Brockton's Heritage

History of the Village of Chepstow

Chepstow was founded on May 17, 1852 when John Phelan brought his family down the Yokassippi River (later Teeswater River) and settled 500 feet west of the present 5th Side Road bridge. Mr. Phelan bought the land in 1854 for $1.85 an acre in a Southampton land sale. He was lucky at this price because at the next land sale in 1871 the price had risen to $4.66 an acre. Mr. Phelan built a dam for waterpower, which was used to drive his saw mill. The first post office opened in 1885. The first church was built in 1857 by the Roman Catholic congregation. The King Edward Hotel was built in 1871.Some of the businesses in Chepstow in the early 1900s were a saw mill, shingle mill, grist mill, cider mill, blacksmith shop and two general stores.

History of Eden Grove

Eden Grove was quite popular but did not grow to be a village. In 1896 it had a population of about 130 people with many businesses in operation including a post office and general store, a few hotels, a blacksmith, a carding mill, a wagon maker, a shoe maker, a barbershop, a butcher shop, a tailor shop, a sawmill and an apple butter and cider mill.

History of the Town of Elmwood

Elmwood was founded by John Dirstein, Sr., who acquired 273 acres in Brant Township to establish a community. The name Elmwood, comes from a giant elm tree, which was in the way of progress and was felled near the intersection of Main and Queen Streets. It is likely all of Elmwood’s citizens benefitted from the resulting wood.

At one time the village offered five churches, a hotel, carpenter, furniture factory, doctor, flour mill, grain dealer, hardware store, cooper, four general stores, carriage, harness and wagon makers, blacksmith, livery, wood dealer, two grocers and a pump maker.

It is of some interest that a local inventor, Elhanan Bowman, strung some wire between himself and a neighbour a few blocks away, establishing telephone service in 1908. Before long he had 160 subscribers. The business passed through various ownerships until it was taken over by Bell in 1966.

History of the Town of Glammis

Glammis was first settled in 1852 by Allen Ross and Duncan Campbell. A Presbyterian Church was built in 1858 as a place of worship for the settlers. In 1860, a post office was built with the name of 'Glammis', even though the settlers preferred a spelling with only one "m", after Glamis Castle in Forfarshire, Scotland. In 1896 the population was 230 and Glammis had a hotel, blacksmiths, carpenters, saw mills, carriage maker, harness maker, butcher, doctor, milliner, tailor, general store and dry goods store, along with a combined pool room and barbershop.

History of Lake Rosalind and Marl Lakes

Utilizing the natural springs and underground aquifers in the area  Lake Rosalind  was established at the start of the 20th century. Lake Rosalind consists of three lake areas interconnected by waterways. There are two lakes connected to the south of Lake Rosalind known as Marl Lake and together the three lakes make up the "Marl Lakes". The Lake names have changed over the years taking on the name Lake Rosalind in the 1940’s after one of the owner's wife. The Marl Lakes are privately owned and home to a mix of full time residences and summer cottages.  

History of Malcolm

Malcolm began in 1858 when an acre of land was purchased on Concession 10 in order to build a Presbyterian Church. For the next decade the town began to grow around the church and soon there was a general store, a blacksmith shop and two hotels. In 1869 a post office was established but unfortunately after the advent of rural mail delivery the post office quickly declined. The final blow to Malcolm came when the railway was built but missed the town by a couple miles. Malcolm currently sits as a ghost town although a plaque stands to remind us of the town that once was.

History of Pinkerton

The land forming the settlement of this pretty village was squatted on in 1853 by John Shennan, who built a saw and grist mill. Before the project was complete, he sold out to David Pinkerton. In 1856, a log school was built and in 1860 a post office opened. Matthew Pinkerton was postmaster from 1860 until 1866.One of the most famous Pinkerton residents was Senator J. J. Donnelly, who was also Reeve of the Township in 1897 and 1898.At the turn of the 20th century there were many thriving businesses in Pinkerton, including a wagon and tinsmith shop, blacksmith, saw mill, grist and flour mill, and a shingle mill. A hotel opened in 1861, and was destroyed by fire on Good Friday in 1971. As of this date, the grist mill continues to operate, still powered by the Teeswater River.

History of the Village of Riversdale

In 1849, two French Canadians named Jean Caskanette and Joseph Chatreau took up land in Greenock Township, on the Durham Road where the Mud (Teeswater) River flows. In 1851, a bridge was built and settlers soon followed. In 1854, George Cromar applied for a post office and was instrumental in having the name changed from Mud River to Riversdale. The first municipal election in Greenock Township was held in 1856 and George Cromar became Reeve. Later, George Cromar served as the first Warden of Bruce County. In 1856, a 'Plan of Riversdale' was laid out and the people had great hopes of Riversdale becoming the County Town. Neither the plan, nor the hope came to pass. In the early years, Riversdale had several hotels, two general stores, a shoemaker, cheese factory, saw mills, blacksmith shops, carriage maker, cooper and barrel maker shop, charcoal making, a steam saw mill, grist and shingle mill.

History of Vesta

Vesta began in the early 1800s and was situated on the border between the Brant and Elderslie townships, at the intersection of the Townline and 15th Sideroad. In 1852, Vesta was known as Springvale because of its location near a springfed stream. This hamlet was busy for many years and included a general store, post office, a blacksmith shop, a carriage shop, a Methodist church and two homes. There was a sawmill just down the river which supplied power to the rest of the hamlet. The demise of Vesta was likely due to the advent of motor cars, rural mail delivery and the burning of the general store. Only the schoolhouse and cemetery remain of Vesta.