Let’s take a look at some of Milton’s history.
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society President John Challinor to gather information and details about the namesakes of our roads. If you weren’t aware, Challinor and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, writing Milton Streets back in 2007.
Recently, we covered Fitzgerald Crescent and Zelinsky Crescent. This week, we’re focusing on Foster Court and Newell Street.
Starting with Foster Court, Challinor says the local road is named after a former Citizen of the Year award recipient.
Residents may also recognize the name Hugh Foster as being the namesake for the Town of Milton’s Hugh Foster Hall, located to the southwest of Town Hall.
There are actually six streets named after the Foster family:
- Hugh Street/Lane — Named for Hugh Foster;
- Sarah Street — Named for Sarah Foster, his second wife;
- Thomas Street — Named for Thomas Foster, his eldest son;
- Mary Street — Named for Mary Foster, his daughter;
- Pearl Street — Named for a relative of Hugh Foster; and,
- Foster Court — Named for Hugh Foster.
Our second street name this week is Newell Street. Challinor says the local road is named after a former Citizen of the Year award recipient.
Win Newell unfortunately passed away in 1988 at just 64 years old. Challinor says it’s always hard on the community when you lose someone like Newell, but her death hit especially hard considering how small Milton was at the time.
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.
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