Brown's Corners, Markham

Brown's Corners is an unincorporated community in Markham, Regional Municipality of York in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and located near the corner of Woodbine Avenue and Highway 7.[1][3][4][5] The community, founded in 1842, was named for local settler Alexander Brown, Sr. (1771–1851) who acquired 100 acres (40 ha) in 1838.[6][7][8] Beaver Creek flows through it.

For the Brown's Corners nearby in Toronto, see Brown's Corners, Toronto.
Brown's Corners
Etymology: Named for local settler Alexander Brown Sr
Brown's Corners
Location in York Region
Coordinates: 43°50′59″N 79°21′31″W[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
Regional MunicipalityYork
MunicipalityMarkham
Elevation181 m (594 ft)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern Time Zone)
Area code(s)905, 289, 365
CGNDB keyFEQSV

The community is mixed into another unincorporated community of Buttonville, Ontario.

History

Prior to 1838, the land was known as Crown patent to Lot 11, Concession 3 and was owned by King's College, which purchased the land from the British Crown in 1828.[7]

Following the establishment of the farming community, the area became vibrant in the 19th century and into the early 20th century.[9] The hub of the community was Browns Presbyterian Church, with land donated by Brown and located next to his farm. The church included an adjacent cemetery.[10] It became a United Church in 1925. The community also organized an Orange Lodge in the 1830, which continued well into the 1900s.

By the 1960s, farms began to disappear giving way to industrial and retail development in the 1970s and 1980s.

The original Brown homestead was sold in 1968 by Harvey Brown (1938–2004) to developers.[7] The historical community has all but disappeared. A few homes north of Apple Creek Drive and the church at Frontenac Drive are all that remain of the past.[11]

Lost heritage buildings of the community include the Galloway House 1858–1995, and Brown's Corners Inn or The Derry West Hotel c. 1877.

New Brown's Corner

The area once was once farm land and has given way to commercial development. Outlet malls are now found near the former community. All that remains of the old settlement is the Brown's Corner United Church with the small cemetery and Alexander Brown House (built in 1858 by Brown's son) at 8980 Woodbine Avenue.

A list of business located in the area and on the former Brown's farm:

References
  1. "Brown's Corners". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  2. Elevation taken from Google Maps at coordinates. Accessed
  3. "CLAIMaps IV". Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. 2016. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  4. Map 3 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 700,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  5. Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #6 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  6. For a fuller account of the history of Brown's Corners, see Isabel Champion, ed., Markham: 1793-1900 (Markham, ON: Markham Historical Society, 1979), pp. 231-233; 113; 143; 180f. Also: "History - Brown's Corners United Church". Brown's Corners United Church. Archived from the original on 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  7. "Property Information". Hpd.mcl.gov.on.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  8. Charles Pelham Mulvany, Graeme Mercer Adam (1885). History of Toronto and county of York, Ontario. Toronto: C. Blackett Robinson, Publisher. p. 123. Retrieved April 9, 2010. The smaller unincorporated villages of the township include Gormley's Corners, Almira, Victoria Square, Headford, Cashel, Milnesville and Mongolia, in the northern portion, and Dollar, Brown's Corners, Hagerman's Corners, Milliken, ...
  9. See the detailed 1878 map, "Township of Markham," Illustrated historical atlas of the county of York and the township of West Gwillimbury & town of Bradford in the county of Simcoe, Ont. (Toronto: Miles & Co., 1878).
  10. See Champion, ed., Markham: 1793-1900, p. 143; also Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch (1992). Brown's Corners Church Cemetery (Buttonville), Markham, Ontario : East Part of Lot 11, Concession 3E, Town of Markham, Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch. p. 11. ISBN 1-55116-565-1. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  11. "Brown's Corners United Church". Brown's Corners United Church. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
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