Chinguacousy Lodge in Brampton
The long-serving Secretary of Chinguacousy Lodge No 738, Bro Roman Lipovsek, was awarded his William Mercer Wilson Medal for his service to Freemasonry on this evening, not having ever sat as an officer during his Masonic career, only serving for the cause of good, and it was an evening well attended by many of his friends, family members and Masons, and many current Grand Lodge Officers - such is the nature of our Craft. To receive this medal is an honour and to see someone in lodge wearing one is indeed rare. The presentation was attended also by the lodge's two Brampton city councillors, as well as the Acting Mayor, who presented - after lodge was closed - a certificate acknowledging and honouring Bro Liposek's achievement.
"Land of Tall Pines", Chinguacousy Lodge, was Instituted on June 22, 1987, and Constituted on November 19, 1988. When the Grand Lodge of Canada West was formed, independent of the Grand Lodge of England, in October 1855, William Mercer Wilson became the first grand master. It was largely through his encouragement that the rival Ancient Grand Lodge under Sir Allan MacNab, which was formed from the Provincial Grand Lodge when it too broke away from the English lodge, joined the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1858. Wilson was grand master until 1860 and was again elected to this position for 1866–68 and from 1872 until his death in 1875.
In addition to the Grand Master, MWBro David J. Cameron, joining me in the East - in the Land of Tall Pines - were Grand Junior Warden, RWBro Mark Kapitan, Grand Chaplain, RWBro Tom Haight, Grand Director of Ceremonies, RWBro Dan Graham and Grand Registrar, RW Bro Roy Hardy, as well as quite a few Members of the Board of General Purposes: RWBro Tom Siemiernik, RWBro Richard Kaufman, RWBro David Armstrong and RWBro Peter Sialtsis, not to mention two Past Grand Master, MWBro Ronald Groshaw and MWBro Terence Shand, and several DDGMs, inclcuding the DD from Toronto West District, and the DD from Toronto East.
According to the lodge's website, The township is believed to have been named in honour of Chief Chinguacousy under whose leadership Fort Michilimacinac was captured from the Americans in the War of 1812.
Although heavily covered with pine forests in the early days, the area developed into prime agricultural land. The Etobicoke and Credit Rivers flowing through the township in a southerly direction provided abundant waterpower in the early period of settlement, which began after 1818, when a large tract of land was purchased by the Crown from the Indians.
The township was surveyed in 1819 and land was granted to descendants of United Empire Loyalists and immigrants from the British Isles and the United States.
Charles Haines, in 1828, erected one of the earliest mills in the township at Cheltenham. James Curry’s mill, built about the same time, stood near Norval.
Chinguacousy’s first township clerk was John Scott, appointed in 1821. He was followed by William Johnson in 1822 who held the office for twenty years. In those days the town clerk was the head of local government. Other municipal officers elected at the first “town meeting” of the township’s citizens were: Amos Stafford and Asa Ingram, assessors; James Curry, tax collector; John Laffler, John Tolfray, James Buntan, Robert Trimble, pathmasters; James Buntan, poundkeeper.
By the mid-1800’s the township had a population of about 7,000 settled in small villages and hamlets such as Cheltenham, Victoria, Tullamore, Terra Cotta, Snelgrove and Campbell’s Cross. Township farms produced large wheat crops and manufacturers made, among other goods, barrel staves and timber products. All this, including raw timber, was hauled to Port Credit from where it could be shipped by boat across Lake Ontario to markets.
Until the 1830’s the township’s main business centre had been a small tavern at Salisbury in the vicinity of present day Brampton. Here the magistrate dispensed law and people did their trading in a store attached to the tavern.
Brampton came into being in 1834 when John Elliott laid out village lots for sale and named the place Brampton for his home in Cumberland, England. William Buffy had erected the first building, a tavern, at the site and later Judge Scott had built a store, a pot ashery, a mill for grinding and chopping grain, and a distillery. Brampton remained part of the township until 1952, at which time it was incorporated as a village. By the 1870’s Brampton was the county town and the business and manufacturing centre of the township. In the twentieth century Bramalea, a satellite city with a large number of industries which had developed east of Brampton, became the township’s urban heart. Here an imposing four-storey “people place” officially known as the Chinguacousy Civic Centre, was opened by the Honourable William G. Davis, Premier of Ontario, on September 25, 1972. Three sections, linked by the Town Square – a spacious indoor plaza – house a theatre, theatre workshop, communications centre, council chambers, offices and committee rooms, postal facilities, dining room and lounge, a public library and art gallery, arts and craft rooms and studios, cable TV studio and a banquet hall. Created as a place where people could meet and mingle, the Chinguacousy’s ultra-modern Civic Centre of steel, concrete blocks, and bronzed tinted glass is a far cry from the little tavern at Salisbury a century and a half ago.
With the advent of regional government in Peel County, the municipality of Chinguacousy Township with 130 square miles, the largest of Peel County’s townships, ceased to exist on January 1, 1974. Part of Chinguacousy was annexed by the city of Brampton and part by the newly created town of Caledon.
Corporation of the County of Peel: A History of Peel County 1867-1967, 1967.
Corporation of the Township of Chinguacousy, Chinguacousy Civic Centre, 1972.
"Land of Tall Pines", Chinguacousy Lodge, was Instituted on June 22, 1987, and Constituted on November 19, 1988. When the Grand Lodge of Canada West was formed, independent of the Grand Lodge of England, in October 1855, William Mercer Wilson became the first grand master. It was largely through his encouragement that the rival Ancient Grand Lodge under Sir Allan MacNab, which was formed from the Provincial Grand Lodge when it too broke away from the English lodge, joined the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1858. Wilson was grand master until 1860 and was again elected to this position for 1866–68 and from 1872 until his death in 1875.
According to the lodge's website, The township is believed to have been named in honour of Chief Chinguacousy under whose leadership Fort Michilimacinac was captured from the Americans in the War of 1812.
Although heavily covered with pine forests in the early days, the area developed into prime agricultural land. The Etobicoke and Credit Rivers flowing through the township in a southerly direction provided abundant waterpower in the early period of settlement, which began after 1818, when a large tract of land was purchased by the Crown from the Indians.
The township was surveyed in 1819 and land was granted to descendants of United Empire Loyalists and immigrants from the British Isles and the United States.
Charles Haines, in 1828, erected one of the earliest mills in the township at Cheltenham. James Curry’s mill, built about the same time, stood near Norval.
Chinguacousy’s first township clerk was John Scott, appointed in 1821. He was followed by William Johnson in 1822 who held the office for twenty years. In those days the town clerk was the head of local government. Other municipal officers elected at the first “town meeting” of the township’s citizens were: Amos Stafford and Asa Ingram, assessors; James Curry, tax collector; John Laffler, John Tolfray, James Buntan, Robert Trimble, pathmasters; James Buntan, poundkeeper.
By the mid-1800’s the township had a population of about 7,000 settled in small villages and hamlets such as Cheltenham, Victoria, Tullamore, Terra Cotta, Snelgrove and Campbell’s Cross. Township farms produced large wheat crops and manufacturers made, among other goods, barrel staves and timber products. All this, including raw timber, was hauled to Port Credit from where it could be shipped by boat across Lake Ontario to markets.
Until the 1830’s the township’s main business centre had been a small tavern at Salisbury in the vicinity of present day Brampton. Here the magistrate dispensed law and people did their trading in a store attached to the tavern.
Brampton came into being in 1834 when John Elliott laid out village lots for sale and named the place Brampton for his home in Cumberland, England. William Buffy had erected the first building, a tavern, at the site and later Judge Scott had built a store, a pot ashery, a mill for grinding and chopping grain, and a distillery. Brampton remained part of the township until 1952, at which time it was incorporated as a village. By the 1870’s Brampton was the county town and the business and manufacturing centre of the township. In the twentieth century Bramalea, a satellite city with a large number of industries which had developed east of Brampton, became the township’s urban heart. Here an imposing four-storey “people place” officially known as the Chinguacousy Civic Centre, was opened by the Honourable William G. Davis, Premier of Ontario, on September 25, 1972. Three sections, linked by the Town Square – a spacious indoor plaza – house a theatre, theatre workshop, communications centre, council chambers, offices and committee rooms, postal facilities, dining room and lounge, a public library and art gallery, arts and craft rooms and studios, cable TV studio and a banquet hall. Created as a place where people could meet and mingle, the Chinguacousy’s ultra-modern Civic Centre of steel, concrete blocks, and bronzed tinted glass is a far cry from the little tavern at Salisbury a century and a half ago.
With the advent of regional government in Peel County, the municipality of Chinguacousy Township with 130 square miles, the largest of Peel County’s townships, ceased to exist on January 1, 1974. Part of Chinguacousy was annexed by the city of Brampton and part by the newly created town of Caledon.
Corporation of the County of Peel: A History of Peel County 1867-1967, 1967.
Corporation of the Township of Chinguacousy, Chinguacousy Civic Centre, 1972.
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