During the last fifty years, several small communities in East Flamborough Township have almost disappeared. Progreston, once known as “one of the busiest milling spots on the Twelve Mile Creek”1 is today just a collection of houses that is rapidly being engulfed by the construction of new homes. Little appears to remain of the once prosperous village. But during the 1860s and 1870s, Progreston developed rapidly due to the construction of several small mills that took advantage of the sixteen foot drop in the Twelve Mile Creek at this point. Saw mills, grist mills, a woollen mill and a shoe peg factory were among the businesses that brought prosperity to this settlement, that at one time numbered as many as 180 people. The village dates from the 1850s when Andrew Patton, James Kievel, Joseph Tansley and William Campbell planned the community around the water power of the creek. Several fine houses and mill buildings were built during the next sixty years, of which few now remain. This Heritage Paper looks at some of the interesting and historic buildings still to be seen in the area.
The village of Progreston may be reached via Progreston Road off Centre Road, Progreston Road North off Carlisle Road, or Green Spring Road off the Eighth Concession Road. Progreston Road is approximately thirty-five to forty-five years old, and was built to service new homes that were built in the area after the end of World War II. During the last twenty years, further house building has taken place, with a small subdivision presently being constructed off Progreston Road North.
The Blain House at 1408 Progreston Road North is set well back from the road. Originally a Tansley home, the rear part dates from the late 1840s when the family came to East Flamborough Township from Northamptonshire. The brick section of the house dates from 1906 and was built by Hall Gunby for his son Spencer. The reputed cost of brick laying and plastering the house by Freeman Marcy was $1,000.00 — a very large sum of money to spend on a house in 1906. The Gunby family lived in the home for a number of years. The shoe peg factory was located at the rear of their property — here maple wood pegs for use in shoe making instead of nails were produced and Congregational Church meetings were regularly held in the front yard. The fine farm barn to the side of the house, dates from 1888, and a stone face carved by local Indians is incorporated in the foundations.
Across the road from the Blain home, and close to the junction of Progreston and Green Spring Roads is Evergreen Farm, the former home of Mrs. Howard Green. Built by Freeman Green in 1869-1870 when the family moved to East Flamborough Township and established a woollen mill. This beautiful white board and batten home is possibly the oldest house in Progreston, and is virtually unaltered from the time of its construction. The land Freeman Green purchased contained a small four roomed house and a vacant building built for a grist mill — this was equipped to become the Progreston Woollen Mill, and the small house was remodelled to become the Green home. Set back from the road, and on a slight hill, this one and a half storey home has two steep-pitched gables, each containing identical round-headed windows. The original four panelled front door has a very old lock and a remarkable decorated metal door bell. Above this is a beautiful porch decorated with ornate gingerbread trim.
Across the driveway of this property, there was a small casket factory, where Ira and Charles Green, two of Freeman’s six sons who were undertakers, established a flourishing business that served the surrounding area and the City of Hamilton. Peter Green, son of Freeman, who had taken over the business in 1885, went into the honey business following the disastrous fire of 1911 that destroyed the woollen mill. There were outside apiaries, and farmers brought 100 lb. milk cans to be filled at extracting time. The property was set about with fruit trees and currant bushes, all being taken to be marketed in Hamilton.2
Flowing along the south side of the Green property is the Twelve Mile Creek. Besides supplying the power for the mills, the creek is noted for its fishing. It is one of the areas most popular brown and speckled trout fishing streams. The ‘drop’ of the creek at Bennett’s Dam was at one time a favoured haunt of artists and camera enthusiasts, but lower water levels have revealed the all too common dumping of garbage along the banks. Some foundations of the Green Woollen Mill are still evident beside the water on the south side of that house, and the flume to the Bennett Feed Mill is still in place below the dam.
The south portion of Progreston Road had several springs of wonderful pure water at one time, but today, a sign on Green Spring Road warns people the water is no longer safe. Along the side of this road is a water trough, first built in the 1870s by the Green family to carry pure spring water. In 1920, this cement trough was built by Howard Green and two neighbours, Spencer Bennett and John Gastle. This spring water was known far and wide, people coming from Oakville, Toronto, Grimsby and Hamilton to fill their containers. According to Mrs. Winnifred Green, doctors even sent their patients here for the water.3
Any member of the Society, or residents of the area with additional information on these properties is requested to contact the Archivist. Next paper — Green Spring Road Buildings.
© The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society 1989, 2021.
