Brighton celebrates its 160th anniversary
Posted Jan 5, 2012 By Ray Yurkowski
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EMC News - Brighton - As most of us rang in the new year earlier this week, in Brighton there was another cause to celebrate. New Year's Day marked the 160th birthday of Brighton Township.
Newspaper advertisements from 1853, courtesy of Susan Brose and her book "The History of Brighton Businesses 1816 to 2009," indicate a vibrant business community, as Brighton becomes a township.
And a trio of local historians, Susan Brose, Bonnie Brown and Dan Buchanan, agree, there is no doubt more than one glass was raised to toast the historic event.
"Some of the folks around here had probably been lobbying for it for quite some time," says Buchanan.
"I'm sure there were people in the community who had been working very hard to make this come about that were immensely pleased this had finally happened," added Brown.
An act of the legislature at Toronto was passed in August 1851 providing for alterations in the territorial divisions of Upper Canada.
"The Act included many changes in counties and townships across the province but the creation of Brighton Township was unique," said Buchanan. "It was the only case where a completely new township was created from parts of two existing townships."
Before January 1, 1852, Murray and Cramahe Townships bordered each other on "The Townline," which ran right through the middle of current-day Brighton. It went north from Presqu'ile Bay along Cedar Street, Prince Edward Street, Young Street and then continued north just to the east of Hilton, Orland and Codrington.
"Brighton Village had grown up on the border between Cramahe and Murray because of the roads and the proximity to Presqu'ile Bay," explains Buchanan. The Danforth Road was the main east-west road between Toronto and Kingston and Old Percy Road provided access into the concessions to the north.
"Governments of the time had guidelines about how large a township should be," says Buchanan. "During the decades leading up the 1850s many people had settled here and Cramahe and Murray were getting big. The creation of Brighton Township resulted in three similarly sized townships each housing about 3,000 people."
"While the reasons for the change are not documented, the results are clear," he added. "The next two decades represented one of the most prosperous times in the history of Brighton Township."
Wheat and lumber were in high demand in the U.S. and reduced tariffs resulted in a surge of lumber sales to the south. Farmers in Brighton Township hurried to clear their woodlots, sell the lumber and grow wheat. According to the 1851 census, there were 19 sawmills operating in the area. An industrial mall of sorts, as many as six mills utilized the high, hard banks along Cold Creek to generate power, at the site of the Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Area today.
"To top it off," said Buchanan. "Let's remember that the railway started running through Brighton in 1856 and the Brighton and Seymour Gravel Road was completed in 1856 to replace the Old Percy Road.
"They were heady days. There was lots of activity, employment and money was being made."
"In the 1850s, 60s and 70s there were a whole series of lumber yards along the west side of Ontario Street, south of Butler Creek," says Buchanan. "Teamster guys would line up on Ontario Street to unload lumber from their wagons onto the schooners in the bay. It was a major commercial enterprise."
How did our modern day municipal leaders celebrate the birth of the township? They haven't, yet. The New Year's Levee has been scheduled for January 8 from 2 until 4 p.m. at the community centre.
Happy birthday Brighton.
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