How much of Milton’s history do you know?
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 Hollinrake Crescent and Mackenzie Drive. This week, we’re focusing on two streets in the Beaty neighbourhood: Hutchinson Avenue and Luxton Drive.
Challinor says Hutchinson Avenue is named after a local veteran and lawyer who was very involved in the community.
He adds that Hutchinson established the longest running law practice in Milton, Hutchinson Thompson Henderson & Mott, that was established 1920. He says the business will close shortly as the remaining member, Barnaby Henderson, is selling the business.
Hutchinson’s book ‘Walking Milton’s Main Street in the 1920s’ is available through the Milton Historical Society website for $3. The site describes it as such:
Published in 1996 and republished in 1999 this is from a humorous speech given by T. A. Hutchinson in the 1960’s which recalled the 1920’s.
The book is what inspired the late Jim Dills to make a video while walking through Milton’s Main Street in 2002. Watch the video here.
Our other street this week is Luxton Drive. Challinor says Luxton was a local Councillor and banker in the early 1900’s.
In an email following our weekly interview, Challinor noted that the Bank of Hamilton was established in 1872. It merged with the Canadian Bank of Commerce to become the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) in 1922.
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.
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.