It’s that time of the week where we 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 Harwood Drive and McLellan Crescent as part of Remembrance Day. This week, we’re focusing on Holdsworth Crescent and Mansewood Trail.
Starting with Holdsworth, Challinor says the namesake ran a business in downtown Milton, while also serving on Council.
Challinor notes that Holdsworth managed to sell the business several years prior to the fire. The land the building was on before the fire was not suitable for the mill to be rebuilt, and thus, the empty lot remains. There have been proposals for the space in the 60-years since, but obviously, nothing has ever come from it. The company eventually folded following the fire.
Our other street name this week is Mansewood Trail. The street is actually named after a former community that can be found north of Milton.
Mansewood was used a railway flag stop on the CR rail line. Challinor says that because it was on the rail line, the village had a chance to develop further. Unfortunately, due to its proximity to other communities like Milton and Georgetown, it never saw significant growth. Mansewood was under Esquesing Township before it eventually became a part of Milton in 1974 when the Regional Municipality of Halton was established on January 1st, 1974.
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.