One local founder and one very literal name.
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 Hatt Court and Merkley Gate. This week, we’re focusing on Beasley Terrace and Midway Lane.
Starting alphabetically with Beasley, Challinor says he was one of the founders of Ancaster.
Beasley was actually born an American, before moving to Quebec during what Challinor described as a very conflicted time for the young nation. The man eventually made his way to Upper Canada, settling into the Hamilton-area, where he started the grist mill. On top of that, he also started a paper mill before moving on to local politics.
After Hatt’s death in 1818, he was replaced by Moses Gamble as the County’s Member of Parliament (MP). The role then went to James Crooks during the 8th Parliament of Upper Canada in 1821. Beasley then took on the role, alongside William Scolick, in 1824. He became a magistrate in 1827. He died in 1842, with his body being buried at the back of Christ Church Cathedral in Hamilton.
Our second street name this week is a literal one. Challinor explains the naming of Midway Lane.
It was once known as a ‘Side Road’ in the area, but in an effort to remove repetitious and/or nonsensical street names from the area, the street was re-named to Midway Lane.
Maybe someday someone with the surname Midway can claim the street, but until then, it will continue to be aggressively literal.
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.
