Glen Williams
From its humble beginnings as an industrial settlement and evolving into the cultural mecca of Halton Hills, the historic village of Glen Williams has seen numerous changes over the course of two centuries.
The community we know today as Glen Williams, situated along the banks of the Credit River, was initially a forested 200-acre lot of land that was granted by the Crown to John Muirhead in late 1824. Within a year, Muirhead ended up passing away and the land was sold to Benjah Williams for a sum of 100 pounds.
It was the powerful Credit River, and the abundance of trees, that convinced Williams to bring his family to the area in 1825 and erect a saw mill. Prior to moving to Lot 21, Concession 10 Esquesing Township, Williams operated a textile mill in the Niagara area.
By the late 1820s, the settlement became known as ‘Williamsburg’ in honour of the first family and maintained that name until it was changed to ‘Glen Williams’ after the post office opened for service in 1852.
Within a decade of the first mill, the community began to see real growth as the Williams purchased another 200 acres of land and more industry popped up to make Glen Williams an industrial village.
At the height of Glen Williams’ industrial heyday, according to the Halton County Atlas of 1877, the village consisted of a saw mill, lath factory, woollen mill, shingle factory and grist mill. Other businesses of that era included a blacksmith shop, pump factory, carriage shop and a general store, among others.
Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant and businessman, worked in Glen Williams and got his start in retail as a clerk at a general store located at 521 Main St., shortly after his arrival to Canada in 1854. Eaton would go on to establish T. Eaton Company in 1869 in Toronto, eventually growing to be one of the largest department store chains in Canadian history.
As early as the 1870s, along with being an industrial beehive, Glen Williams had the distinction of being a tourist destination, with the Halton County Atlas stating, “The scenery around the Glen is truly romantic, and tourists and artists take great delight in rambling through its woods and dales.”
A.J. Casson's painting, 'Street in Glen Williams' 1938. The most notable artist to have frequented Glen Williams was famed Group of Seven member A.J. Casson. As an artist, Casson often spent his summers in the hamlet, which he used as a base to paint local scenes. One painting inspired from his visits was the 1938 ‘Street in Glen Williams,’ an oil painting depicting an autumnal streetscape. In 2010, that painting would sell for a record $542,800 at auction.
Similar to other communities across Ontario in the mid-to-late 20th century, Glen Williams also experienced a shift from being a place of industry to a tourism-based economy.
One of the last industries to operate in the village was the Beaumont Knitting Mill, a business that was brought to Glen Williams by Samuel Beaumont in 1878. The firm produced a wide range of products such as knitted underwear, yarns and blankets until its closure in 1982 and is now home to an antique store.
A number of historic buildings continue to line the streetscape, including the prominent Williams Saw Mill.
Today, Glen Williams is a community celebrated as a cultural destination where thousands of tourists and artists visit each year to admire the natural landscape that attracted Benjah Williams to the area 200 years ago.
Article written by Scott Brooks, with information from Dills Collection/EHS/HHPL/Halton Sketches.
The community we know today as Glen Williams, situated along the banks of the Credit River, was initially a forested 200-acre lot of land that was granted by the Crown to John Muirhead in late 1824. Within a year, Muirhead ended up passing away and the land was sold to Benjah Williams for a sum of 100 pounds.
It was the powerful Credit River, and the abundance of trees, that convinced Williams to bring his family to the area in 1825 and erect a saw mill. Prior to moving to Lot 21, Concession 10 Esquesing Township, Williams operated a textile mill in the Niagara area.
By the late 1820s, the settlement became known as ‘Williamsburg’ in honour of the first family and maintained that name until it was changed to ‘Glen Williams’ after the post office opened for service in 1852.
Within a decade of the first mill, the community began to see real growth as the Williams purchased another 200 acres of land and more industry popped up to make Glen Williams an industrial village.
At the height of Glen Williams’ industrial heyday, according to the Halton County Atlas of 1877, the village consisted of a saw mill, lath factory, woollen mill, shingle factory and grist mill. Other businesses of that era included a blacksmith shop, pump factory, carriage shop and a general store, among others.
Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant and businessman, worked in Glen Williams and got his start in retail as a clerk at a general store located at 521 Main St., shortly after his arrival to Canada in 1854. Eaton would go on to establish T. Eaton Company in 1869 in Toronto, eventually growing to be one of the largest department store chains in Canadian history.
As early as the 1870s, along with being an industrial beehive, Glen Williams had the distinction of being a tourist destination, with the Halton County Atlas stating, “The scenery around the Glen is truly romantic, and tourists and artists take great delight in rambling through its woods and dales.”
A.J. Casson's painting, 'Street in Glen Williams' 1938. The most notable artist to have frequented Glen Williams was famed Group of Seven member A.J. Casson. As an artist, Casson often spent his summers in the hamlet, which he used as a base to paint local scenes. One painting inspired from his visits was the 1938 ‘Street in Glen Williams,’ an oil painting depicting an autumnal streetscape. In 2010, that painting would sell for a record $542,800 at auction.
Similar to other communities across Ontario in the mid-to-late 20th century, Glen Williams also experienced a shift from being a place of industry to a tourism-based economy.
One of the last industries to operate in the village was the Beaumont Knitting Mill, a business that was brought to Glen Williams by Samuel Beaumont in 1878. The firm produced a wide range of products such as knitted underwear, yarns and blankets until its closure in 1982 and is now home to an antique store.
A number of historic buildings continue to line the streetscape, including the prominent Williams Saw Mill.
Today, Glen Williams is a community celebrated as a cultural destination where thousands of tourists and artists visit each year to admire the natural landscape that attracted Benjah Williams to the area 200 years ago.
Article written by Scott Brooks, with information from Dills Collection/EHS/HHPL/Halton Sketches.