The history of Mississauga is well documented in numerous books and also in papers prepared by various municipal and special interest groups and authors. However we would certainly be remiss if we didn’t delve a little into pre-Applewood Acres history.
As author of Apple Blossoms and Satellite Dishes, I make no claim to the accuracy of any dates, names, places or events, but I have tried to be as exact as possible.
This book attempts to deal with the subdivision, Applewood Acres, but will from time to time wander beyond the physical and temporal boundaries.
One of the best accounts of early years for this area can be read in the book Reflections from Yesterday, written by Frederick M. Ketchen, 150th Anniversary Chairman, The Anglican Church of St. John The Baptist, Dixie.
While there are many names and dates mentioned, it is impossible to tie them all together without extensive research. As an example, it has been documented that in the 1840’s people moved in and out of Peel County at an astonishing rate. The early Peel Census shows that twenty five percent of the people enumerated would not be here for the next enumeration. The Census was taken every 10 years in those days.
The late Col. T.L. Kennedy, Peel MPP and former Premier of Ontario, tells a delightful story of the earlier days in what became the western portion of Applewood Acres.
In an interview done on May 3, 1955 regarding the history of Applewood Acres, and found in the archives of the Westacres Public School, Col. Tom tells of the lands on Con. 1, lot 9, s.d.s. (south Dundas Street).
“The land was originally Crown Land. A family by the name of Church received land between the First and Second Lines from the Crown in approximately 1804. The Church family was American (as were many of the original settlers in the vicinity) but could not be classed as United Empire Loyalists. The Churches held the land for some time. Then the Haines family bought 300 acres from the Churches. The Haines sold the property to the Grahams, who built the brick, two-story house on what is now the Service Road. The house is now owned by Dr. R. J. Thompson. The Hedges and Stewarts each bought property from the Grahams at $20 an acre. The Hedges and Stewarts only bought the land about 50 years ago.