Lost Lynden

Lost Lynden

Hamilton, Ontario L8L 5W8, Canada

Created By: Meghan Martin

Tour Information

When the crossroads of Governor's Road and Lynden Road was settled in 1840, it was first known as Vansickle's. In 1852 at an acrimonious meeting to decide on a name it was decided to call it Lynden after a pleasant town in Vermont that was fondly remembered by one of the inhabitants.

Whereas most of Beverly was made up of swamp, the land in and around Lynden was mostly pine forest. Lynden therefore had much more industry potential than much of the rest of Beverly. One of the steam sawmills had the capacity of turning out one thousand feet of lumber per hour. It was formerly called by some the township of shingles. Despite the large amount of milling in the area, the population remained quite small. Many of the first families who settled in Lynden are still living on their original family farms. Today, most of the old mills have disappeared and the area is dominated by dairy and sod farms. With the completion of the Great Western Railway to the north of the village, businesses grew up on Lynden Road.

Explore the buildings Lynden has lost through history while enjoying the charm that still remains.

Images and information sourced from the Flamborough Archives, the publication "Lynden Of a By-Gone Era and Memories", and Google Street View.


Tour Map

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What You'll See on the Tour

The Great Western Railway was a major influence on many rural communities as it allowed farmers to ship their crops to larger cities or even across the world. Such was the case with flour from Thompson's Mill, which was shipped to Scotland ... Read more
In the year 1878, a mill hearing engine and boiler was moved to this Lynden mill from Troy. Over the years the mill had sections added on to the original structure, a four storey section added in 1922. Production during that time was 140 ba... Read more
Where an empty parking lot is now once stood a brick building, known as Thompson's Block as it was built in 1881 by Robert Thompson Senior. This building had many tenants over the years. To name a few, a harness shop, general stores, Bank o... Read more
This corner property had originally been purchased by James E. Orr in 1863. A year later, with little if any development taking place, he sold it to his brother Wesley F. By 1865, James repurchased the lot and erected a frame store where he... Read more
Purchased in 1862 by Horatio Nelson Elliott, little development occurred on this lot until John McDonal opened an inn or saloon here in 1866-67. The property changed hands a few times, all while operating as a general store. By 1880, Paul S... Read more
The former site of Doherty's blacksmith shop, set close to the road and constructed of brick. Note the board sidewalks in the accompanying photo, and many homes in the background still stand today. Lynden, like many other settlements, had a... Read more
Around 1939, Thomas Poulton bought a barn on lot 23 east of Main St., and had it moved to the north end of his property. Hardware and farm equipment were sold from the location for a few years. By 1948, Helen Walker and her daughter Hope ha... Read more
Born in England on September 30, 1830, William Barrett seems to have apprentinced to the wagonmaker's trade while there. He purchased this lot in 1862, when at the time Orpheus Street still connected with Main Street (now Lynden Road). By 1... Read more
Prior to the building of this church, services were conducted since 1884 in the upper level of the Thompson's Block. As the congregation grew, it was deemed necessary to build an independent church structure. The red brick building was read... Read more
Originally erected by William Harris as a frame planing mill in 1876, it changed hands multiple times over the next decade until the title was transferred to Charles Alfred Rous in 1887. He would continue the milling business, and shared hi... Read more
The store that became Thompson's General Store was first established by Nellie and Lloyd Dyment in the 1930's, until September of 1948 when it was sold to Francis Corrigan and Muriel Thompson, Nellie's brother and sister-in-law. Frank and M... Read more
Robert L. Patterson purchased this property in February of 1851 from Benoni Vansickle. He became one of Lynden's first merchants after establishing a one storey, frame boot and shoe shop in the same year. By late 1881 to early 1882 he had c... Read more

 

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