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18 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 17, 2007 History of Bronte Village Officially founded in 1834, the Village of Bronte was named as a tribute to British Naval Hero, Admiral Nelson, who was granted the "Duchy of Bronte" in Sicily for his naval victories. Some of Bronte's original settlers were United Empire Loyalists. Many of the streets were named for these founding fathers such as Sovereign, Hixon, Nelson and Belyea. These names can still be found in families that continue to reside in the village. Bronte's first harbour was completed 22 years after the village was founded. For years it was a commercial shipping centre for grain and timber but with the coming of the railway, the villagers turned to commercial fishing and, in the late 18th century, Bronte became a fishing port. Another notable resident of the village was the world famous author, Mazo de la Roche, whose works, the "Jalna Series", have been widely read around the world. She wrote these books while she and her family lived in one of the founding fathers' homes, the Sovereign House. This home has been preserved and is home to the Bronte Historical Society and is open to the public. From its small beginnings to the changes that have passed through the village over the years, it is a pleasant mix of old and new. In 1954 Bronte Village officially became part of the Town of Oakville. Today, Bronte is in the midst of a renaissance as a thriving centre of commerce, tourism, and development. The incredible demand for residential and commercial establishment in Bronte Village has spurred local media attention and redevelopment projects to meet the overwhelming demand. Trafalgar Township - where it all started While Oakville' 150th birthday is certainly something to celebrate, many residents of this community are descendants of early families who came to what was then known as Trafalgar Township to establish farms, mills and stage coach stops along Dundas Road, the King's highway. In fact last year, the newly established Trafalgar Township Historical Society held a Family Day to celebrate Trafalgar Township's 200th anniversary. At Family Day costumed actors representing Dr. Anson Buck, famous for, among other things, stopping a cholera epidemic, Dr. Eva Fischer, one of Ontario's earliest female doctors and the irascible Laurence Hager who would stomp back and forth between competing Methodist churches depending on which pastor's sermon annoyed him, strolled among the 250 visitors telling stories based on the family histories of area residents. Taking place at a one-room schoolhouse on Dundas that the Trafalgar Township Historical Society is in the process of renovating, the day marked a celebration of the agricultural history of north Oakville. All of the community we now know as Oakville was once Trafalgar Township. Building in the area began after the lands from the Mississauga Purchase were surveyed in 1806 and made available to settlers. The area was named Trafalgar Township, in honour of the defeat of the Spanish and French fleets by the British at the Battle of Trafalgar. Many villages sprang up along Dundas Street and around crossroads and mills. By 1810 settlers were building schools and churches in villages like Munns, Postville, Palermo, Sixteen Village/Proudfoot Hollow. In 1857, the southern part of Trafalgar Township known as Oakville, reached the necessary threshold of 2,000 residents and became its own town. Still, leaving out the pocket of Old Oakville, Trafalgar Township continued to encompass the lands south to the lake as far east as Winston Churchill, as far west as Burloak and north to Steeles. Although the name of Trafalgar lives on in the name of our hospital, its existence as a municipality ended with its amalgamation with Oakville in 1962, however, it is remembered by the Kaittings and Inglehardts, the Featherstones and Fords, the Fish and Posts and many other Oakville residents descended from families who made their homes in Merton and Sheridan and other hamlets you can no longer find on a map. Capturing the history of those families and the stories of their daily lives in the area's early communities is what the Trafalgar Township Historical Society is all about. In conjunction with Oakville Library, the Society has scanned historic photos from Trafalgar families and made them available online. As well, the Society has produced a book based on the oral histories of these families; has begun to catalogue the homes, farmsteads and other important built features in North Oakville; is preserving a oneroom schoolhouse and is planning its next Family Day. The Trafalgar Township Historical Society is a active group that is interested in welcoming anyone with an interest in history, a desire to help renovate the schoolhouse or a desire to help plan a fun, family event for the community. For more information please contact Michelle Knoll at 905-257-9080. 5 of Many things going CORBETTS 1 ALWAYS GREAT SERVICE, SELECTION AND PRICE ON YOUR SKI, SNOWBOARD, OUTERWEAR AND ACCESSORY NEEDS 2 BUS TRIPS TO ELLICOTTVILLE N.Y. · FEB 20TH ONLY 5 SEATS LEFT · MARCH 6TH WAIT LIST FOR 2ND BUS 3 SKI AND SNOWBOARD SWAP NOW ON AT RERUNS BUY FROM USED AND NEW SKI AND SNB. EQUIPMENT 4 SKI HOLIDAY VALLEY N.Y. 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