Nairn Circle street sign (via Google Maps)
We have two streets named after pioneer farming families in Milton.
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society (MHS) President John Challinor II to gather information and details about the namesakes of our roads. If you weren’t aware, he and the late great historian, Jim Dills, wrote the book on Milton street names, writing Milton Streets back in 2007.
Recently, we covered Dias Landing and Heaven Crescent. This week, we’re looking at Haws Crescent and Nairn Circle.
Starting alphabetically with Haws, Challinor says the name comes from one of the first families to settle down in this area.
Challinor adds that it’s pretty remarkable to look back and see how far the area has come in roughly 20 years, let alone the last 200 years. He suspects that these pioneering families wouldn’t have been able to predict 130,000+ people living in Milton all these years later.
Our other street this week is Nairn Circle. Challinor talks about what the MHS knows about the Nairn family.
If you’re looking to understand how Milton’s streets are named, you should check out the book written by Challinor and Dills. Published by the Milton Historical Society back in 2007, it sold out in about six weeks and has since been long out of print. That said, according to Challinor, you can still find a copy at the Milton Public Library. With nearly 15-years having passed since the initial publication, and the extensive town growth in that time, an updated book is likely to come.
You can also take a walk with the late Jim Dills down Milton’s Main Street in 2002.
If you have a suggestion on what you’d like to learn about next week, let us know! We’re currently working on names that we find interesting. You can message our Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram page, or even email us at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. Otherwise, we’ll just continue asking about local street names that we find interesting.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
