Mr. Griffin’s toll road

For the early residents of Waterdown and East Flamborough Township, travel to Hamilton via Waterdown Road or through Dundas was a long and difficult journey. A direct route became an ever-increasing need as the village and township prospered, largely Read more

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The long and winding road

Long known as one of the most scenic roads in the Hamilton area, Snake Road today climbs the Niagara Escarpment between Plains Road and Waterdown in a series of twists and turns over a length of road that is Read more

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La Salle’s journey, Part 2

The landing

On September 18, 1669, a small French expedition led by Robert Cavalier, Seigneur de la Salle, landed somewhere at the western end of Lake Ontario en route to the Indian village of Tinawatawa. It was believed that Read more

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La Salle’s journey, Part 1

During the sixteenth and seventeenth century, several noted European explorers sailed westwards in a belief that they would discover a route to the Orient. Among those who crossed the Atlantic hoping to discover that a passageway existed was Robert Read more

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Chapel on the Rock, Part 3

From the first days of settlement, the Methodist church was central in the lives of the Rock Chapel community. The congregation was one of the earliest to be established at the Head-of-the-Lake and although there was no church building Read more

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Taming Rock Chapel, Part 2

When the survey of West Flamborough Township was completed in 1793, this southeastern section of the township fronted onto the triangular water body that became known as Coote’s Paradise, so Concession 1 contained land that was almost entirely below Read more

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Taming Rock Chapel, Part 1

The little settlement of Rock Chapel, located close to the brow of the Niagara Escarpment in the southeast corner of West Flamborough Township, covers just a small area – but its landscape tells the story of a rich geological Read more

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Building Waterdown

The life of Alexander Brown, Part 2

In 1819, Alexander Brown was among the residents of East Flamborough Township who signed the circulated questionnaire from Robert Gourlay, commenting on the conditions and incentives for those interested in settling in Read more

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Settling Flamborough

The life of Alexander Brown, Part 1

The first European settler to establish himself on the escarpment in East Flamborough Township was Alexander Brown. Born in the Parish of Glencairn, Dumfriesshire, Scotland on December 24, 1776, he was just Read more

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Murder on tap

Between 1860 and 1870, the commercial section of Dundas Street was filled with hotels and taverns; directory listings of Waterdown businesses record that there were as many as eight hotels in operation during this decade – one more than Read more

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