This is a plan of Wellington Street South and Strongman Road, with the escarpment intersecting across both. There are numerous buildings outlined on the map, most along Wellington Street. To the left of the title is a directional arrow, pointing to the right side of the map as north. Just below the title is the scale: "scale, 2 chains per inch." In the top left-hand corner the map is numbered: "No. 102 Drawer 3." In the bottom right-hand corner is found a date and signature by the surveyor: "Stoughton Dennis, Prov. L. Surveyor, Toronto, July 29th 1856." The main roads drawn on the plan include the following: Strongman Road [now approximately Claremont Access], "4th Con. Road & south limits of city" [now Concession Road], Wellington Street, and "Main Street & 5th Con. Road" [both have retained their names]. Unlisted on the map is Akledun Avenue. There are also a number of small urban streets intersecting with Wellington Street, north of the escarpment. These include: Tyburn Street, Peel Street, Mills Street, Jane Street and George Street [now respectively Jackson, Hunter, Young, and Forest Streets, as well as Charlton Avenue]. The 1851 Map of the City of Hamilton by Marcus Smith showcases all of these streets in place. Strongman Road [sometimes referred to as "Strongman's Road"] was built by William Strongman in 1841. There are a number of maps which showcase this early access road (Ryckman, 1842; Whitefield, 1854; Blyth, 1858; among others). Central on this map is the escarpment brow with "quarries" depicted along the rock face. To the west of Wellington Street, between Jane Street and George Street, is the "Orphan Asylum". This was the original Hamilton Orphan Asylum (1848-1958). For more information on this institution, see RMC 7630 "[Part of the Blaikie Estate]". There are numerous landowners depicted on the map. These include the following: "A. Carpenter, Esq."; "J. Cummings, Esq."; "H.C. Baker, Esq."; "J. Bradley, Esq."; "H. Clarke, Esq."; "A. O'Neill"; "R. Patterson"; "Sunley, Esq."; and "Mrs. Evans". Alexander Carpenter (1806-1866) was a local artisan, carpenter, and pattern-maker from Saltfleet Township. He entered into industrial manufacturing in the 1840's and by 1844 he co-founded the Gurney & Carpenter Iron Foundry (1844-1863). Carpenter was very involved in civic life in Hamilton, serving in police, fire, and political roles. Carpenter is famous for building 'Rock Castle' in 1848, his famous stone residence on the mountainside. The building outlined on this plan, perched along Akledun Avenue, is in fact 'Rock Castle' which still exists today (Thomas Melville Bailey ed., "Carpenter, Alexander" in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, Vol. I 1791-1875. Hamilton: W.L. Griffin Ltd., 1981, 42). James Cummings (1815-1894) was a businessman and politician who came to Canada from Ireland, via Montreal, in the late 1830's. Cummings sold household wares and wholesale products out of his store on King Street. In the 1851 City of Hamilton Directory, his company "James Cummings & Co." is listed as being "importers of china, glass, crockery, paints, oils, turpentine, varnish, brushes, window glass, &c., wholesale and retail." He was also the co-president of the Canada Oil Company. Cummings served as an alderman in 1854 and was later elected as mayor but then lost the position due to an invalid election. Subsequently, he served as the city tax collector until his death (Thomas Melville Bailey ed., "Cummings, James" in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, 57). Hugh Cossart Baker Sr. (1818-1859) was an English-born banker and businessman. He was the first manager of King Street's Bank of Montreal from 1842 to 1850. He co-founded the Canada Life Assurance Company and served as its president, manager, and actuary. He also founded the Ontario Marine and Fire Insurance Company and served as director of of the Hamilton Gas Light Company as well as the Gore Bank. He was very involved in business issues throughout the region, acting as an important stakeholder in the Great Western Railway, the Hamilton and Port Dover Railway, the Hamilton Board of Trade, and the Board of Arts and Manufacturers (Thomas Melville Bailey ed., "Baker, Hugh Cossart, Sr," in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, 12-13). John Bradley (1805-1864) was a Hamilton politician and hotel owner. Born in Ireland, Bradley moved to U.S. and then to Canada in 1830. He quickly became a leader in the Irish Catholic community in Hamilton, hosting meetings at his inn (the Court House Hotel). Bradley also owned land in the central city and ran the British Hotel on John Street. Between 1837-1839 Bradley sat on the Police Board, representing Corktown (Michael Doucet and John Weaver, "Town Fathers and Urban Continuity: The Roots of Community Power and Physical Form in Hamilton, Upper Canada in the 1830s," Urban History Review, 13:2, 1984). Most notably, Bradley is remembered for his handsome estate home, 'Bellevue', which he built on the mountain brow in 1849. Bellevue (also known as the Belvidere Mansion) was one of the earliest stone structures on the escarpment, in Barton Township. Bellevue was demolished in 2000. It was originally located on the western corner of Sam Lawrence Park, on what is now Belvidere Avenue. Hutchinson Clarke (1806-1877), sometimes spelled "Clark", was an English-born architect and contractor. Clarke came to Hamilton in 1834 and opened an office on Hughson Street. Clarke was active in politics, representing St. Andrew's Ward during the 1850's and 1860's. He also served as mayor of Hamilton in 1868 (Thomas Melville Bailey ed., "Clark, Hutchinson," in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, 51). No definite information could be located on the other landowners listed ("A. O'Neill", "R. Patterson", "Sunley, Esq.", and "Mrs. Evans"). The map's surveyor was John Stoughton Dennis (1820-1885). Dennis was an important surveying and military personality in Upper Canada during the 19th century. He was responsible for surveying lands across the country, including 25 subdivisions in Toronto. He became a Provincial Land Surveyor in 1842 and was appointed as Surveyor General of Canada in 1871. For more information on Dennis, see RMC 7608 ("Plan of lots I to IX both inclusive in the Vth and VIth Concessions of Saltfleet").
"By E.G. Barrow. O.L.S." "Scale 50' to 1"". Streets appearing on map include: Fifth Avenue [now Ward Avenue], Royal Avenue, Holmes Avenue, Whitney Avenue, Leland Street, Emerson Street, and Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Railway [now Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail]. Certification statements with signatures at the bottom of the sheet. One certification statement handwritten in black ink reads, "I certify this is a correct copy of the original plan prepared by the E.G. Barrow O.L.S."
The map is a plan for an early subdivision in east Hamilton, in the McQuesten and Normanhurst neighbourhoods (the former Township of Saltfleet). The map is of the same style as other plans in our collection created by J.W. Tyrell and J.J. MacKay. The map features a directional arrow found in the top left corner and a scale found directly underneath the title; "100 feet = 1 inch". The map is dated and certified by the land surveyor along the right margin: "May 1, 1913". There are numerous other signatures and approvals by the Registry Office, the Commissioner, the mayor, the reeve, the clerk, the developer, witnesses, mortgagees, and the Ontario Railway & Municipal Board. There is also an embossed seal of approval by the developer "Wilson Park Limited Hamilton Ont." Above the legal writing is found an inset key plan showing the location of the proposed development as part of lot 32, concession 2. The streets listed on the map include "Roxborough Avenue", "Britannia Avenue", "Barton Street", "Adeline Avenue", "Glennie Avenue", "Parkdale Avenue", and "Ivon Avenue". Other features on the map include labelled adjacent properties: "Normanhurst Survey", "Lands of Catherine Harris", and "Lands of Broadbent". The 1875 Wentworth County Atlas shows a "Miss K. Harris" owning area around lot 32, concession 2. The name of the plan "Wilson Park" is likely a tribute to Hon. John Willson (1776-1860) or John Wesley Willson (1819-1889). The surname "Willson" is also often found as "Wilson". For more information on the Wilsons, see the "Plan of Ontario". It appears as though the area on the map was annexed by the City of Hamilton (from the Township of Saltfleet) in 1943 (John Weaver, Hamilton: An Illustrated History. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company Publishers, 1982).
The map was surveyed by Edwin Percy Argall Phillips, O.L.S. (1884-1970). Phillips was born in Oshawa, educated in Toronto, and trained as an engineer and surveyor in Bracebridge, Ontario. Phillips played an extensive role in the surveying and development of northern Ontario. Biographical accounts indicate that Phillips only spent two years surveying in Hamilton (1912-13) before returning to work in northern Ontario (P.R. Milton and T.L. Wilson, Edwin Percy Argall Phillips, BSc., O.L.S., D.L.S., P.Eng., M.E.I.C.. Toronto: AOLS Report of the Committee on Biography & Repository, posted in 2013).
The company responsible for publishing and certifying the plan was J.J. MacKay & Co., Engineers & Surveyors. James John MacKay, O.L.S. (1876-1959) was a land surveyor originally from Zorra Township. In 1902, MacKay joined with J.W. Tyrell, O.L.S as a partner in Hamilton. In 1912 he formed his own engineering-surveying firm with his brother Col. E.G. MacKay and was joined by Edwin P.A. Phillips later that year (Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, John James MacKay, O.L.S., P.Eng. Toronto: AOLS Report of the Committee on Biography & Repository, posted in 2013). MacKay served as the chairman of the Hamilton Suburban Roads Commission and was involved in laying the nation's first concrete road from Toronto to Hamilton, now the Queen Elizabeth Way (John Sewell, The Shape of the Suburbs: Understanding Toronto's Sprawl. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009). MacKay's company undertook thousands of area surveys and plans, including two others in our collection: "Plan of Kenview Park" and "Plan showing resubdivision of lots nos. 104 to 112 Allen & Matheson Survey".
Under the title it reads, "Advertised to be sold by public auction, on the ground on Monday 23, June 1856 at noon by the proprietor, J. Richard Thomson Esquire, Thos. A. Blyth, P.L.S., Hamilton; H. Gregory Lith. Hamilton, J.T. Nottle, Agent."
In top right hand corner, the words "Book 1, part of Plan 10, south of King" are found handwritten.
All street names found on the map are in existence today, in the locations shown, with the exception of Peel Street (now Hunter Street) and Duke Street (now Stinson Street). The boundaries on this map are: Wellington Street to the west, Emerald Street to the east, King Street to the north, and Duke Street (Stinson Street) to the south. A number of lots on the map are coloured and shaded.
Described in Winearls, Mapping Upper Canada 1780-1867, entry 1142, p. 318.
"Scale 4 Chains to an Inch". In the bottom right corner of the map, "Saml Peters, P.L. Surveyor, London C.W. [Canada West], June 21 1853". "M.M." is initialed along the north arrow. The majority of the map features the property of "Richard Martin Esqre. and others." The roads listed are "Side Road" on the west [now Upper Wentworth], "Road allowance in front of 5th Concession" [now Fennel Avenue], and "Road allowance in front of 6th Concession" [now Mohawk Road]. According to area maps, this lot plan was never carried out. The land featured on the map was undeveloped until at least 1954. The first streets laid in Lot 10, Concession 5 were East 21st Street and MacLennan Avenue. Handwritten along left neat line, "No 61, Drawer 3".
The written title of the map is "Plan of Lot No 1 in the Broken Front & Part of Lot No 17 on 2nd Conn, Township of Barton, The Property of Allan MacNab, Esqr." On the right side of the map is written "No 3, Drawer 5", indicating this is the fifth drawing of map number three (of a series).
Under the title of map, it reads "Surveyed by Hugh Black Sept 12th 1833." Bottom right hand corner is lacking part of the map, causing omission in handwritten information, it reads: "A Copy by Allan...D. Pe...Aug. 2nd 18....". There are additional residential lots, handwritten in red, found at the corner of Concession and "Road Granted by Mr. McNab".
Scale: "2 Chs. to one Inch" found handwritten in bottom left hand corner.
The map is oriented so that south is up and north is down, as indicated by the directional arrow near the centre and Burlington Bay at the bottom of the map.
The boundaries on the map are: York Street to the south, Burlington Bay to the north, "Road Granted by Mr. MacNab" (now Locke Street) to the west, and "Original Road Allowance" (now Queen Street) to the the east. Concession 2 (now Barton Street) runs east to west in the middle of map. The map location is just east of Inchbury Street and east of the estate property of Sir Allan MacNab.
In Winearls' Mapping Upper Canada 1780-1867, entry 1436, p.317, there is an entry of a plan "purporting to be a true copy of a survey made by Hugh Black D.P.S. in September 12th 1833 to which is added the red lines exhibiting the proposed site of the Great Western Rail Road..." This indicates that a subsequent copy of this map was made with additions.
"Scale - 50 Feet to the Inch." At head of title in blue ink, "Curtis Survey." Includes "Surveyor's certificate" signed by "Ernest G. Barrow, Ontario Land Surveyor [and] dated 24th July 1895", "Owners' certificate" and "Affidavit of owners." "City Survey (Registered.)" is written on the left side of the sheet. Shows Beach Road [now Beach Boulevard]. The Grand Trunk Railway and government reserve land, framed by Lake Ontario, the Burlington Canal and Burlington Bay.
Plan of lots 1 to 9 and Concessions 5 and 6 in the Township of Saltfleet. The area is located just south of the community of Winona. At the base of the plan the scale is listed: "Scale 25ch to one Inch" as well as a date and signature: "Toronto 21 Nov 1860, J. Stoughton Dennis, P.L.S." Just below the title, another date is listed: "Dated 14th June 1860". On the right hand side of the map there is an inset showing a larger view of Concessions 5 and 6 with a note on geographical bearings by surveyor John Stoughton Dennis (1820-1885). Dennis was a well-known surveyor and military commander whose ancestors served in both the War of 1812 and the American Revolutionary War. Dennis worked on surveys for the Grand Trunk and Great Western Railways as well as plans for numerous Upper Canadian towns and townships including: Weston, Muskoka, Haliburton, Parry Sound, Nipissing, and the Bruce Peninsula. He was also credited with completing the surveying for the well-known 1851 "Topographical Plan of the City of Toronto". Through his social status Dennis managed to insert himself into the Canadian military and in 1856 he was made commander of the Toronto Field Battery. In 1862 he was promoted as the new leading officer in the 5th Military District as Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1866 Stoughton was involved in leading contingents in the Battles of Ridgeway and Niagara against the Fenians. He was criticized for abandoning his men in a Fenian attack which resulted in 34 lost lives, effectively ending his military career. Dennis also was made famous for his involvement in helping to trigger he 1869 Red River Rebellion. His confrontational surveying methods led to disdain and uprising among the Manitoba Métis. Stoughton had a son, J.S. Dennis Jr., who also became a prominent surveyor and military officer. Stoughton died in July of 1885. Today the area is largely farmland with a large aggregate quarry in the centre (approximately lot 8, Concession 6 on the plan).
"Scale, 50 Feet to 1 Inch." "Surveyed by T.A. Blyth, P.L.S." Streets appearing on map include Wilson Street, East Market Street [now King William Street], King Street, Emerald Street, Tisdale Street, and Steven Street. "Book 2, Plan 15" is handwritten in the upper left edge. "R.R. Smiley Esqre" is written on a piece of property in the bottom left corner. "This Property will be sold by auction" is stamped in red in the top right corner.
“Scale, 50 Feet to 1 Inch.” "Surveyed by T.A. Blyth P.L.S." Streets appearing on map include Wilson Street, East Market Street [now King William Street], King Street, Emerald Street, Tisdale Street, and Steven Street. “Drawer 1, No 1” is written along the upper edge. The word "King" is cut off at the bottom of the sheet. Shows numbered lots ranging from 1 to 100.
Remainder of title reads, "...being subdivision of park lot no 9 (shewn on H. Winter's plan) and park lot no 2 in A. Griffin's survey and being part of lot no 7 in the 3rd conn of the Township of East Flamborough as laid out for Hugh Green Esqr." Certification statement in lower right corner is signed, David Chas. O'Keeffe, Provincial Land Surveyor, Hamilton July 8th, 1870". visual scale [1 chain = 25 mm]. Shows 20 numbered lots around "Main St or Stone Road", plus "W. Heissie" property next to lot 20. "Book 3, Plan 14" handwritten near bottom edge.
Map does not include a scale or any information on a publisher or surveyor. Below the title it is dated "August 24th/38". Above the title is found the word "copy" and a directional arrow pointing to the left of the map as north. The map shows a rough outline plan for lots in the Corktown neighbourhood. With the exception of Aurora Street, none of the streets listed are in existence on modern maps. Notable changes from this plan include: the relocation of Corktown Park and the renaming of Cherry Street to Ferguson Avenue. The map shows the "Park of Corktown" at the base of the map, but current location is north of Aurora Street, indicating that the location of the park may have been moved from the base of the escarpment.
This map is a plan of property in the north end of the city of Hamilton. There are 73 individual lots depicted along with two large featured lots, belonging to Hutchinson Clark (1806-1877) and the law firm Burton & Sadlier. The map features an ornate directional arrow in the top left hand corner where it is numbered: "No. 8 Drawer 4." Below the title, the publishing information is written “Lith Spectator Office, Hamilton, C.W.” Unlike most maps in this series, the scale on this map is not lexical but rather in linear, bar form with a visual ratio of 2 inches to 100 feet. This is found at the base of the map. Geographically, the plan is located in between the Keith and Landsdale neighbourhoods in the industrial district of the city. The streets listed include Alma Street, Balaclava Street, George Street, Inkerman Street, and Victoria Avenue. Today, the streets roughly correspond to Shaw Street, Clark Avenue, Ferrie Street, Burton Street, and Victoria Avenue. Clark Street was named for Hutchinson Clark and Burton Street for the founder of Burton & Sadlier, G.W. Burton. Alma, Balaclava, and Inkerman Streets are appear to be named after celebrated British engagements during the Crimean War (all in 1854). Victoria Avenue and George Street are named for famous British monarchs; Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and King George V (1865-1936). One of the central property owners featured on this map, Hutchinson Clark, was an architect and politician who served as the mayor of Hamilton in 1868. He was also responsible for designing numerous buildings throughout the city including the Mechanic’s Institute on James Street (Thomas Melville Bailey ed., "Clark, Hutchinson," in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, 51). Another section of the map belonged to the law offices of Burton & Sadlier (sometimes spelled “Sadleir”). The 1851and 1853 City of Hamilton Directories lists Burton & Sadlier as “barristers and attornies at law” working out of an office on King Street East. Principal George W. Burton is listed on the Board of Directors for the Canada Life Assurance Company in 1859. They were high profile legal professionals in the city, hiring young lawyers such as John Morrison Gibson (1842-1929) in 1866. The subtitle on the map indicates that the foundry of McQuesten & Co. was located on the western side of Victoria Avenue. The company—which was originally located at the corner of James and Merrick Streets [now York Boulevard—relocated to the foot of Welllington Street, to the west of Victoria Avenue in 1855. In 1857, co-founder Calvin McQuesten (1801-1885) decided to retire and soon after the company was renamed the Sawyer and Massey Company after partners Luther Sawyer and Hart Almerrin Massey (David G. Burley, "McQuesten, Calvin," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mcquesten_calvin_11E.html).
Manuscript map. Title is written in pencil near the sheet's lower edge and is barely legible. Map shows Guelph Road [now Old Guelph Road] surrounded by 25 numbered lots, and extending south to the "main road to Toronto" [now Highway 403]. The map also shows the Desjardins Canal, Waterdown Creek and ravines in the area. "No 64 Drawer 1" is handwritten along the lower left edge of the sheet. "Peter Carol" is handwritten on verso. According to the Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, Peter Carroll (spelled with two r's and two l's) was a surveyor and businessman who "in the early 1840s settled on forty acres of the northwest corner of Burlington Bay in East Flamborough. The area came to be known as Carroll's Point, while the property was named 'Rock Bay' after early settler and tavern keeper Peter Rock" (vol. 1, p. 42).
"Scale 100 feet to an inch". The map features a plan of two blocks (Block A and Block B) located between the lakefront and Central Avenue [now Winona Road]. The lots are found north of Winona, Ontario in the former Township of Saltfleet. A large directional arrow found below the lots indicates north as the bottom of the map. To the left of the title are the words "County 9". There are four certificates featured on the map. To the right of the title there is a certificate of reception of the map at the Deputy Office of the County of Wentworth, signed by "Lewis Springer, Registrar". On the map's left edge there is a certificate of accuracy signed by Cyrus Carroll (Ontario Land Surveyor) and G.S. Murphy (witness). At the base of the map there is another signed by the owners and the same witness. Finally, in the top right corner there is a large statement of oath by the witness "George Sisson Morphy"
This is a plan for property lots in central Hamilton, as originally laid out by early settlers George and Robert Hamilton. To the left of the title the map is numbered: "No. 19 Drawer No. 2". Below the map's title is its directional arrow which is oriented so as to point towards the base as north (upside down). Below that is the surveyor information, scale and date: "Surveyed by the late Samuel Rykman, P.L.S., and Thos. A. Blyth P.L.S.", "Scale: 2 chains = 1 Inch", "Ths. Allen Blyth P.L.S., Hamilton, August 6th 1858." The streets listed on the map include the following: King Street, Main Street, Tyburn Street [now Jackson Street], Peel Street [now Hunter Street], Augusta Street, Catharina Street [now Young Street], Maria Street [now Forest Avenue], Hannah Street/Jane Street [now Charlton Avenue], James Street, John Street, Catherine Street, Cherry Street [now Ferguson Avenue], Morrison Street [now Foster Street], and a "macadamized road" [now approximately Arkledun Avenue and Claremont Access]. The other roads not labelled are Concession Street and Walnut Street (Margaret Houghton, Hamilton Street Names: An Illustrated Guide. Toronto: James Lorimer & Co. Publishers, 2002). The plan builds upon the original town plot designed by George Hamilton (1788-1836) and Nathaniel Hughson (1755-1837) in 1816. The land was purchased by the pair from James Durand (1775-1833) and, as is shown on this map, the lots were parceled into the popular grid pattern. George Hamilton gave his name to the site, which eventually became the City of Hamilton. The original plan (entitled "Early Plan of Hamilton [1820?]") can be viewed in Dear, Drake and Reeds (eds.) "Steel City," Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987, 100. George was also the son of early settler Robert Hamilton (1753-1809), "the chief land speculator in early Upper Canada." At his peak, he owned a total of 130,170 acres (Bruce G. Wilson, "Hamilton, Robert," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hamilton_robert_5E.html). George's son was also named Robert Hamilton (1811-1892), making it unclear as to which Robert the map refers. In the top left corner of the map (just north of the escarpment base) is a "Family Burial Ground". This is the burial plot of the Hamilton family, one of the earliest in the city. Interred in this cemetery are George Hamilton, James Durand, and Dr. William Case (1776-1848) among others. The bodies were exhumed from the burial ground and moved to other cemeteries when the city widened the Jolley Cut during the 1950's (correspondence with historian Robin McKee, July 10, 2015). In the top right-hand corner of the map is a large parcel of land owned by "S.B. Freeman, Esq." Samuel Black Freeman (1814-1874) was a Hamilton lawyer who owned a practice on King Street East. He worked in partnership with both William Proudfoot and William Craigie. Freeman was also a clerk of the peace and politician who ran, unsuccessfully, against Isaac Buchanan for the assembly of the Province of Canada in 1861. Freeman was married to Catherine Hamilton, one of the daughters of George Hamilton. Today, a portion of his land now makes up "Freeman Place", a street which runs east to west from Mountwood Avenue to James Street South (Thomas Melville Bailey ed., "Freeman, Samuel Black," in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, 76). The plan also outlines the original "hay market" that was installed by George Hamilton in the 1830's. It is found between John and Hughson, just north of Augusta Street. Today, as a tribute, there is a small street south of the Hamilton GO rail station known as "Haymarket Street". The surveyors listed on the plan are "Samuel Rykman, P.L.S.," and Thos. A. Blyth, P.L.S." It appears as though Rykman was the original surveyor on Hamilton's townsite while Blyth acted as the surveyor for this particular plan. Blyth was an established surveyor in Hamilton. For more information on Blyth, see RMC 7609: "Sketch of survey of lot 23 in the 4th Con. and lot 23 in the 5th Con., Saltfleet." Samuel Ryckman (1777-1846) (also spelled as "Rykman") was a farmer and Crown land surveyor who came to Hamilton following the American Revolution. Ryckman completed surveys across Upper Canada. In payment for his surveys, Ryckman received 700 acres of land, centring on Upper James Street and Rymal Road. The hamlet of "Ryckman's Corners" was named after Samuel (Donna Reid and Robin McKee, "Samuel Ryckman" in The Hamiltonians, Margaret Houghton, ed. Toronto: James Lorimer and Co. Publishers, 2003).
"Scale 25 feet to an Inch." The bottom right includes a date and signature by the surveyor, "Ths. Allen Blyth P.L.S., Hamilton, May 18th 1858." The top of the map reads "J Hughson, No 31, Drawer No 1" in handwriting. Streets include John Street and Henry Street [which later became Cannon Street East]. Both private alleys featured on the map are nonexistent today. The site is now the home of McLaren Park.
Streets appearing on map include Main Street, Market Street [now Nelson Street approximately], Pearl Street, and Railway Street [now Locke Street]. As described in Hamilton Street Names edited by Margaret Houghton, Market Street "has grown shorter with the years. As one of the earliest streets in the police village of Hamilton, Market Street used to extend from MacNab Street North on the east, to Sophia Street (now Strathcona Street) on the west" (p.79). According to the Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, Volume 1: "James [Mills] came to Canada in 1793 to pursue the fur trade in the Niagara area.... After several moves, he located permanently in Hamilton in 1816, where he and his brother-in-law, Peter Hess, purchased 500 acres between the bay and the Mountain (stretching from what is now Bay Street to Locke)...." (p.154). "No 30 Drawer 6" written along left edge of sheet. Near lower left corner, "195" is noted and circled in pink/purple ink.
This is a 1903 plan for a housing subdivision on Hamilton mountain, near the brow of the escarpment. Beneath the title are the words "Hill Survey," pointing to the plan’s geographical location. To the left of the title is the directional arrow and to the right of the title is the scale: "Scale 100 feet to 1 inch." There are 51 lots drawn between East Aberdeen Ave [now Concession St], Wentworth Ave, and Vernon Ave [now East 19th St]. The property owner is "J.P. Muir, Esq." This either refers to John Muir (1843-1899) of Grimsby or his only son. It is possible that the Muir land was subdivided and sold as a result of John's death at the turn of the century (Kathryn Maudsley, "Muir, John," in Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, 117-118). To the right of the plan's title is a date and signature by the surveyor: "Jno Fair, O.L.S., Brantford, Apr. 16th 1903." John Fair (1847-1927) was one of the earliest surveyors in Brantford. He obtained his commission as an Ontario Land Surveyor in 1875 and completed numerous plans in the Hamilton-Brantford area (Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, ”John Fair, O.L.S.” Toronto: AOLS Report of the Committee on Biography & Repository, posted in 2003). He is also listed as being a civil engineer and having an office at 25 George Street in Brantford (Brantford Library, "Brantford: The Telephone City (http://brantford.library.on.ca/files/pdfs/localhistory/brantfordoftoday.pdf, accessed August 27, 2015). The plan also features a witness signature below the title: "A.A. Muir." On the left hand side of the map is a certification statement by the surveyor in accordance with the Registry Act. On the right hand side of the map is a certification statement by the Commissioner of the County of Wentworth. At the base of the map is an illegible statement and signature.