Locust Hill, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Locust Hilll is an historic community of Markham, Ontario
centred on Hwy. 7
and the Canadian Pacific Railway
and within the boundaries of the future national Rouge Park
.
. The hamlet, centred on lots 10 and 11, concession 10, had a general store, blacksmith shop and, in 1856, a Methodist Church
as well. A brick schoolhouse was built in 1864, a post office was opened in 1886, and the present church structure was built in 1890.
Locust Hill only became a place of significance with the arrival of the Ontario and Quebec Railway
in the 1884, linking Toronto
with Peterborough
. Area business leaders from Whitevale
and Green River petitioned to create a railway station at Locust Hill. The hamlet and station were named after the farm of William and Esther Reesor Armstrong, where locust trees were a prominent feature.
Locust Hill was one of the busiest stations on the Toronto-Perth line. Flour, brushes, livestock and milk were shipped out of Locust Hill in quantity. In 1887 an elevator and mill were built east of the station, and a co-operative creamery was built on the south side of Highway 7 in 1893. Rail service throuogh Locust Hill ceased in 1969. The old Locust Hill Station has been relocated and reconstructed at the Markham Museum and Historic Village.
. The park will completely encompass the community of Locust Hill.
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
centred on Hwy. 7
Ontario Highway 7
King's Highway 7, commonly referred to as Highway 7 and historically as the Northern Highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario...
and the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and within the boundaries of the future national Rouge Park
Rouge Park
Rouge Park will become an urban national park located along the border of Toronto and Pickering, Ontario, Canada. It will be Canada's first national park within a municipality....
.
History
Locust Hill was first settled about 1799 by Samuel Reynolds, a United Empire Loyalist from Dutchess County, New YorkDutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
. The hamlet, centred on lots 10 and 11, concession 10, had a general store, blacksmith shop and, in 1856, a Methodist Church
Methodist Church of Canada
The Methodist Church of Canada was a united church formed in 1884 and comprising most former Methodist denominations in Canada including some that had been active along Canada's eastern coast and north of the St...
as well. A brick schoolhouse was built in 1864, a post office was opened in 1886, and the present church structure was built in 1890.
Locust Hill only became a place of significance with the arrival of the Ontario and Quebec Railway
Ontario and Quebec Railway
The Ontario and Quebec Railway is a historic Canadian railway located in eastern Ontario.The railway had received a charter in 1881 and the Canadian Pacific Railway gained control, building the O&Q line between Perth and Toronto...
in the 1884, linking 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...
with Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
. Area business leaders from Whitevale
Whitevale, Ontario
Whitevale is a hamlet located in the city of Pickering in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada.-History:Whitevale was an excellent example of nineteenth-century industry concentrating by a power source and then expanding of its own accord....
and Green River petitioned to create a railway station at Locust Hill. The hamlet and station were named after the farm of William and Esther Reesor Armstrong, where locust trees were a prominent feature.
Locust Hill was one of the busiest stations on the Toronto-Perth line. Flour, brushes, livestock and milk were shipped out of Locust Hill in quantity. In 1887 an elevator and mill were built east of the station, and a co-operative creamery was built on the south side of Highway 7 in 1893. Rail service throuogh Locust Hill ceased in 1969. The old Locust Hill Station has been relocated and reconstructed at the Markham Museum and Historic Village.
Future: Rouge National Park
While much of the Town of Markham has become residential, the land immediately around Locust Hill is still in agricultural use. In 2011 the Canadian federal government announced plans to create a national Rouge ParkRouge Park
Rouge Park will become an urban national park located along the border of Toronto and Pickering, Ontario, Canada. It will be Canada's first national park within a municipality....
. The park will completely encompass the community of Locust Hill.