Kleinburg History: Facts
Overview
Kleinburg Facts
The Smell & The Feel of the Past
The
settlement of many early villages in Ontario was directly
related to the establishment of a local industry. Kleinburg,
like many riverside villages developed around the existence of
numerous mills.
In 1848, John
Nicholas Kline bought 83 acres of Lot 24 in Concession 8, west
of Islington Avenue. On this land, John N. Kline built a sawmill
and a gristmill. Land plans from 1848 show Lot 24 in Concession
8 divided into smaller, individual, one-quarter acre lots, thus
encouraging the establishment of a village core. The Kline mills
not only served the local farming community, but became the
impetus for a growing commercial centre.
Kleinburg has
had variations to the spelling of its name: Klineburg and
Kleinburg. It is assumed that Kleinburg was named after John N.
Kline, however, its present spelling was derived from a
combination of two German words: Klein, translating as "little
or small" and "berg" meaning "mountain". The name "small
mountain" perfectly describes the topography and the
environmental setting of Kleinburg.
John N.
Kline, a man involved in the local community, operated his
business with the help of his son John Kline Jr. (born 1823).
John Kline Sr. appears in the 1850 directory as a justice of the
peace. He was also a member of the Home District (pre-Vaughan
Township) Council in the 1840s and was responsible for
petitioning for the first school in Kleinburg.
The Klines
remained in Kleinburg until 1851. Though their stay was
relatively brief, their contribution to the village would change
its future course of growth and development.
John N. Kline
sold his property, including his mills, to James Mitchell, who
shortly thereafter, in 1852, sold it to the Howland brothers:
William Pearce, Fred and Henry Stark Howland. The Howland
brothers owned successful mills at Lambton, Waterdown and St.
Catherines.
The Howland
family was one of Ontario�s most successful families in both
private business and public politics. William Pearce Howland
held numerous prestigious positions in his lifetime: a minister
in the first Dominion cabinet of Canada; the Lieutenant-Governor
of Ontario from 1868 to 1873, and Postmaster General of Canada
in 1867.
Henry Stark
Howland was equally successful as his brother. His positions
included: the first post-master of Kleinburg; reeve of Vaughan
Township from 1859 to 1860; warden of York County;
vice-president in 1867 of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and
first president of the Imperial Bank of Canada in 1875.
William
Pearce�s sons held the position of mayor in Toronto; William
Holmes held the position from 1886 to 1887 and Oliver A. from
1901 to 1902.
The mills
owned by the Howland family, however, were not the only mills
responsible for the growth of the community. A second sawmill
was established on the east side of the Humber River, across
from the original Kline mills. By 1850, George Stegman is listed
as the proprietor of this second sawmill located on the east
side of the Village off of what is today Stegman�s Mill Road.
George�s father, John Stegman was a German mercenary soldier who
was paid by the British to fight the colonists in the American
Revolution. John Stegman was compensated for his services with
free land in Canada. In 1790, John Stegman was deputy-surveyor
of Upper Canada.
By 1860, the
community that grew from the establishment of the mills included
: a tanner, a tailor, a boot and shoemaker, a carriage maker, a
doctor, a saddler and harness maker, an undertaker, two hotels,
a church and a school. By 1870, a chemist (druggist), a cabinet
maker, an insurance agent, a butcher, a milliner and a tinsmith,
were added to the directory of local businessmen.
The mills
built by John N. Kline were the largest between Toronto and
Barrie. Kleinburg also became popular as a resting stop for
farmers or merchants on their way to, or from Toronto. The
original Humber (Indian) Trail used by the early traders
remained the most efficient route to Toronto. The Humber Trail
in Vaughan, runs along what is today Islington Avenue and
extends down to Dundas Street in the City of Toronto.
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