Ancaster, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community
located on the Niagara escarpment
, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario
along with Windsor
(1749), Kingston
(1780), Niagara-on-the-Lake
(1792) and Toronto
(1793). By 1823, due in large part to its easily accessible water power located nearby already existing historical trading routes, Ancaster had become Upper Canada
's largest industrial and commercial center. At that time it also had the largest population in Upper Canada
with 1,681 townspeople surpassing both Toronto
's 1,376 and Hamilton
's 1,000 residents. After this initial period of prosperity beginning in the late 18th century, sudden significant water and rail transportation advancements of the early 19th century would soon better benefit Ancaster's neighbouring towns situated closer to the Lake Ontario waterfront. Stationary steam engines for industries were also being rapidly developed in the 19th century that would eventually make Ancaster's water powered industries less vital. As a result, after the 1820s, Ancaster's influence during the remainder of the 19th century would begin to wane. From the late 19th century Ancaster's population would remain static until 1946 when new subdivisions around the village were established. The population expanded further with the completion of the Hamilton-Ancaster section of Highway 403
in 1968 and the introduction of sewer systems in 1974. After 1970, the population essentially doubled from 15,000 residents to the present-day 33,000. Today, Ancaster's primary points of interest are its historical village core, its abundant recreational walking trails as well as its interesting variety of restaurants, pubs and shops.
consisting primarily of limestone formed from ancient fossilized sea organisms that spans from present day New York State through Ontario to Illinois. The escarpment itself created the water power that encouraged early European settlers to gravitate to the area in the late 1700s. However, this energy source would not have been accessible if the escarpment were not navigable. This long-meandering landform generally proved to be an inhospitable transportation barrier for thousands of years for past indigenous cultures. However, a natural break in this escarpment in the precise area that would become Ancaster village had for millennia created an opportunity for people to traverse up and down the escarpment providing a relatively easy navigable land transportation gateway from the head of the lake to the surrounding land on the escarpment and vice versa.
Ancaster is the most westerly portion of the Golden Horseshoe
conurbation
of southern Ontario
. It is generally considered to be an affluent bedroom community whose residents are typically professionals who work in downtown Hamilton, Brantford
, Burlington
, Oakville
, Mississauga
or Toronto.
The former municipality had a population of 33,232 in the 2006 census, a considerable increase from the 2001 census figure of 27,485. Development in Olde Ancaster, the historic village core, has been tightly controlled. Its current population growth and building boom occurs mainly on the east side of Highway 403 in such typically suburban commercial developments as the Power Centre and residential developments such as the Meadowlands
. It has resided in the 905 area code since the latter's creation, and its telephone exchange prefixes are 648 and 304, majority being 648.
and Lower
Canadian provinces (colonies) from the division of the Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
colony by the Parliament of Great Britain
's Constitutional Act of 1791
had a deciding influence on the timing of the founding of Ancaster. At its inception, Upper Canada
was only sparsely settled (unlike the more established Lower Canada
) and its land had not been officially surveyed to any great extent. Thus there was an urgency by the then Lieutenant Governor
of Upper Canada
John Graves Simcoe
to survey this new and relatively barren province for establishing military roads and for preventing settlers from clearing and settling land not legally belonging to them. Predating Upper Canada
, however, the earliest European settlers to arrive, clear land and obtain land grants in the mid 18th century in what would eventually become Ancaster were French speaking fur traders
and newly landed British
immigrants. Also arriving into this area in substantial numbers around 1787 with the incentive of inexpensive land grants were the United Empire Loyalists
still loyal to the British crown who were fleeing from the United States
after the 1776 American War of Independence. Britain expected its colonies to purchase all essential finished goods needed for day-to-day living from the mother country in exchange for raw materials such as fur and lumber. However, this 'arrangement' naturally proved to be very inefficient and impractical in practice so waterwheels, mills and factories soon hurriedly evolved in favourable towns in Upper Canada that had abundant water power, fertile soil, and good transportation access such as Ancaster that could then provide the new settlers with a good measure of self sufficiency. In general terms, the mindset of typical Upper Canada settlers could be described as new arrivals that "evinced any amount of dislike of the Americans but something less than love of the Mother country. The early English settlers were independent cattle, they had emigrated; not to perpetuate a mould but to escape from it. They scattered far and wide; they would seem to have selected their lands rather like rummagers at a bargain sale, by feel or look. The Loyalists were more gregarious; they thickened wherever there was good soil or waterwheel sites".
Ancaster was established formally in 1792, but the area now referred to as Ancaster Village had been referred to informally by local villagers by the more colourful name of Wilson's Mills. This was in reference to millwright James Wilson who along with his affluent fur trader, entrepreneur and business partner Richard Beasley
were the primary founders of Ancaster village. With Beasley’s financial help, Wilson opened a gristmill in 1791 and a sawmill in 1792. In order to attract workers to his mills, Wilson needed to provide the social amenities and commercial framework for an area of land which in that period was a relatively isolated patch of forest with a running stream amongst already established well traveled prehistorical indigenous walking trails. Wilson managed to create the impetus for a community by constructing worker dwellings, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a distillery and a tavern, all within walking distance of his mills. As a result Wilson's Mills as a community began to thrive. To this day, the ancient First Nations
trail that eventually became the main road that winds through the historical Ancaster Village still bears the legacy of Wilson's name. By 1793 an area of land that contained Wilson's Mills was finally surveyed and officially came to be known as Ancaster Township as chosen by John Graves Simcoe
. Simcoe was apparently inspired in the name choice by Peregrine Bertie
, the 3rd Duke of Ancaster
and Kesteven
. Thus, Wilson's Mills was indirectly renamed Ancaster
after an ancient village and former Roman town
that stills exists in the district of Lincolnshire
, England
.
In 1794, Wilson sold his business empire to another trader named Jean Rousseaux who already had a home and general store on Wilson Street. James Wilson at this point moved away and the local villagers by 1795 gradually began referring to the community of Wilson's Mills as Ancaster Village. Curiously, the detailed whereabouts or activities of James Wilson after his departure are a mystery. Rousseaux eventually resold the mills to the Union Mill Company. With the profits from this business transaction Rousseaux built the Union Hotel on Wilson Street, which is now remembered as the location of the Bloody Assize
trials in 1814 during the War of 1812
. In 1794-1797, Rousseaux also added a general store, brewery and distillery as well as hiring Ancaster's first school teacher. His other accomplishments being the first assessor, tax collector, magistrate and the Township's first Lieutenant Colonel of Militia.
In 1798, the Hatt
brothers Richard and Samuel from Dundas established their Red Mill downstream below Ancaster Falls and also built the Old Ancaster Road in order to provide better commercial access. In 1799, William Vanderlip built a hotel that in 1844 was sold to Adam Duff which gave birth to the nickname 'Duff's Corners' for describing the well known intersection on Highway 53
. By 1800, a mail route was established between Montreal and Detroit with Ancaster appointed as the branching point for Queenston. In 1805, the Hatt brothers bought a majority of the village site from James Wilson and proceeded to subdivide it into streets and building lots. By 1810 the population of Ancaster would steadily rise to 400 residents, but only 7 years later in 1817 its population would more than double to 1,037. In that same year Robert Gourlay carefully documented that Ancaster had 162 houses, 4 gristmills, 5 sawmills, 1 carding machine, 1 fulling mill, 5 doctors, 1 Episcopalian minister, and 1 Methodist meeting house. In 1820, Job Lodor acquired the Union Mill Company and rejuvenated Ancaster's industrial base. By 1823, the first post office was established. In 1824, the Ancaster Union Church was built. By 1825, Ancaster had constructed a public reading room with papers from Niagara, York and New York. A foundry making plough shears was established in 1825 by William Wiard. In 1826, Jacob Gabel started a tannery; Robert Douglas started a brewery and John Galt established Ancaster as his headquarters for the Canada Company. 1827 marked the year that inaugurated the publication of George Gurnett's
Gore Gazette and the Ancaster, Hamilton, Dundas and Flamborough
Advertiser. By 1835, Job Lodor was the only person in Upper Canada who managed to obtain banking privileges and thus the Gore Bank was established in the village in 1836. In 1844, Dr. Richardson opened his practice in the village. Eyre Thuresson founded a threshing machine factory in 1846, a stone mill in 1862, another card mill upstream in 1863 and reorganized the Cane Knitting Factory in 1865. In 1847, N. and E. Wiard re-opened the McLauglin foundry to make ploughs. Harris and Alonzo Egleston arrived in 1832 and began working at William Wiard's foundry and eventually bought him out. The Egleston's then proceeded to expand their own business empire which included building a foundry in 1843 employing 25 people and rebuilding a gristmill in 1863 at the present day location of the Old Ancaster Mill on the old Dundas Road. This Egleston mill was the 4th Ancaster mill and the third to be rebuilt at this current location. Wilson's original mills burnt down in 1812. Upon rebuilding, Wilson's mill's were relocated from this original site at Wilson and Rousseaux street a little further downstream and rebuilt in stone at the present Old Ancaster Mill location on Old Dundas Road. Again, at the same location, a second mill burnt down in 1818 as well as a third mill that was damaged by fire in 1854. Wilson's original 1791-1792 mill foundations still exist upstream at the Wilson and Rousseaux Street intersection but are hidden with vegetation. The much restored and modified remnants of Egleston's 1854 mill now operates as a restaurant and banquet hall. The Barracks of 1812 still stand as a reminder of the war of 1812. By May 1866, the first public telephone was setup in Gurnett's store but was disconnected from lack of use. Examples of Victorian architecture are located on Wilson Street, amongst them the Richardson residence, which was built in 1872 as a wedding present for Dr Henry Richardson and his new bride Sarah Egleston. The traveling expedition of Edison's magical phonograph
was exhibited in the Township Hall in 1878. In 1891, John Heslop was murdered in his home on Mineral Springs Road and the murder case remains unsolved to this day. After 1900, affluent Hamilton industrialists began purchasing farm land close to Ancaster village for building estates. By 1946, housing subdivisions began to be established around the village and thus began the post-World War II
population expansion that continues to this present day with the current housing construction in the Meadowlands
subdivision.
In an age before electricity, the village of Ancaster had an early economic advantage in the region. This was due to the abundant energy that could be tapped by mills from streams and creeks that naturally existed because this settlement existed amidst a break in the Niagara Escarpment
. The location was also advantageous as it existed at the end of Mohawk Road
which in the late 18th century was one of the most important transportation routes in Upper Canada
. The original route of this Mohawk Trail had apparently existed for hundreds of years previously as a heavily traveled First Nations
trail that eventually linked up with similar trails in New York State. The Six Nations First Nations had historically used the region of Ancaster and surrounding area as a meeting place even up to the period of The War of 1812
. The first European settlers to set foot in this region would have encountered a criss cross of prehistorical walking trails that would have been used as indigenous trading routes for a millennium including a well worn pathway that would eventually be renamed Wilson Street. John Graves Simcoe
's decision to build the Governor's Road from Dundas to London for military and strategic purposes was also an economic boost for the village due to the increased traffic that would inevitably pass through. Ancaster also had fertile soil and abundant fresh water which encouraged pioneer settlers to arrive in this region to clear the land and plant crops for subsistence agriculture
.
Ancaster's dominant position in the region as an influential industrial, commercial and farming community throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries would soon be short-lived due to sudden modern transportation advancements in its neighbouring towns. Soon nearby Dundas
and a small farm settlement close to the lakefront that by 1833 would be established as the town of Hamilton
would soon become more influential mainly because of the successful completion of the following three transportation projects: the completion of the Burlington Canal in 1832 that connected Burlington Bay
(Hamilton Harbour) to Lake Ontario
, the completion of the Desjardins Canal
in 1837 that enabled lake vessels to enter nearby Dundas
through Hamilton Harbour and the completion in 1855 of The Great Western Railway
connection to Hamilton (and eventually Dundas) enabled Hamilton, which already had flourishing and expanding ports, to become the prominent urban and commercial settlement in the region.
In the latter half of the 19th century Ancaster became an unimposing gristmill
hamlet and police village
. Ancaster would not have access to a modern transportation system until the Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway
intersected Ancaster Village in 1907. The advent of the B&H radial line radically began the process of change to the character of Ancaster that is clearly recognizable today from a somewhat isolated yet self sufficient village to its current status as a bedroom community of Hamilton. Interestingly, the evidence for this radial train is still easily visible in Ancaster village by a well maintained gravel path behind St. John's Anglican Church on Wilson Street. Walkers and cyclists can still follow this old radial line path down the escarpment to the Hamilton Chedoke Golf Course. The radial line was dismantled in 1931 as a condition of sale from the Cataract Company. With the advent of competition from the automobile and bus companies in North America at the turn of the 20th century, generally only publicly owned streetcar companies had the financial means to survive into the 1950s.
In the latter 19th century, the townsfolk of Ancaster were certainly conscious that their town had once been a glowing star in Upper Canada that had quickly lost its luster during the Victorian age despite its second successful wave of industrialization in the 1820s. In 1897, Mrs. Alma Dick-Lauder writing about Ancaster in the Hamilton Spectator using the colourful language of that time lamented that "So who can say that new life may not once more flow to the aged village, now high and dry on old time's sand banks, bringing back her bright meridian bloom and vigour of 70 years ago? Fanned by the breath of electricity to spring like a Phoenix from her bed of ashes-ashes, understand, being principally the matter choking up the old place with a fire record unequalled since the days of Sodom, making her an object of terror to her friend, derision to her foes and a hoo-doo to the guileless insurance agent. It is rather melancholy, on a summer's day, to stand on the high bridge and watch the waters slouching by like a gang of crystal dwarfs out of a job, idling and playing and painting the 'beautiful, waving hair of the dead' grass green among the fallen ruins, which a few years ago were instinct with the hum of industry, pouring forth at stated hours, with jangle of bells, a cheerful, clattering stream of bread winners, giving life and animation to the scene, in contrast to the occasional man who now meets the casual glance up street in the sunny noon hours". Lauder was referring to the fact that by 1899 although Ancaster Township had a population of 4,000, the solitary industry that remained was Egleston's gristmill. The 'fire record' he refers to was the burning of the following: John J. Ryckman's store in 1841, St. Johns Church in 1868, The Ancaster Knitting Factory in 1875, the Morris S. Lowrey Hotel in 1881, Egleston's foundry in 1883, Thuresson's Foundry in 1884 and finally the Ancaster Carriage Factory in 1885. By his expression the 'meridian bloom of 70 years ago' Lauden was referring to the fact that Job Lodor had purchased the Union Mills in 1820 and by doing so had instantly transformed Ancaster's industrial center to the point where it was once again, albeit temporarily, the unrivalled commercial and industrial hub of the Gore district. At the time of Lauder's writing Ancaster had but one school although it had managed to develop cultural institutions such as an orchestra, a literary society and an enclosed curling rink. Job Lodor as well as many other prominent and lesser known early Ancaster settlers left behind sometimes still legible tombstones in the cemeteries belonging to St. John's Anglican and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Churches on Wilson Street.
Fiddler's Green road was apparently not named after a place or person but rather an activity. It turns out that by the late 19th century, Fiddler's Green was Ancaster's tawdry and hence very popular entertainment center once located in precisely the area between present day Ravina Court and Douglas Street. In more recent times this area was a busy hive of activity every Monday as the Ancaster Auction barn was active there until as recently as 1985. During auction Mondays, it was not an uncommon site to see farmers tackling runaway piglets or rounding up stray calves on surrounding house properties. However even during this latter period when this land was used as an auction for hogs and cattle, the remnants of an old race track on the premises was still easily visible. However 100 years ago, this area was "a place where fiddlers would gather and perform at what was known as the Fiddler's Green Inn, a popular place for musicians to come and perform. The area was popular for horse racing and drinking, which in turn attracted more spectators, a common stop over or a communications point. As a great number of travelers visited the area, like any other port of call, the taverns and the inns sprang up".
The Ancaster Fair has been an annual agricultural and social event since 1850 except for 1937 when it was cancelled due to a case of infantile paralysis. Originally the fair was held at Wilson and Academy Streets in the Village core. In 1894 it moved to Wilson and Cameron Drive driving park where it remained until its centennial year in 1950 when it moved to Garner Road. After nearly 60 years at the Garner Road site, the Ancaster Fair in 2009 has moved to 630 Trinity Road.
In 1976, an Ancaster Town Council vote reversed a long-standing policy that would finally allow Ancaster restaurants to apply for liquor licenses. Other than the LCBO and Brewers Retail outlets that were established in Ancaster in the 1950s, the village had up to that point been 'dry', presumably since Prohibition in Canada
. Ancaster's earlier pioneers however experienced an entirely different social environment. Again according to Dick-Lauder writing in 1897, "Ancaster saw plenty of life during the rebellion of 1837
, when it was quite a frequent thing for all the inns, five in number, and many of the private houses to be full over night of redcoats passing towards the west".
During this period Ancaster Township was attached variously to Nassau District, Home District
, York County
(West Riding) and Halton County
. When Halton County and Wentworth County joined temporarily from 1850 to 1854, Ancaster remained permanently attached to Wentworth County
, where it remains today in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
The Hermitage
is a popular site in Ancaster. This historic house was once the property of Reverend George Sheed in 1830. Since then the house had changed ownership many times before burning to the ground in 1934. The last owner of The Hermitage was in fact local author Alma Dick-Lauder who has been referenced above. The fire that eventually consumed The Hermitage occurred directly from a party that she had been hosting. The shell of the old house and surrounding buildings can still be visited today. One of the main draws of this old property is the legend of the property being haunted. There are ghost tours run throughout the summer with the tour guides telling haunted stories of the land and the surrounding county.
Griffin House is a historic house associated with the Underground Railroad
.
in 1974, the Town of Ancaster absorbed the Township of Ancaster (including other hamlets like Jerseyville, Lynden and Alberton). The new town had two representatives on the regional council which totaled (with the Regional Chair) about 20 members.
It was amalgamated with the nearby City of Hamilton
in 2001. The amalgamation was bitterly and unsuccessfully protested by its residents and those of adjacent communities (such as Dundas
and Flamborough
and Glanbrook), particularly since the Progressive Conservative
MPP Toni Skarica
government had promised in the last election that the amalgamation would not occur.
Skarica resigned in protest, and a local Flamborough Mayor, Ted McMeekin, who led the fight in opposing the amalgamation, won the Liberal party nomination winning the by-election
on an anti-amalgamation platform. Nonetheless, the amalgamation was not rescinded by the Harris government. Despite this, Ancaster residents continue to maintain their own unique identity and generally do not recognize much in the way of affiliation with the greater Hamilton area.
The community is in the Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
federal electoral district
, represented by David Sweet
of the Conservative Party of Canada
, and in the Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
provincial electoral district represented by Ted McMeekin
of the Ontario Liberal Party
.
when it was created in 1998. The town's only public institute of secondary education was Ancaster High School
until 2005. Today, it is no longer classified as a vocational school, its official name is Ancaster High School. Other secondary schools in Ancaster are Bishop Tonnos Secondary School belonging to the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
, and Hamilton District Christian High School.
Public elementary schools in Ancaster include Fessenden, Rousseau, and C.H. Bray (kindergarten to Grade 6) and these students upon graduation generally end up going to Ancaster Senior Public School
(grades 7 and 8) except for Ancaster Meadow public elementary students (kindergarten to grade 8). In the Catholic elementary school system, St. Ann's, St. Joachim's and Holy Name of Mary students (kindergarten to grade 8) generally end up at Bishop Tonnos Secondary School.
Post-secondary is only available at Redeemer University College
, a Christian institution closely associated with the Christian Reformed Church
. It was incorporated in 1980 and began classes in Hamilton two years later. It built a campus in Ancaster in 1986 where it had its first graduating class. It had cooperative relations with McMaster University
, which provided some instructors and some cross-listed courses. By 2000, it had acquired its present name and its graduates became B.A.s or B.Sc.s instead of Bachelors of Christian Studies.
Ancaster Public Library, a branch of the Hamilton Public Library System, is located on Wilson St. The library was reopened on November 27, 2006 after an extensive project that involved extending the library to include the entire first floor of the building.
A-1 Academy of driving,a branch of the Hamilton driving system, is also located on Wilson St. The school was opened late 2005.
The Ancaster Rotary Centre is an addition to Morgan Firestone Arena. It includes a full size gym, workout complex, and meeting rooms. The complex is surrounded by the Robert E. Wade Park, which includes four baseball diamonds and five soccer fields. A 10.1 million dollar addition of a second ice rink to Morgan Firestone Arena is meant to be completed by March, 2011.
The Ancaster Little League Park is located on Jerseyville Road. It is a beautiful park comprising three baseball diamonds nestled on the edge of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. In 2010 Ancaster hosted the Canadian Little League Championships and Little League Park was the main venue. There are three diamonds in Little League Park, known locally as T-Ball, Minor and Major. Prior to hosting the Canadian Little League Championships Major diamond undewent a major reconstruction and with help from the City, Province, and Federal Government the diamond was rebuilt with the addition of proper drainage, professional style clay base paths and warning track, a new PA system as well as the construction of a new clubhouse (as of the date of this edit the clubhouse is still incomplete).
), fine arts, gardens and walking paths.
The Bruce Trail
snakes through Ancaster as it links Queenston
with Tobermory
. The famous walking path goes through part of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area
and crosses the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail. These offer four seasons recreation for walkers, cyclists, horse riders, snowshoers and cross country skiers
.
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
located on the Niagara escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
along with Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
(1749), Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
(1780), Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
(1792) and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(1793). By 1823, due in large part to its easily accessible water power located nearby already existing historical trading routes, Ancaster had become Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
's largest industrial and commercial center. At that time it also had the largest population in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
with 1,681 townspeople surpassing both Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's 1,376 and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
's 1,000 residents. After this initial period of prosperity beginning in the late 18th century, sudden significant water and rail transportation advancements of the early 19th century would soon better benefit Ancaster's neighbouring towns situated closer to the Lake Ontario waterfront. Stationary steam engines for industries were also being rapidly developed in the 19th century that would eventually make Ancaster's water powered industries less vital. As a result, after the 1820s, Ancaster's influence during the remainder of the 19th century would begin to wane. From the late 19th century Ancaster's population would remain static until 1946 when new subdivisions around the village were established. The population expanded further with the completion of the Hamilton-Ancaster section of Highway 403
Highway 403 (Ontario)
King's Highway 403, also known as Highway 403, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that travels between Woodstock and Mississauga, branching off from and reuniting with Highway 401 at both ends and travelling south of it through Hamilton and Mississauga. It is concurrent...
in 1968 and the introduction of sewer systems in 1974. After 1970, the population essentially doubled from 15,000 residents to the present-day 33,000. Today, Ancaster's primary points of interest are its historical village core, its abundant recreational walking trails as well as its interesting variety of restaurants, pubs and shops.
Geography, economy and population
Ancaster's geography has had a very significant affect on human settlement patterns throughout its prehistory and in the present day. A highly influential geographical formation has been the Niagara EscarpmentNiagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
consisting primarily of limestone formed from ancient fossilized sea organisms that spans from present day New York State through Ontario to Illinois. The escarpment itself created the water power that encouraged early European settlers to gravitate to the area in the late 1700s. However, this energy source would not have been accessible if the escarpment were not navigable. This long-meandering landform generally proved to be an inhospitable transportation barrier for thousands of years for past indigenous cultures. However, a natural break in this escarpment in the precise area that would become Ancaster village had for millennia created an opportunity for people to traverse up and down the escarpment providing a relatively easy navigable land transportation gateway from the head of the lake to the surrounding land on the escarpment and vice versa.
Ancaster is the most westerly portion of the Golden Horseshoe
Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and industrialized region centred around the Greater Toronto Area at the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay. Most of it is also part of the Quebec City...
conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
of southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is generally considered to be an affluent bedroom community whose residents are typically professionals who work in downtown Hamilton, Brantford
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
, Burlington
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
, Oakville
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, Mississauga
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
or Toronto.
The former municipality had a population of 33,232 in the 2006 census, a considerable increase from the 2001 census figure of 27,485. Development in Olde Ancaster, the historic village core, has been tightly controlled. Its current population growth and building boom occurs mainly on the east side of Highway 403 in such typically suburban commercial developments as the Power Centre and residential developments such as the Meadowlands
Meadowlands, Hamilton
Hamilton Meadowlands refers to the area formerly part of Ancaster, Ontario . Generally, anything northwest of Upper Paradise and Stonechurch road is considered The Meadowlands. Notable features include a large number of big box stores along Golf Links Road, a large movie theatre, and vast expanses...
. It has resided in the 905 area code since the latter's creation, and its telephone exchange prefixes are 648 and 304, majority being 648.
History
The creation of the UpperUpper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
and Lower
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
Canadian provinces (colonies) from the division of the Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
colony by the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
's Constitutional Act of 1791
Constitutional Act of 1791
The Constitutional Act of 1791, formally The Clergy Endowments Act, 1791 , is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain...
had a deciding influence on the timing of the founding of Ancaster. At its inception, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
was only sparsely settled (unlike the more established Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
) and its land had not been officially surveyed to any great extent. Thus there was an urgency by the then Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
to survey this new and relatively barren province for establishing military roads and for preventing settlers from clearing and settling land not legally belonging to them. Predating Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, however, the earliest European settlers to arrive, clear land and obtain land grants in the mid 18th century in what would eventually become Ancaster were French speaking fur traders
North American Fur Trade
The North American fur trade was the industry and activities related to the acquisition, exchange, and sale of animal furs in the North American continent. Indigenous peoples of different regions traded among themselves in the Pre-Columbian Era, but Europeans participated in the trade beginning...
and newly landed British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
immigrants. Also arriving into this area in substantial numbers around 1787 with the incentive of inexpensive land grants were the United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists
The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...
still loyal to the British crown who were fleeing from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the 1776 American War of Independence. Britain expected its colonies to purchase all essential finished goods needed for day-to-day living from the mother country in exchange for raw materials such as fur and lumber. However, this 'arrangement' naturally proved to be very inefficient and impractical in practice so waterwheels, mills and factories soon hurriedly evolved in favourable towns in Upper Canada that had abundant water power, fertile soil, and good transportation access such as Ancaster that could then provide the new settlers with a good measure of self sufficiency. In general terms, the mindset of typical Upper Canada settlers could be described as new arrivals that "evinced any amount of dislike of the Americans but something less than love of the Mother country. The early English settlers were independent cattle, they had emigrated; not to perpetuate a mould but to escape from it. They scattered far and wide; they would seem to have selected their lands rather like rummagers at a bargain sale, by feel or look. The Loyalists were more gregarious; they thickened wherever there was good soil or waterwheel sites".
Ancaster was established formally in 1792, but the area now referred to as Ancaster Village had been referred to informally by local villagers by the more colourful name of Wilson's Mills. This was in reference to millwright James Wilson who along with his affluent fur trader, entrepreneur and business partner Richard Beasley
Richard Beasley
Richard Beasley was a soldier, political figure, farmer and businessman in Upper Canada.He was born in New York in 1761 and moved to Quebec in 1777. In 1783, he formed a partnership with Peter Smith in the fur trade. In 1788, he settled in Barton Township on Lake Ontario near the current city of...
were the primary founders of Ancaster village. With Beasley’s financial help, Wilson opened a gristmill in 1791 and a sawmill in 1792. In order to attract workers to his mills, Wilson needed to provide the social amenities and commercial framework for an area of land which in that period was a relatively isolated patch of forest with a running stream amongst already established well traveled prehistorical indigenous walking trails. Wilson managed to create the impetus for a community by constructing worker dwellings, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a distillery and a tavern, all within walking distance of his mills. As a result Wilson's Mills as a community began to thrive. To this day, the ancient First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
trail that eventually became the main road that winds through the historical Ancaster Village still bears the legacy of Wilson's name. By 1793 an area of land that contained Wilson's Mills was finally surveyed and officially came to be known as Ancaster Township as chosen by John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
. Simcoe was apparently inspired in the name choice by Peregrine Bertie
Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
General Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, 3rd Marquess of Lindsey, 6th Earl of Lindsey, 19th Baron Willoughby de Eresby PC was the son of Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven....
, the 3rd Duke of Ancaster
Ancaster, Lincolnshire
Ancaster is a village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, on the site of the Roman town of "Causennae"Ancaster Hall at The University of Nottingham is named after the parish and the, now extinct, title of the Earl of Ancaster....
and Kesteven
Kesteven
The Parts of Kesteven are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England. This subdivision had long had a separate county administration , along with the other two parts, Lindsey and Holland.-Etymology:...
. Thus, Wilson's Mills was indirectly renamed Ancaster
Ancaster, Lincolnshire
Ancaster is a village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, on the site of the Roman town of "Causennae"Ancaster Hall at The University of Nottingham is named after the parish and the, now extinct, title of the Earl of Ancaster....
after an ancient village and former Roman town
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
that stills exists in the district of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 1794, Wilson sold his business empire to another trader named Jean Rousseaux who already had a home and general store on Wilson Street. James Wilson at this point moved away and the local villagers by 1795 gradually began referring to the community of Wilson's Mills as Ancaster Village. Curiously, the detailed whereabouts or activities of James Wilson after his departure are a mystery. Rousseaux eventually resold the mills to the Union Mill Company. With the profits from this business transaction Rousseaux built the Union Hotel on Wilson Street, which is now remembered as the location of the Bloody Assize
Bloody Assize (1814)
The Bloody Assize in Upper Canada was a series of trials held at Ancaster during the War of 1812.During the war, a number of settlers from the Niagara and London Districts had taken up arms against their neighbours. Many later fled to the United States....
trials in 1814 during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. In 1794-1797, Rousseaux also added a general store, brewery and distillery as well as hiring Ancaster's first school teacher. His other accomplishments being the first assessor, tax collector, magistrate and the Township's first Lieutenant Colonel of Militia.
In 1798, the Hatt
Richard Hatt
Richard Hatt was a businessman, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in London, England, in 1769 and came to Upper Canada in 1792. He originally started business as a merchant at Niagara but later moved to Ancaster, where he opened a store and built a grist mill...
brothers Richard and Samuel from Dundas established their Red Mill downstream below Ancaster Falls and also built the Old Ancaster Road in order to provide better commercial access. In 1799, William Vanderlip built a hotel that in 1844 was sold to Adam Duff which gave birth to the nickname 'Duff's Corners' for describing the well known intersection on Highway 53
Ontario Highway 53
Highway 53 is a former provincial highway in Southern Ontario, connecting Woodstock to Hamilton via Brantford. For much of its history, the road was co-signed with Highway 2 from Woodstock to Eastwood, where they parted ways...
. By 1800, a mail route was established between Montreal and Detroit with Ancaster appointed as the branching point for Queenston. In 1805, the Hatt brothers bought a majority of the village site from James Wilson and proceeded to subdivide it into streets and building lots. By 1810 the population of Ancaster would steadily rise to 400 residents, but only 7 years later in 1817 its population would more than double to 1,037. In that same year Robert Gourlay carefully documented that Ancaster had 162 houses, 4 gristmills, 5 sawmills, 1 carding machine, 1 fulling mill, 5 doctors, 1 Episcopalian minister, and 1 Methodist meeting house. In 1820, Job Lodor acquired the Union Mill Company and rejuvenated Ancaster's industrial base. By 1823, the first post office was established. In 1824, the Ancaster Union Church was built. By 1825, Ancaster had constructed a public reading room with papers from Niagara, York and New York. A foundry making plough shears was established in 1825 by William Wiard. In 1826, Jacob Gabel started a tannery; Robert Douglas started a brewery and John Galt established Ancaster as his headquarters for the Canada Company. 1827 marked the year that inaugurated the publication of George Gurnett's
George Gurnett
George Gurnett was a Canadian journalist and politician.Born in Sussex, England, he emigrated in the 1820s to Virginia and late moved to Ancaster in Upper Canada and finally to York in 1829. When York was incorporated in May 1834 as the city of Toronto, Gurnett was elected to the city council...
Gore Gazette and the Ancaster, Hamilton, Dundas and Flamborough
Flamborough, Ontario
Flamborough is a former town near, and a current community in, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada....
Advertiser. By 1835, Job Lodor was the only person in Upper Canada who managed to obtain banking privileges and thus the Gore Bank was established in the village in 1836. In 1844, Dr. Richardson opened his practice in the village. Eyre Thuresson founded a threshing machine factory in 1846, a stone mill in 1862, another card mill upstream in 1863 and reorganized the Cane Knitting Factory in 1865. In 1847, N. and E. Wiard re-opened the McLauglin foundry to make ploughs. Harris and Alonzo Egleston arrived in 1832 and began working at William Wiard's foundry and eventually bought him out. The Egleston's then proceeded to expand their own business empire which included building a foundry in 1843 employing 25 people and rebuilding a gristmill in 1863 at the present day location of the Old Ancaster Mill on the old Dundas Road. This Egleston mill was the 4th Ancaster mill and the third to be rebuilt at this current location. Wilson's original mills burnt down in 1812. Upon rebuilding, Wilson's mill's were relocated from this original site at Wilson and Rousseaux street a little further downstream and rebuilt in stone at the present Old Ancaster Mill location on Old Dundas Road. Again, at the same location, a second mill burnt down in 1818 as well as a third mill that was damaged by fire in 1854. Wilson's original 1791-1792 mill foundations still exist upstream at the Wilson and Rousseaux Street intersection but are hidden with vegetation. The much restored and modified remnants of Egleston's 1854 mill now operates as a restaurant and banquet hall. The Barracks of 1812 still stand as a reminder of the war of 1812. By May 1866, the first public telephone was setup in Gurnett's store but was disconnected from lack of use. Examples of Victorian architecture are located on Wilson Street, amongst them the Richardson residence, which was built in 1872 as a wedding present for Dr Henry Richardson and his new bride Sarah Egleston. The traveling expedition of Edison's magical phonograph
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
was exhibited in the Township Hall in 1878. In 1891, John Heslop was murdered in his home on Mineral Springs Road and the murder case remains unsolved to this day. After 1900, affluent Hamilton industrialists began purchasing farm land close to Ancaster village for building estates. By 1946, housing subdivisions began to be established around the village and thus began the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
population expansion that continues to this present day with the current housing construction in the Meadowlands
Meadowlands, Hamilton
Hamilton Meadowlands refers to the area formerly part of Ancaster, Ontario . Generally, anything northwest of Upper Paradise and Stonechurch road is considered The Meadowlands. Notable features include a large number of big box stores along Golf Links Road, a large movie theatre, and vast expanses...
subdivision.
In an age before electricity, the village of Ancaster had an early economic advantage in the region. This was due to the abundant energy that could be tapped by mills from streams and creeks that naturally existed because this settlement existed amidst a break in the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
. The location was also advantageous as it existed at the end of Mohawk Road
Mohawk Road (Hamilton, Ontario)
Mohawk Road, is an Upper City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is a two-way street throughout that starts just West of Highway 403 & Meadowlands and travels eastward linking up with the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway. Mohawk Road east of Highway 403 resumes again in front of Iroquoia...
which in the late 18th century was one of the most important transportation routes in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. The original route of this Mohawk Trail had apparently existed for hundreds of years previously as a heavily traveled First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
trail that eventually linked up with similar trails in New York State. The Six Nations First Nations had historically used the region of Ancaster and surrounding area as a meeting place even up to the period of The War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The first European settlers to set foot in this region would have encountered a criss cross of prehistorical walking trails that would have been used as indigenous trading routes for a millennium including a well worn pathway that would eventually be renamed Wilson Street. John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
's decision to build the Governor's Road from Dundas to London for military and strategic purposes was also an economic boost for the village due to the increased traffic that would inevitably pass through. Ancaster also had fertile soil and abundant fresh water which encouraged pioneer settlers to arrive in this region to clear the land and plant crops for subsistence agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Ancaster's dominant position in the region as an influential industrial, commercial and farming community throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries would soon be short-lived due to sudden modern transportation advancements in its neighbouring towns. Soon nearby Dundas
Dundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
and a small farm settlement close to the lakefront that by 1833 would be established as the town of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
would soon become more influential mainly because of the successful completion of the following three transportation projects: the completion of the Burlington Canal in 1832 that connected Burlington Bay
Burlington Bay
Burlington Bay, known more commonly as Hamilton Harbour, lies on the western tip of Lake Ontario, bounded on the northwest by the City of Burlington, on the south by the City of Hamilton, and on the east by Hamilton Beach and Burlington Beach...
(Hamilton Harbour) to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, the completion of the Desjardins Canal
Desjardins Canal
The Desjardins Canal, named after its promoter Pierre Desjardins, was built to give Dundas, Ontario, easier access to Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes system of North America...
in 1837 that enabled lake vessels to enter nearby Dundas
Dundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
through Hamilton Harbour and the completion in 1855 of The Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway (Ontario)
The Great Western Railway was a historic Canadian railway that operated in Canada West and later the province of Ontario, following Confederation...
connection to Hamilton (and eventually Dundas) enabled Hamilton, which already had flourishing and expanding ports, to become the prominent urban and commercial settlement in the region.
In the latter half of the 19th century Ancaster became an unimposing gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
hamlet and police village
Police village
A police village was a form of municipal government used in the province of Ontario, Canada, beginning in the early 19th century. It was used in cases where the finances or population of the area did not permit the creation of a village....
. Ancaster would not have access to a modern transportation system until the Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway
Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway
The Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway was an interurban electrified railway in the Hamilton, Ontario area of Canada. Construction was begun by the Von Echa syndicate of Harrisburg, but the railway was taken over by Dominion Power prior to its completion on 1908-06-01...
intersected Ancaster Village in 1907. The advent of the B&H radial line radically began the process of change to the character of Ancaster that is clearly recognizable today from a somewhat isolated yet self sufficient village to its current status as a bedroom community of Hamilton. Interestingly, the evidence for this radial train is still easily visible in Ancaster village by a well maintained gravel path behind St. John's Anglican Church on Wilson Street. Walkers and cyclists can still follow this old radial line path down the escarpment to the Hamilton Chedoke Golf Course. The radial line was dismantled in 1931 as a condition of sale from the Cataract Company. With the advent of competition from the automobile and bus companies in North America at the turn of the 20th century, generally only publicly owned streetcar companies had the financial means to survive into the 1950s.
In the latter 19th century, the townsfolk of Ancaster were certainly conscious that their town had once been a glowing star in Upper Canada that had quickly lost its luster during the Victorian age despite its second successful wave of industrialization in the 1820s. In 1897, Mrs. Alma Dick-Lauder writing about Ancaster in the Hamilton Spectator using the colourful language of that time lamented that "So who can say that new life may not once more flow to the aged village, now high and dry on old time's sand banks, bringing back her bright meridian bloom and vigour of 70 years ago? Fanned by the breath of electricity to spring like a Phoenix from her bed of ashes-ashes, understand, being principally the matter choking up the old place with a fire record unequalled since the days of Sodom, making her an object of terror to her friend, derision to her foes and a hoo-doo to the guileless insurance agent. It is rather melancholy, on a summer's day, to stand on the high bridge and watch the waters slouching by like a gang of crystal dwarfs out of a job, idling and playing and painting the 'beautiful, waving hair of the dead' grass green among the fallen ruins, which a few years ago were instinct with the hum of industry, pouring forth at stated hours, with jangle of bells, a cheerful, clattering stream of bread winners, giving life and animation to the scene, in contrast to the occasional man who now meets the casual glance up street in the sunny noon hours". Lauder was referring to the fact that by 1899 although Ancaster Township had a population of 4,000, the solitary industry that remained was Egleston's gristmill. The 'fire record' he refers to was the burning of the following: John J. Ryckman's store in 1841, St. Johns Church in 1868, The Ancaster Knitting Factory in 1875, the Morris S. Lowrey Hotel in 1881, Egleston's foundry in 1883, Thuresson's Foundry in 1884 and finally the Ancaster Carriage Factory in 1885. By his expression the 'meridian bloom of 70 years ago' Lauden was referring to the fact that Job Lodor had purchased the Union Mills in 1820 and by doing so had instantly transformed Ancaster's industrial center to the point where it was once again, albeit temporarily, the unrivalled commercial and industrial hub of the Gore district. At the time of Lauder's writing Ancaster had but one school although it had managed to develop cultural institutions such as an orchestra, a literary society and an enclosed curling rink. Job Lodor as well as many other prominent and lesser known early Ancaster settlers left behind sometimes still legible tombstones in the cemeteries belonging to St. John's Anglican and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Churches on Wilson Street.
Fiddler's Green road was apparently not named after a place or person but rather an activity. It turns out that by the late 19th century, Fiddler's Green was Ancaster's tawdry and hence very popular entertainment center once located in precisely the area between present day Ravina Court and Douglas Street. In more recent times this area was a busy hive of activity every Monday as the Ancaster Auction barn was active there until as recently as 1985. During auction Mondays, it was not an uncommon site to see farmers tackling runaway piglets or rounding up stray calves on surrounding house properties. However even during this latter period when this land was used as an auction for hogs and cattle, the remnants of an old race track on the premises was still easily visible. However 100 years ago, this area was "a place where fiddlers would gather and perform at what was known as the Fiddler's Green Inn, a popular place for musicians to come and perform. The area was popular for horse racing and drinking, which in turn attracted more spectators, a common stop over or a communications point. As a great number of travelers visited the area, like any other port of call, the taverns and the inns sprang up".
The Ancaster Fair has been an annual agricultural and social event since 1850 except for 1937 when it was cancelled due to a case of infantile paralysis. Originally the fair was held at Wilson and Academy Streets in the Village core. In 1894 it moved to Wilson and Cameron Drive driving park where it remained until its centennial year in 1950 when it moved to Garner Road. After nearly 60 years at the Garner Road site, the Ancaster Fair in 2009 has moved to 630 Trinity Road.
In 1976, an Ancaster Town Council vote reversed a long-standing policy that would finally allow Ancaster restaurants to apply for liquor licenses. Other than the LCBO and Brewers Retail outlets that were established in Ancaster in the 1950s, the village had up to that point been 'dry', presumably since Prohibition in Canada
Prohibition in Canada
The temperance movement reached its height in Canada in the 1920s, when outside imports were cut off by provincial referendums. As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation restricting the sale of alcohol to minors and imposing excise...
. Ancaster's earlier pioneers however experienced an entirely different social environment. Again according to Dick-Lauder writing in 1897, "Ancaster saw plenty of life during the rebellion of 1837
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...
, when it was quite a frequent thing for all the inns, five in number, and many of the private houses to be full over night of redcoats passing towards the west".
During this period Ancaster Township was attached variously to Nassau District, Home District
Home District
The Home District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Known as Nassau District until 1792, it was composed of the areas along western Lake Ontario and...
, York County
York County, Ontario
York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
(West Riding) and Halton County
Halton County, Ontario
Halton County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.-History:Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton who was appointed in 1805 as Secretary to the Upper Canada provincial Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis...
. When Halton County and Wentworth County joined temporarily from 1850 to 1854, Ancaster remained permanently attached to Wentworth County
Wentworth County, Ontario
Wentworth County, area , is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District in what was then Upper Canada and later Canada West...
, where it remains today in the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
The Hermitage
The Hermitage (Hamilton, Ontario)
The Hermitage was a large residence situated in Ancaster, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada which now exists as ruins and is part of The Hermitage and Gatehouse Museum maintained by the Hamilton Conservation Authority...
is a popular site in Ancaster. This historic house was once the property of Reverend George Sheed in 1830. Since then the house had changed ownership many times before burning to the ground in 1934. The last owner of The Hermitage was in fact local author Alma Dick-Lauder who has been referenced above. The fire that eventually consumed The Hermitage occurred directly from a party that she had been hosting. The shell of the old house and surrounding buildings can still be visited today. One of the main draws of this old property is the legend of the property being haunted. There are ghost tours run throughout the summer with the tour guides telling haunted stories of the land and the surrounding county.
Griffin House is a historic house associated with the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Government
When it became part of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-WentworthHamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth was proclaimed by the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario on January 1, 1974 ....
in 1974, the Town of Ancaster absorbed the Township of Ancaster (including other hamlets like Jerseyville, Lynden and Alberton). The new town had two representatives on the regional council which totaled (with the Regional Chair) about 20 members.
It was amalgamated with the nearby City of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
in 2001. The amalgamation was bitterly and unsuccessfully protested by its residents and those of adjacent communities (such as Dundas
Dundas, Ontario
Dundas is a formerly independent town and now constituent community in the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. It's nickname is the Valley Town. The population has been stable for decades at about twenty thousand, largely because it has not annexed rural land from the protected Dundas Valley...
and Flamborough
Flamborough, Ontario
Flamborough is a former town near, and a current community in, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada....
and Glanbrook), particularly since the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
MPP Toni Skarica
Toni Skarica
Antonio 'Toni' Skarica is a lawyer and former politician in Ontario, Canada. From 1995 to 2000, he was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario....
government had promised in the last election that the amalgamation would not occur.
Skarica resigned in protest, and a local Flamborough Mayor, Ted McMeekin, who led the fight in opposing the amalgamation, won the Liberal party nomination winning the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on an anti-amalgamation platform. Nonetheless, the amalgamation was not rescinded by the Harris government. Despite this, Ancaster residents continue to maintain their own unique identity and generally do not recognize much in the way of affiliation with the greater Hamilton area.
The community is in the Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004....
federal electoral district
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
, represented by David Sweet
David Sweet
David S. Sweet is a Canadian politician who began serving his first term of office in January 2006. He is a former CEO of Promise Keepers Canada.-Political career:...
of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
, and in the Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale (provincial electoral district)
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale is a provincial electoral district in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 2007 provincial election...
provincial electoral district represented by Ted McMeekin
Ted McMeekin
Ted McMeekin is a politician residing in Flamborough Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale for the Liberal Party of Ontario...
of the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
.
Education
Ancaster was part of the Wentworth County Board of Education since its inception, and was covered by the Hamilton-Wentworth District School BoardHamilton-Wentworth District School Board
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is the public school board in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, which was formed January 1, 1997 via the amalgamation of the Hamilton and Wentworth County school boards. HWDSB teaches approximately 50,000 students in its 114 neighbourhood schools...
when it was created in 1998. The town's only public institute of secondary education was Ancaster High School
Ancaster High School
Ancaster High School is a member of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. The school's enrollment for 2009-2010 is 990, with Korean, Urdu, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic being languages of note spoken by students along with English...
until 2005. Today, it is no longer classified as a vocational school, its official name is Ancaster High School. Other secondary schools in Ancaster are Bishop Tonnos Secondary School belonging to the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board is the Roman Catholic school board for the city of Hamilton, Ontario, which includes the former Wentworth County. It operates 60 schools: 53 elementary, and 7 secondary schools.-Secondary schools:...
, and Hamilton District Christian High School.
Public elementary schools in Ancaster include Fessenden, Rousseau, and C.H. Bray (kindergarten to Grade 6) and these students upon graduation generally end up going to Ancaster Senior Public School
Ancaster Senior Public School
Ancaster Senior Public School is a middle school in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. The school was founded in 1968 and had an enrollment of 280 students.-Replacement:...
(grades 7 and 8) except for Ancaster Meadow public elementary students (kindergarten to grade 8). In the Catholic elementary school system, St. Ann's, St. Joachim's and Holy Name of Mary students (kindergarten to grade 8) generally end up at Bishop Tonnos Secondary School.
Post-secondary is only available at Redeemer University College
Redeemer University College
Redeemer University College is an undergraduate Christian Liberal Arts and Science University located in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1982, Redeemer stands in the Reformed Tradition and offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, and Bachelor of Science degrees.-History:The college...
, a Christian institution closely associated with the Christian Reformed Church
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
. It was incorporated in 1980 and began classes in Hamilton two years later. It built a campus in Ancaster in 1986 where it had its first graduating class. It had cooperative relations with McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, which provided some instructors and some cross-listed courses. By 2000, it had acquired its present name and its graduates became B.A.s or B.Sc.s instead of Bachelors of Christian Studies.
Ancaster Public Library, a branch of the Hamilton Public Library System, is located on Wilson St. The library was reopened on November 27, 2006 after an extensive project that involved extending the library to include the entire first floor of the building.
A-1 Academy of driving,a branch of the Hamilton driving system, is also located on Wilson St. The school was opened late 2005.
Sports
The Hamilton Golf and Country Club was founded in 1894 and was originally sited beside the Hamilton Jockey Club (now Centre Mall), moving to Ancaster in 1916. It hosted the PGA tour in 2003 and again in 2006.The Ancaster Rotary Centre is an addition to Morgan Firestone Arena. It includes a full size gym, workout complex, and meeting rooms. The complex is surrounded by the Robert E. Wade Park, which includes four baseball diamonds and five soccer fields. A 10.1 million dollar addition of a second ice rink to Morgan Firestone Arena is meant to be completed by March, 2011.
The Ancaster Little League Park is located on Jerseyville Road. It is a beautiful park comprising three baseball diamonds nestled on the edge of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. In 2010 Ancaster hosted the Canadian Little League Championships and Little League Park was the main venue. There are three diamonds in Little League Park, known locally as T-Ball, Minor and Major. Prior to hosting the Canadian Little League Championships Major diamond undewent a major reconstruction and with help from the City, Province, and Federal Government the diamond was rebuilt with the addition of proper drainage, professional style clay base paths and warning track, a new PA system as well as the construction of a new clubhouse (as of the date of this edit the clubhouse is still incomplete).
Nature
The Hamilton Conservation Authority (sometimes in conjunction with the City of Hamilton) operates several sites in Ancaster. Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum showcases local history (including the area's participation in the Underground RailwayUnderground railway
Underground railway may refer to:*The Underground Railroad, a network of clandestine routes by which African slaves in the 19th century United States attempted to escape*Rapid transit, urban railways that sometimes use tunnels...
), fine arts, gardens and walking paths.
The Bruce Trail
Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern and central Ontario, Canada.-General:The trail follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for almost...
snakes through Ancaster as it links Queenston
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is located 5 km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The community is bordered by Highway 405 and the Niagara River; its location on the Niagara Escarpment led to the establishment of the now-defunct Queenston Quarry in the area...
with Tobermory
Tobermory, Ontario
Tobermory is a small community located at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula in the municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. It is 300 km northwest of Toronto...
. The famous walking path goes through part of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Dundas Valley Conservation Area is located on the Niagara Escarpment in Dundas, Ontario, a constituent community of Hamilton, Ontario, and is owned and operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. Its 40-kilometre trail system provides a connection to the Bruce Trail...
and crosses the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail. These offer four seasons recreation for walkers, cyclists, horse riders, snowshoers and cross country skiers
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
.
Annual events
- Ancaster Community Food Drive (February)
- Paris To Ancaster Bicycle Race (April)
- Lobsterfest (May)
- Ancaster Heritage Days (June)
- Ancaster Old Mill Road Race (June)
- Festival of Friends (August)
- Ancaster Fair (September)
Notable natives and residents
- Bertram BrockhouseBertram BrockhouseBertram Neville Brockhouse, was a Canadian physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for pioneering contributions to the development of neutron scattering techniques for studies of condensed matter", in particular "for the development of neutron spectroscopy".-Life:Brockhouse was...
, Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Winner (PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
) - Bob Cameron, elected to the Canadian Football Hall of FameCanadian Football Hall of FameThe Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 2010. - Bryce DavisonBryce DavisonBryce Davison is an American-Canadian pair skater. With former partner Jessica Dubé, he is a three-time Canadian national champion, the 2008 World bronze medalist and the 2009 Four Continents silver medalist.They represented Canada at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.- Biography :Davison began...
, 2008 Canadian OlympianOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
(Figure SkatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
), 2008 Canadian Champion - Scott DickensScott DickensScott Dickens is a male swimmer from Canada, who mostly competes in the breaststroke events. He claimed two medals at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
, 2004 Canadian OlympianOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
(breastroke), 2007 Pan American GamesPan American GamesThe Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
Gold Medalist - Stephen ElopStephen ElopStephen Elop is the chief executive officer of Nokia Corporation. A Canadian citizen, Elop is the first non-Finn to be named CEO of Nokia. He replaced Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo in this position on September 21, 2010.- Career :...
, president and chief executive of FinnishFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
mobile phone company NokiaNokiaNokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, former head of MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's business software unit. - Sarah Galashan, CTVCTV television networkCTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
Whistler, British ColumbiaWhistler, British ColumbiaWhistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
Bureau Chief. - Paul Intson, Canadian Composer (Music), 2007 Best Original Music Score for an Animated Program or Series
- Jane Johnston SchoolcraftJane Johnston SchoolcraftJane Johnston Schoolcraft, also known as Bamewawagezhikaquay is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was of Ojibwa and Scots-Irish ancestry...
, recognized as the first known Native American literary writer and poet, buried at St. John's Anglican Church (she died in 1842 while visiting a sister.) - Phoebe JudsonPhoebe JudsonPhoebe Goodell Judson was an American pioneer and author. Along with her husband, Holden Judson, she founded the city of Lynden, Washington....
, founder of Lynden, WashingtonLynden, WashingtonLynden is the second largest city in Whatcom County. Named and established in 1874 on the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish , the town of Lynden began as a pioneer settlement headed by Holden and Phoebe Judson and is today home to one of the largest Dutch American communities in the... - Daniel LanoisDaniel LanoisDaniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
, Music Producer (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Peter GabrielPeter GabrielPeter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
). - Michael Lee-ChinMichael Lee-ChinThe Honourable Michael Lee-Chin, OJ is a Jamaican-Canadian investor. He is the founder and Chairman of Portland Holdings Inc., a privately held investment company which owns a collection of diversified operating companies in sectors that include media, tourism, health care telecommunications and...
, one of Canada's wealthiest men - Ron MacLeanRon MacLeanRonald Harold "Ron" MacLean is a Canadian sportscaster for the CBC who is best known as the host of Hockey Night in Canada.-Early life and career:...
, Canadian sportscaster for the CBC. - Marcia MacMillanMarcia MacMillanMarcia MacMillan is a Canadian news anchor for CTV News Channel broadcasting the weekday evening news. She started working for CTV News in November 2005. MacMillan started her broadcasting career as a reporter for MCTV in Sudbury, Ontario then for MCTV in North Bay, Ontario. She then moved on to...
, CTV News Channel - Brad MartinBrad Martin (snowboarder)Brad Martin is a Canadian snowboarder who specializes in the halfpipe. Martin was born and resides in Hamilton, Ontario, currently in the west Hamilton area of Ancaster.-Career:...
, 2008 Canadian Olympian (SnowboardingSnowboardingSnowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
) - Mike McCurlie, Famous Jingle Producer (967-11-11 Pizza Pizza) Leader of "Banned From Heaven"
- Anton Plas, Ancaster Old Mill Road Race — Race Organizer, Since 1983 directed the Ancaster Old Mill Road Race
- Vincent PriceVincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, American film actor noted primarily for horror films who lived in Ancaster during the taping of the children's program The Hilarious House of FrightensteinThe Hilarious House of FrightensteinThe Hilarious House of Frightenstein was a Canadian children's television series produced by Hamilton, Ontario's independent station CHCH-TV in 1971. It was syndicated to television stations across Canada and the United States and occasionally still appears today in some television markets...
for the local Hamilton CHCH-TVCHCH-TVCHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
television station in 1971. - Melissa TancrediMelissa TancrediMelissa Tancredi is a Canadian soccer forward who currently plays for Piteå IF ladies team.-External links:* *...
, 2008 Canadian Olympian (Soccer), Canadian Soccer AssociationCanadian Soccer AssociationThe Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body of soccer in Canada. It is a national organization that oversees the Canadian men's and women's national teams for international play, as well as the respective junior sides...
, Pro Soccer Player - Bob Young, former CEO of Red Hat, Inc.Red HatRed Hat, Inc. is an S&P 500 company in the free and open source software sector, and a major Linux distribution vendor. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina with satellite offices worldwide....
, current owner of the Hamilton Tiger-CatsHamilton Tiger-CatsThe Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium... - Jeffrey Zuccato, FortinosFortinosFortinos is a Canadian supermarket chain operating 20 stores in Ontario . It is part of Loblaw Companies Limited.- History :In 1961, immigrant steelworker John Fortino opened his first Fortinos store in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1972, John took on seven partners and opened a second store on Hamilton...
, Board of Directors