, August 26th on property owned by the family of Bob Allison at 10740 15 Sideroad in Halton Hills. It will be the first local event of its kind in three years.
Challinor says the Plowing Matches are similar to that of any competitive sport, where those taking part want to showcase their skill and prowess compared to their peers.
If you’re looking to understand how Milton’s streets are named, you should check out the book written by Challinor and Dills. Published by the Milton Historical Society back in 2007, it sold out in about six weeks and has since been long out of print. That said, according to Challinor, you can still find a copy at the Milton Public Library. With nearly 15-years having passed since the initial publication, and the extensive town growth in that time, an updated book is likely to come.
You can also take a walk with the late Jim Dills down Milton’s Main Street in 2002.
If you have a suggestion on what you’d like to learn about next week, let us know! We’re currently working on names that we find interesting. You can message our Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram page, or even email us at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. Otherwise, we’ll just continue asking about local street names that we find interesting.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
