Brown's Corners, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Brown's Corners is an unincorporated community in Markham
, Ontario
, Canada
and located near the corner of Woodbine Avenue
and Highway 7
. The community, founded in 1842, was named for local settler Alexander Brown, Sr. (1771–1851) who acquired 100 acres (40.5 ha) in 1838.
The community is mixed into another unincorporated community of Buttonville, Ontario
.
, which purchased the land from the British Crown in 1828.
Following the establishment of the farming community, the area became vibrant in the 19th century and into the early 20th century. The hub of the community was Browns Presbyterian Church, with land donated by Brown and located next to his farm. The church included an adjacent cemetery. It became a United Church in 1925. The community also organized an Orange Lodge in the 1830, which continued well into the 1900s.
By the 1960s, farms began to disappeared giving way to industrial and retail development in the 1970s and 1980s.
The original Brown homestead was sold in 1968 by Harvey Brown (1938–2004) to developers. The historical community has all but disappeared. A few homes north of Apple Creek Drive and the church at Frontenac Drive are all that remain of the past.
Lost heritage buildings of the community include the Galloway House 1858-1995, and Brown’s Corners Inn or The Derry West Hotel c. 1877.
A list of business located in the area and on the former Brown's farm:
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...
, 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...
and located near the corner of Woodbine Avenue
Woodbine Avenue (Ontario)
Woodbine Avenue consists of two north-south road sections in central Ontario:# The southern section in Toronto begins near Ashbridges Bay on the shore of Lake Ontario, at Lake Shore Boulevard...
and Highway 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...
. The community, founded in 1842, was named for local settler Alexander Brown, Sr. (1771–1851) who acquired 100 acres (40.5 ha) in 1838.
The community is mixed into another unincorporated community of Buttonville, Ontario
Buttonville, Ontario
Buttonville is a suburban community part of Unionville within the Town of Markham in York Region, directly north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the western part of Unionville. The population is presently about 30,000. Rouge River is to the northeast and Buttonville Airport is...
.
History
Prior to 1838, the lands was known as Crown patent to Lot 11, Concession 3 and was owned by King's CollegeUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, which purchased the land from the British Crown in 1828.
Following the establishment of the farming community, the area became vibrant in the 19th century and into the early 20th century. The hub of the community was Browns Presbyterian Church, with land donated by Brown and located next to his farm. The church included an adjacent cemetery. It became a United Church in 1925. The community also organized an Orange Lodge in the 1830, which continued well into the 1900s.
By the 1960s, farms began to disappeared giving way to industrial and retail development in the 1970s and 1980s.
The original Brown homestead was sold in 1968 by Harvey Brown (1938–2004) to developers. The historical community has all but disappeared. A few homes north of Apple Creek Drive and the church at Frontenac Drive are all that remain of the past.
Lost heritage buildings of the community include the Galloway House 1858-1995, and Brown’s Corners Inn or The Derry West Hotel c. 1877.
New Brown's Corner
The area once was once farm land and has given way to commercial development. Outlet malls are now found near the former community. All that remains of the old settlement is the Brown's Corner United Church with the small cemetery and Alexander Brown House (built in 1858 by Brown's son) at 8980 Woodbine Aveune.A list of business located in the area and on the former Brown's farm:
- Hyundai Canada
- Michael Angelo's - located at the former Knob Hill FarmsKnob Hill FarmsKnob Hill Farms was a supermarket chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by Steve Stavro, and operated from 1951 to 2001.-Community grocery stores:...
Markham Food Terminal - Seneca CollegeSeneca CollegeSeneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
- formerly Allstate InsuranceAllstateThe Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993... - Toronto/Buttonville Municipal AirportToronto/Buttonville Municipal AirportButtonville Municipal Airport or Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport is a medium-sized airport in Buttonville, Ontario, Canada, within Markham, bordering Richmond Hill and north of downtown Toronto. It is operated by Toronto Airways Limited. Due to its proximity to Toronto's suburbs, there are...