A Brief History of King Township
1787
King Township and York County are purchased by the English from the Mississauga through the Toronto Purchase Act. The new Township is named after Major John King, an English Under-Secretary of State.
1801
The Crown grants 200 acres of land each to United Empire Loyalists to encourage resettlement after the American Revolution. Dorothy Burger is one of the first females to be granted a plot of land in King Township. Her property, with a wide ravine and a beautiful stream, will later power the mills of Kettleby.
1812
The first settlers reside in a new hamlet named after Joseph Noble (Nobleton), who builds his store and homestead at the corner of the 9th Concession and King Sideroad. Joseph is the first tavern keeper and his brother, Thomas, will become the village’s first postmaster in 1851.
1839
The four Brown brothers settle north of Lloydtown on Lot 26th at the 8th Concession. Through their individual interests in farming, mills and commerce, the village of Brownsville is established and thrives. In 1862 the village name is changed to Schomberg, after the Duke of Schomberg who fell during the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
1842
Septimus Tyrwhitt buys 46 acres of land from Jacob Tool and builds a large flour mill, a woolen mill, an oatmeal mill, a cooperage, and a distillery. Many begin to call the busy new community Tyrwhitt’s Mills, but the family prefers the name Kettleby, after their family’s ancestral home in the UK.
1847
Elihu Pease buys 16 acres at the corner of Jane St and King Road as a tannery site. The large tannery attracts new businesses, inns, a church and the British Hotel tavern. The steep hill to the west of the Humber will be known as “Tannery Hill” and the bustling little settlement will be given the name Kinghorn.
1853
The Northern Railway passes through the Hamlet of Springhill and King Train Station is built. Today, the station is the oldest surviving train station in Canada, and can be found on the grounds of the King Township Museum.
1900
George Phillips buys Hogan’s Hotel and establishes a horse-drawn bus service between the railway station and the hotel, which sits at the four corners of King City. Crossley Hall is opened in King City and becomes a popular social meeting place and the focal point for many political campaigns. The Hall will welcome many famous speakers of the day including Prime Minister Mackenzie King.
1914
341 men and women from King Township enlist to join the war efforts of World War 1.
