Vinegar Hill and the Dundas Street Bridge

The name ‘Vinegar Hill’ has been used for this area of Waterdown since its beginnings, and may have been given because of the apple cider that was often produced on the numerous apple orchards and market gardens along the hill; without modern refrigeration, the cider fermented and developed a vinegary smell.

Although its structure has been changed many times over the years, Fred Carson & Sons built the first substantial bridge over the new rail tracks in 1911. The bridge was rebuilt in 1964/65 and again in 1993. In June 1966, hundreds of people stood on the new structure to watch the Waterdown South Railway Station go up in flames. Though Gaffney Construction Company had recently requested to dismantle the station by fire, Waterdown Reeve Orly Gunby denied permission as the summer months were unsuitable for controlled fires; however, vandals finished the job themselves.