Heritage village originals keep history’s spirit alive in Old Meadowvale.
Words by Barb MacDonald
Photography By Mike Douglas with archival images
courtesy of Heritage Mississauga.
Tucked in between highways 401and 407, sprawling subdivisions and big box stores, a small coterie of neighbours is trying to preserve the spirit of a oncehumble farming village.
If you cross the green bridge leading to Old Meadowvale Village, a simple sign announces your arrival. Blink and you’ll miss it. Dip down Old Derry Road. Now, somewhat light-headed, you will glance up at homes that hark to a different era. Nice village, you think. At the first stop sign, the show is almost over. You speed off, leaving behind Meadowvale Village: Ontario’s First Heritage Conservation District, none the wiser.
Chance upon this tiny hamlet in September, and you will surely take more notice. For the 65 homes that make up the village, Saturday September 17, Historic Meadowvale Village’s 175th birthday celebration promises its owners a grand event, replete with Irish band, Irish dancers and native drummers—a nod to the ancestors who chose this valley by the Credit River, and built a farming community and small industry of saw, grist and carding mills.
But if you live outside the village—and yes, even if you live on the inside—you might wonder why some neighbours get so passionate when they pontificate on the virtues of a heritage village. No one is disputing the beauty of the village—that’s why many people want to live here, and why some of us lead our dogs inside for a leisurely stroll. The pastoral beauty, mature trees, impressive property lots, and the architecture magically transport us to a simpler time. But the moniker—Ontario’s First Heritage Conservation District—and the mandate to preserve the special character of Meadowvale Village circa 1840 is not easy for any neighbourhood to live up to in modern times; what with the exorbitant costs to preserve old homes; and perhaps, more telling, the drive to modernize so close to a homeowner’s heart. Does anyone really want simpler times—or, if given the choice, would they usher the village forward in time?
You will find no shortage of people willing to recount the history of the village for you. Historian Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Mississauga describes how the Mississauga Indians traded the land on the banks of the Credit River, about 1819, and paved the way for the arrival of an Irish clan from New York City. Because the clearing of white pines and the cultivation of the land was not easy, land ownership changed hands several times before the village slowly took shape with the erection of a saw mill, in 1831, the building of a dam, mill race and second sawmill in 1836; a gristmill in 1844, and winding roads wide enough to accommodate the wagons of farmers travelling to the mills.
On September 17th, you can visit the backyard of Terry Wilson, who some refer to as the village’s caretaker, and tour his personal tribute to the village, a replica of the town’s cornerstone properties, including the general store and the blacksmith’s shop that he made from salvaged wood. Any other day of the year, Terry, a retired history teacher, can be found walking briskly about the village, executing a pet project in the name of preserving the village—such as repairing one of the old wooden fences that border each house from the road.
It was on one of these original roads, that Terry’s mother, Rosemary, biked along in 1944 with her sister through Meadowvale Village, and met the man she would eventually marry – Bob Wilson. Enchanting, is how the soft-spoken woman recalls the village. Even though the grist mill, then owned by Gooderham and Worts, had petered out following the wheat collapse of 1860, the farming community was still thriving. According to Mr. Wilkinson, Toronto’s large urban growth “bled a lot of small communities. That Meadowvale Village survived is really a product of depression; there wasn’t the capital, ability, or desire to replace new structures.”
Long after the farmers began to sell in the 1960’s, the new subdivisions started to slowly creep towards the village, and interest in a plan to widen Old Derry Road to six lanes led to the eventual designation of Meadowvale Village as Ontario’s First Heritage District, in 1986, to help preserve the district’s buildings and character.
Initially, Rosemary was thrilled when she learned of the designation: “It made me feel good because I thought there wouldn’t be any changes whatsoever. I didn’t realize there would be the infill buildings and severing of land.” In the 1950’s, there were half as many homes in the village as there are today, and yet there are many examples of new homes whose footprints supersede the original footprint. “Originally the village was so open. Now they seem to be cramming homes in, every which way.”
The mandate of the heritage designation is to maintain the character of the village dating back to 1840-1860, when modest homes with stucco and wood cladding, porches and verandas, and minimal details were prevalent. Yet Rosemary and Terry can cite many examples of how owners are introducing elements that are foreign to the era, such as replacing gravel driveways with pavers; adding boulders to landscaping designs; converting garages or leaving cars outside of garages, thus creating a cluttered look; choosing ornate facades when renovating homes; and suggesting the village add sidewalks and curbs to the side streets.
Give these villagers your attention and they will quickly pinpoint which homes and details are not indicative of the defined time period.
“A death by a thousand cuts,” Mr. Wilkinson says in agreement; but he also suggests that it’s important to put the challenge of living in a heritage village into perspective. “You have to take the approach that [heritage] is not about freezing time. It’s about sensitive growth. You don’t encapsulate anything in one particular time and try to freeze it in time.” He lauds Terry Wilson’s leadership, effort and determination to protect the village, but he is quick to point out how people think that if there’s a heritage designation on a house that it means:
“They can’t do anything to it.” This is not true. “It means the house still has to be functional for you. But there’s an entity that needs to be respected and preserved in the care of this house.”
Sometimes buyers receive their first real education on how to be a prudent heritage home owner long after they purchase the deed to the house. A 22-page booklet on how to maintain the heritage character and attributes is given to each new owner from a member of the citizen advisory board made up of 10 volunteers from the village. They, along with the City’s Heritage Advisory Committee, oversee requests for renovations or alterations prior to the Committee of Adjustment’s final decision. Since 2005, new legislation has given authority to the Heritage Advisory Committee to fine owners who defy the guidelines.
Die-hard villagers worry that the laws do not protect the charm of the village, citing some purchasers who buy into the village hoping they can make changes without facing too much resistance.
The flip side of the story is that a prospective buyer considering the purchase of a heritage home needs deep pockets to buy into the village and even deeper pockets to restore and maintain a heritage home. Everything has come full circle: Mr. Wilkinson has said “The village survived in the first place because there wasn’t capital to replace structure.” Today capital is needed to preserve some of these very same buildings.
Every day when villagers drive past the green bridge leading into the village, they are reminded of their commitment to this heritage village when they see the sign: “Meadowvale Village since 1836—Ontario’s First Heritage District. But gone are the days ways when villagers had occasions to bump into each other when picking up the mail at the grocery store. But pick any neighbourhood in Mississauga, and you could fill a magazine with a list of the residents’ differences. Neighbours no longer share the same religion, travel in similar social circles; and the kids have the choice of at least two, maybe three, schools to attend, and yes, residents have different ideas about what their neighbourhood means to them.
I met a woman in the village—a woman with a paved driveway, no less—who was quick to tell me that Rosemary and Terry Wilson are good for the village and that their efforts to preserve a bit of history is appreciated. In spite of the rules that tend to draw dividing lines, villagers look forward to the big 175th celebration: a chance to channel the spirit of days gone by; to shake hands and meet a new neighbour; or perhaps to dance an Irish jig with a neighbour they know only-too-well.