How much do you know about the name of your street?
myFM News is diving into the history behind Milton street names. Last week, we covered Anderson Avenue and Yates Drive. We’re focusing on three streets this week: Athlone Drive, Winter Crescent, and Turrell Crescent.
The President of the Milton Historical Society, John Challinor, literally wrote the book on Milton street names, having written Milton Streets back in 2007 with the late local historian, Jim Dills. He explains where the name Athlone came from.
Challinor adds that the Earl (Alexander Cambridge) was well known within the Royal Family at the time. He was a cousin and also brother-in-law of King George V. He also served in the South African War.
This is the fourth feature on the history of Milton’s street names that we’ve done. The previous names included former Milton mayors and community members. So, you may be wondering why the 1st Earl of Athlone has a street named after him in Milton, Ontario. Challinor provides an answer.
Moving on to Winter Crescent… It’s a name that at first glance, you might just assume it’s named after the season. You may even think somewhere around the town is an Autumn Drive or a Summer Road. However, Challinor explains that it’s named after Henry Winter, a man who played a part in the construction of Milton’s Town Hall.
Winter also served as a Councillor for Milton in 1859 and 1861. As a surveyor, Winter held a big role in the development of the town. At the time, Challinor notes, Milton would have only stretched from Bronte Street to the west, Ontario Street to the east, roughly Woodward Avenue to the north, and Commercial Street around Sidney Street to the south. That’s a little different to what the town now looks like today.
Our last street name for this week is Turrell Crescent. This was a submission by a listener who wanted to know more about a local road. Challinor provides the history behind the name.
If you look at the street sign for Turrell Crescent, you’ll note that it has a poppy. That’s the symbol for the namesake being a veteran. There are many streets in Milton that have this privilege.
In another book written by Dills and Challinor, called Milton Remembers World War One: The Men and Women We Never Knew, the two researched the lives of the Milton residents who fought in the first World War. Putting him on the spot, Challinor says that he doesn’t believe Private Turrell had any family members still living in Milton. The book is out of print, but a copy can be found at the Milton Public Library.
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@mbcmedia.ca. Otherwise, we’ll just continue asking about local street names that we find interesting.
