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Many Ward 3 street names honour original landowners, merchants in Newmarket

In this week's Remember This, History Hound Richard MacLeod continues his series on street names in wards 2 and 3

Let’s return to our series on Newmarket’s street names and the celebration of residents who have been so honoured.  We still have a few street names to look at from Ward 2 before we begin looking at Ward 3.

Bert Budd Avenue carries the name of the man who for years was “the photographer” in Newmarket, his name appearing on every photo of importance for decades. About 1930,  Budd opened a studio in the building immediately south of the Post Office where the historic Simpson pharmacy was located.

Hollander Road carries the name of Ben Hollander, who served on many community committees.

Max Boag developed many local subdivisions and he named James Avenue after his son-in-law.  When you are the developer, that is one of the great perks. 

McLaren Street is named after Keith McLaren, who joined the teaching staff at Pickering College in 1948 and remained there until his retirement, having also become the assistant headmaster.

Muriel Avenue is named after a member of the developer’s family who converted the barracks at the Second World War army camp into residential units. Muriel Street connects Srigley Street with Gorham Street. 

Orsi Drive is named after the land developers who built many of the homes on this street.

Pickering Crescent is named after the former owner of this chunk of land, Pickering College, which sold it for development after its huge fire. Fittingly, it runs off College Manor Drive, another street named to honour the college.  

Another street named after a former international sports athlete, Surin Court, carries the name of Bruny Surin, a member of Canada’s Olympic gold medal 4 X 400m relay at the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996.

William Curtis Circle carries the name of a man who served as the town building inspector back in 1970s. 

Veale Place carries the name of another Pickering College ‘old-boy’, Eric Veale who returned to Pickering College after a stellar business career to teach commercial subjects and serve as headmaster for a year.

Tugwell Place is named after Charles Tugwell, a longtime resident who worked at DeHavilland Aircraft for over 35 years. Tugwell served as a Mason for 65 years, as well as serving on countless local committees. 

Now let us turn to the area covered by Ward Three, stretching from what is now Davis Drive to Green Lane, and from Highway 404 to North Main Street.  

Hamilton Street is named after Philip Hamilton, who farmed 100 acres on the northeast corner of Leslie Street and Davis Drive.  When his property was subdivided in 1946, he received his own street name along with his two sons, Belfry Hamilton (Belfry Drive) and Howard Hamilton (Howard Road). Hamilton’s farm became Hamilton Heights.

Beman Drive is named for Elisha Beman, one of our founding fathers and earliest entrepreneurs. He established a mercantile business at the foot of Main Street South and Water Street in association with Joseph Hill’s mill. Beman is buried in the Eagle Street Cemetery.

Bolton Avenue carries the name of James Bolton (Squire), who farmed in the Glenville area before moving into Newmarket in 1886. He was one of the oldest living residents in the area at one time. 

Brooks Howard Road is named after a prominent local farmer and real estate investor in the mid-19th century. His farm was located on the road that bears his name.

Whether you know them as musicians in the Citizens’ Band or for the whole family’s involvement in the building business, Burling Place carries the name of the Burling family, longtime Newmarket residents.  

James Caldwell (Caldwell Street) was a chair and wooden products manufacturer on Main Street (the entire block is now named after him located at 201 Main). You will remember from a past article that his building burned down three times before he rebuilt it in brick. He was also the owner of Liberty Hall on Botsford Street.  

Elgin Street is named after Elgin Evans, a retired farmer who owned several acres of land on Leslie Street and developed it in the 1950s.

John Gibson (Gibson Court) was our first full-time fire chief.  His family were early residents of the town and two other members of the family also served on the fire brigade. He is, for me, synonymous with the fire department.

Glover Lane is named after Fred Glover, a retired farmer on Leslie Street who sold eggs and vegetables door to door.

Harry Walker Parkway was named for a farmer on Lot 1, the third concession of East Gwillimbury just north of Davis, west of Woodbine.  His farm was subdivided into industrial lots back in 1952.

Ross and Robert Howlett (Howlett Avenue) were local building contractors, constructing many of the homes and commercial properties in the Newmarket area.

Irwin Crescent was named for Edwin Penrose Irwin, clerk, and treasurer of the newly incorporated Village of Newmarket serving from 1858 to 1875. His family farmed lot 32 on the second concession of Whitchurch, his farm became the home of Pickering College.

Erastus Jackson (Jackson Court) was the editor and founder of the Newmarket Era in 1858.  Jackson also served as the village reeve from 1871 to 1889 and then as our mayor from 1890 to 1891. His son, Lyman George Jackson took over the paper from his father in 1883.

Janette Street is named for Janette Evans, the wife of Elgin Evans, whose property stretched west from Leslie Street on Lot 3. The property was eventually subdivided into building lots. It was common practice if your property was being subdivided for residential development, to name streets after the original owners.

Samuel Jefferson (Jefferson Street) was the principal at Alexander Muir school and Stuart Scott school and then the supervising principal for all public schools in Newmarket. 

Kelly Crescent carries the name of Alfred Kelly, a farmer on the west half of Lot 5, the 2nd Concession of East Gwillimbury. His property was subdivided back in the 1980s.  

Leeder Court was named for James Leeder at the request of the Newmarket Police Association in 1970 in recognition of the years he served first as a police constable and then as the deputy police chief.

I am proud to say Luesby Lane is named for the Luesby family who operated the monument business on the southeast corner of Queen and Main streets, which is still there today. It could have carried the name of George Luesby who was one of the pillars of our heritage preservation for decades. 

Lundy’s Lane is named for Charles Lundy, who was a grain merchant. This road was the laneway entrance to his acreage stretching north from Davis Drive. The Lundy family were one of the first Quaker families in Newmarket in 1800. My grandmother was a Lundy and my grandfather a Luesby.  

John E. Nesbitt (Nesbitt Road) was a Newmarket councillor from 1920 to 1923, and then became our mayor during the years 1925-26 and 1931-33. He was a merchant on Main Street South who was an agent for farm implements and automobiles. He had the first gas pump in Newmarket. 

Patterson Street is aptly named for William Patterson, a Main Street pharmacist from 1904 to 1945 and a longtime member of the high school board.

Rutledge Avenue is named Mr. Alexander Rutledge, a farmer who owned 92 acres on Lot 1, the2nd Concession of East Gwillimbury north of Davis Drive. His sons farmed the land until it was sold for redevelopment in 1967. 

Traviss Drive is named after the Traviss family who settled throughout our area, having been granted 200 acres on Lot 20, concession 5 of East Gwillimbury in 1802 for their services to the British Crown in the American Revolution in 1776.

Sources: Newmarket Era; Newmarket Topic; Newmarket - The Origin of Street Names Volume 1 by George Luesby 1991 and Volume 2 by Robert Terrence Carter 2009; Town of Newmarket planning Department; The History of Newmarket by Ethel Trewhella

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Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town's history in partnership with Newmarket Today, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.



 

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About the Author: Richard MacLeod

Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod — the History Hound — has been a local historian for more than 40 years
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