Let’s learn the history behind Milton street names!
Each week, we speak with Milton Historical Society 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 Hannant Court and McCartney Crescent. This week, we’re focusing on Harrison Road and McClenahan Crescent. Starting with Harrison, and keeping the trend from last week, the street is NOT named after a Beatle. Challinor says the street is named after Milton’s first teacher.
He notes that the Harrison family actually arrived in Milton several months before the Martin family, who are prominently viewed as some of Milton’s original settlers.
Back in the early-mid 1800’s, the requirements of becoming a teacher were not as intense as they are now. There was an established basic curriculum in what was considered Upper Canada at the time; however, there was no teacher’s college at the time that certified teachers like today. The profession required acumen and a desire to teach, and Elizabeth Harrison brought that desire with her to what is now Milton.
Regarding whether a school in Milton will be named after Harrison, Challinor says he and the MHS have proposed the idea to the Halton District School Board (HDSB) on several occasions. When noting the existence of Harrison Public School (unclear if connected) in Georgetown, he notes that that school could be the reason why Elizabeth Harrison doesn’t have a school named after her in Milton.
Moving on to another street named after a local educator, Challinor says McClenahan Crescent is named after a man who dedicated most of his life to bettering the lives of local school children.
McClenahan served as clerk for the surrogate court of Halton county until his passing. In his life, he also worked with the Milton Public Library and as an auditor for the Halton Children’s Aid Society.
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.
