Development Approval and Planning Policy Department
Policy and Sustainability Section
Heritage Office
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Brief
History of the Town
Built Heritage
Resources Inventory Report 2008
Caledon
Heritage Foundation
Criteria
for the Identification of Cultural Heritage Landscapes (Final Report)
Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory
Report
Cultural
Heritage Policies
Designated
Heritage Property Grant Program Guidelines
Designated
Heritage Property Grant Program Application
Designation of Heritage
Properties
Heritage
Caledon
Heritage
Caledon – Terms of Reference
Heritage Register
Heritage Resource Office
Heritage Signage Programs
Historic Cemeteries
Index to “The Story of Albion” by Esther Heyes
Local Historical Societies
Municipally-owned Heritage Sites
OPA
211 - Rockside Cultural Heritage Landscape Policies,
OPA
211 - Schedule A
Rockside
Cultural Heritage Landscape Study
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The Town of
Caledon is an area with dramatic and significant landforms, major river
systems and a landscape that is rich with evidence of its human history. Its
cultural heritage resources range from tangible built heritage features, open
spaces, streetscapes and land uses to intangible cultural perceptions and
oral histories. Non-renewable in nature, these cultural heritage resources
contribute significantly to the character, civic pride, tourism potential,
economic benefits and historical appreciation of our community.
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The development
and implementation of heritage conservation policies, programs and activities
are coordinated by the Heritage Resource Office in cooperation with Heritage
Caledon, the Town’s municipal heritage committee.
For information regarding heritage property
designation, sound conservation practices, available local histories and
research, pioneer cemetery records, heritage inventories and other heritage
matters, contact Sally
Drummond, Heritage Resource Officer (905) 584-2272 x.4243
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Brief History of the Town of
Caledon
The Town of Caledon
was established on January 1, 1974 in conjunction with the creation of regional
government. Representing an
amalgamation of the former County of Peel townships of Albion, Caledon and the
northern half of Chinguacousy, the Town of Caledon forms the northern
municipality of the present Region of Peel. The name ‘Caledon’ was chosen through public referendum in 1973;
the other choices on the ballot were ‘Albion’ and ‘Cardwell’, the latter being
an historic electoral district from 1867-1908 that encompassed the Town of Orangeville
and four neighbouring townships.
The County of Peel
was created in 1805 following the purchase by the British Crown of the southern
part of the Mississauga Tract on the shore of Lake Ontario. The former townships of Albion, Caledon and
Chinguacousy were established as part of the ‘New Survey’ of the County of
Peel, which greatly extended the northern boundary of the county following
purchase of the remainder of the Mississauga Tract in 1818. The lot and concession grid pattern of the
‘New Survey’ was distinct from that of the ‘Old Survey’, with a different
orientation of concessions and lot dimensions. The 200 acre lots of the ‘New Survey’ were typically granted in
square 100 acre parcels, a configuration intended to facilitate farming and
access to transportation corridors.
Surveyed in
1818-1819, the townships of Albion, Caledon and Chinguacousy were opened for
settlement in 1820. Albion Township comprised eleven concessions laid out west
to east. In Caledon and Chinguacousy
townships, six concessions were laid out on either side of Hurontario Street,
also known as Centre Road (and currently known as Provincial Highway 10). As
this centre baseline duplicated the numbering of the concessions, concessions
in these two townships were further denoted by ‘West of Hurontario Street’
(WHS) or ‘East of Hurontario Street’ (EHS).
Early settlements
in the townships developed around water-powered mill sites on the Credit and
Humber rivers, and at various crossroads. The arrival of the Toronto Grey &
Bruce, Hamilton & Northwestern and Credit Valley railways in the 1870s
spurred further settlements at various junctions. Development was also
influenced by the area’s major landforms, including the Peel Plain, the Niagara
Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. While some historic hamlets have
disappeared over time, Caledon’s present-day communities continue to reflect
early settlement patterns.
Index to “The Story of Albion” by
Esther Heyes
Heritage
Resource Office
The Heritage Resource Office of the Development Approval and Planning Policy
Department works to promote and conserve the Town’s cultural heritage
resources, including built heritage, archaeological resources and cultural
heritage landscapes.
The Heritage Resource Officer advises on the cultural heritage component of
land development applications and works with proponents and the public in
realizing viable heritage conservation strategies. In conjunction with Heritage Caledon, (the Municipal Heritage
Committee), the HRO initiates and supports opportunities to enhance awareness
and appreciation of the Town’s heritage through implementation of appropriate
heritage policies, designations and programs.
Please contact the HRO for information regarding heritage property
designation, sound conservation practices, available local histories and
research, pioneer cemetery records, heritage inventories and other heritage
matters.
We can be reached Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at (905)
584-2272 or by email.
Our mailing address is:
Town of Caledon
6311 Old Church Road
Caledon, ON
L7C 1J6
Cultural Heritage Policies
Caledon’s cultural
heritage resources represent many thousands of years of human settlement
history, and may be of local, regional, provincial or national interest. Various
pieces of Provincial legislation require cultural heritage resource
conservation to be recognized in the land use planning process.
New and expanded
cultural heritage policies for the Town of Caledon were approved by the Ontario
Municipal Board in 2004. Organized around the three key cultural heritage
components of built heritage resources, archaeological resources and cultural
heritage landscapes, these policies have been incorporated as Section 3.2 of Caledon’s
Official Plan.
Designation of Heritage
Properties
One of the most important
tools used by the Town of Caledon to protect heritage resources is the
designation of individual properties under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Designation denotes a public recognition of
the cultural heritage value and significance of buildings, sites or other
cultural landscape features.
Our heritage
buildings and other cultural heritage landscape features are among the most tangible
remnants of early settlement and development in this area. From quaint old
homes and commercial buildings in our villages and hamlets to former industrial
sites, solitary farmsteads and outbuildings, and fences and hedgerows along
rural roads, these resources provide us with a link to Caledon’s rich past as
well as a sense of continuity in our rapidly changing world.
Properties are
designated for reason of cultural heritage value, and must exhibit integrity of
form, location, craftsmanship and materials. Designation affords some
protection against demolition and provides the community a certain level of
control with respect to conserving our cultural heritage, ensuring that the
property cannot be altered in any manner that would jeopardize its identified
heritage features without approval.
The Town has over 100
properties which have been protected through designation or are pending
designation. To encourage and help raise awareness of the conservation of
Caledon’s heritage, all buildings designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act are marked with an
oval metal plaque. Two of Caledon’s more unique heritage property designations
include a dry stone wall built by early Scottish settlers and an Osage Orange
roadside hedgerow.
Heritage Signage Programs
Caledon’s Heritage
Resource Office is working with Heritage Caledon in the development of a variety
of interpretive signage programs to promote local heritage awareness and
appreciation. Hand-painted Village
Heritage Plaques note the original owner or best known occupant, use and date
of construction or business of various historic village buildings; Historic
Hamlet Road Signs depict settlement dates and the origin of place names; and,
Commemorative Heritage Plaques relate the history of former heritage sites or
events in text and photographs.
Historic Cemeteries
The Town of Caledon
maintains a number of early pioneer cemeteries that are closed and no longer
associated with an active church. An inventory of these cemeteries, together
with headstone records for these and a handful of known farm burial sites, is
held by the Heritage Resource Office.
Following upon a condition assessment of the Town-maintained cemeteries
in 2006, the Town is undertaking a multi-year restoration program.
Caledon Heritage Foundation
Website: www.caledonheritagefoundation.com
In 2000, in honour of retiring Heritage Resource Officer Heather Broadbent, the
Town established the Caledon Heritage Trust Fund for the purpose of promoting
cultural heritage conservation through the development of a designated heritage
property grants, educational programs, and special projects. In 2006, the Trust Fund was incorporated as
the not-for-profit Caledon Heritage Foundation. The Foundation is the primary fund-raising
and administrative body for special heritage projects and endowed heritage
conservation programming. It
administers the new Designated Property Grant Program with base funding
provided by the Town, and is working with the municipality in pursuing funding
for the re-erection of the c.1845 Kerr Log House as a Community Heritage Centre. For more information on membership and Foundation activities, contact Co-Chairs
Errill O'Hara or Diana
Hillman by writing
to the Caledon Heritage Foundation, P.O. Box 83, Station Caledon East, Caledon
ON L7C 3L8.
Municipally-owned Heritage
Sites
TheTownowns four
designated heritage properties: the c.1837 Melville White Church, the c.1853
St. Andrew’s Stone Church, the c.1872 Rosehill Schoolhouse and the c.1874 Old
Caledon Township Hall. Through agreements with the Town, two local historical
groups, the Belfountain Heritage Society and the Friends of St. Andrew’s, are
undertaking restoration of the two former churches for use as community venues.
Local Historical Societies
Albion-Bolton Historical Society
Contact: Raymond
Bottoms, President (905) 857-1369
The Albion-Bolton
Historical Society was established in 1974 and is an affiliate of the Ontario
Historical Society. The objectives of
the Society are to arouse interest in the story of the people and places of the
district of Albion-Bolton; to collect, classify, edit and preserve information
on the history of the area; and, to disseminate its knowledge and material to
the general public by publishing information and holding public meetings. The Albion-Bolton Historical Society has in
its care an extensive collection of early Bolton photographs. It holds regular meetings throughout the
fall, winter and spring, usually on the third Monday of each month and has a
variety of guest speakers on many diverse and interesting topics pertinent to
the heritage of the area. Each year, the first Sunday in June – rain or shine,
a walking tour is planned visiting a different part of town. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Belfountain Heritage Society
Website: www.belfountainheritage.com
The Belfountain
Heritage Society was formed in 1992 to protect and preserve the heritage of the
hamlet of Belfountain and surrounding area. It became affiliated with the
Ontario Historical Society in 1994, and is incorporated. The Society is made up
of residents of Belfountain and nearby villages. The BHS has several on-going
projects, including:
● restoration of the c.1837 Melville White Church (the Society’s largest
project)
● protection of heritage properties in Belfountain and area
● restoration and upgrading of the c.1894 Belfountain Community Hall
● recognition of heritage properties in Belfountain by placement of
heritage plaques on buildings.
BHS Executive:
President – Sarah
Bohan (519) 316-0060
Vice-President – Brian
Moorcroft (519) 927-9519
Secretary – Lynn Wood (519) 927-5921
Treasurer – Norm
Wrycraft (519) 927-3298
Caledon East & District Historical Society
Contact: George
Judge, President (905) 584-1341
Caledon East & District Historical Society, Box 37, Caledon ON L7C 3L8
The Caledon East and
District History Society, forerunner of the Caledon East and District
Historical Society, was formed in the winter of 1984-85 when a small group of
history buffs decided to make their informal recreation room get-togethers open
to the community. The first public
meeting was held September 1985 in the St. James Parish hall. In early 1987,
the group officially became affiliated with the Ontario Historical
Society. Meetings are held at 7:30
p.m. on the last Wednesday of January, March, May, September and November. The current membership is approximately 90
and meetings are presently held in the St. James Anglican Church Hall on Old
Church Road in Caledon East. New members are always welcome. Membership
fee is $20. As described in its constitution, the Society’s mission is
to:
● promote and
stimulate interest in the history of the people and places of Caledon East and
district:
● collect, classify, edit and preserve information relating to this
district
● disseminate material so collected by publishing, holding meetings for
the presentation of papers and discussion, and by marking historic sites
Caledon Village Heritage
Contact: Fay McCrea (519) 927-5370
Caledon Village Heritage has compiled a
Walking Tour of the village and presented plaques to the owners of ten
historical buildings. There are six designated heritage structures in the
village. A records collection of the oral and pictorial history of the village
and surrounding area is in progress. To contribute photographs, etc., please
contact Fay McCrea.
Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory Report
(2009)
● Cultural Heritage
Landscape Inventory Report (2009)
● Table of Contents
● Section 1
● Section 2
● Section 3
● Section 4
● Section 5
● Section 6
● Section 7
● Section 8
● Section 9
● Section 10
● Section 11
● Section 12
● Section 13
● Section 14
● Section 15
● Section 16
