57: 2031 North Service Road West, Hilton Farm

Inventory Report: 2031 North Service Road West, Hilton Farm

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57: 2031 North Service Road West, Hilton Farm

1. Description of Property Municipal Address 2031 North Service Road West (formerly 1054 Third Line) Name (if applicable) Hilton Farm (Arland Farms) Legal Description PT LT 26, CON 2 TRAFALGAR, SOUTH OF DUNDAS STREET , AS IN 328312 EXCEPT PE93 & PTS

1,2, 20R7101 ; OAKVILLE/TRAFALGAR Location of Property Located west of Third Line, on the north (and west) side of North Service Road West, where it

bends northward before intersecting with Third Line. Ownership Private Access Access denied. Photos and notes from the road, September 2015 (AB) Current Use Residential Existing Designation Designated under Part IV of the OHA (by-law 1994-043) as a property of historical,

architectural and contextual value and interest. General Description 2031 North Service Road (Hilton Farm) comprises the remaining portion of the Hilton Farm,

including the fieldstone farmhouse, agricultural outbuildings, and part of the Hilton orchard, which once comprised 35 acres. Located within the Merton Planning Study Area.

Priority Level High

Figure 1: 2031 North Service Road, view from road. (AB, 2015)

North Service Rd.Farmhouse

Orchard

Barn

Pond

Footpaths

Golf Course

Upper

Midd

le Rd

. W.

House

HistoricOak

HistoricTrees

BronteCreek

North Service Rd.Farmhouse

Orchard

LEGEND

2031 North Service Rd.

Cultural Heritage LandscapeInventory Map

Drawing not to scale

Corporation of theTown of Oakville1225 Trafalgar RdOakville, ONL6H 0H3

Watercourse

Site Structures

Vegetation

Assessment Boundary

Building

CHL Study Area

Heritage District

Heritage Trail

Parkland

Park Trail

Road

Cemetery


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2. Key Recommendations Priority = High

Rationale for priority level:

• Vulnerability for loss of cultural heritage resources; • High vulnerability for change in ownership; • High vulnerability for development (located within the Merton Planning Study Area)1; and • All existing built and natural cultural heritage resources may not have been identified or included in current

designation.

Recommendations for future action:

• Prepare a full evaluation report to confirm and update the heritage attributes of the property, including natural heritage elements; and

• Amend the designation by-law to update the address of the property and correct or clarify the statement of value and the description of heritage attributes.

3. Documentation and Inventory of Built Form List of Built Features:

• Rubble stone house made of colourful local fieldstone, with cut-stone voussoirs over openings and rusticated stone quoins on corners and on projecting central bay. The design of the house combines Neoclassical and Gothic Revival features, with a three-bay façade, central gable, projecting front porch and bracketed cornice.

• Green, clapboard outbuildings; • A gravelled laneway; and • Fencing around the property and between the house and the orchard.

4. Documentation and Inventory of Natural Form List of Natural Features:

• Orchard trees; and • Cedar row.

5. Design (Typology) ‘X’ all that

apply Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape

Description

X Designed Landscape “…clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man.”

X Organically Evolved Landscape

“…results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed in its present form in response to its natural environment”

Relict Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past.”

1 Town of Oakville, Merton Planning Study, http://www.oakville.ca/business/merton-planning-studies.html.


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‘X’ all that apply

Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape

Description

X Continuing Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and which the evolutionary process is still in progress.”

Associative Cultural Landscape

“…justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.”

6. Historical and Thematic Associations The property is located on Lot 26, Concession II, SDS. The Crown patent for the 100-acre lot was issued to King’s College in the 1820s. Charles Hilton and his wife Rebecca and three children moved onto the lot in 1831 and gradually began clearing the land: five acres by 1833, 30 acres by 1840 and all 100 acres by 1848. The Hiltons initially lived in a frame house but by 1858, they had built a stone house. They had seven children in the house and the farm was prospering, with 80 acres under cultivation. Between 1861 and 1871 they planted an apple orchard and by 1871, 25% of the farm was under orchard. The 1877 Map of Trafalgar shows the house and a large orchard south of the house. By 1881, the orchard had reached its maximum size of 35 acres and Charles and Rebecca’s son Henry was operating the farm. Henry was still living on the farm in 1899, the last year for which tax assessment records are available.2

7. Contextual Associations The Hilton Farm is the only remaining historic farmstead in the general vicinity (Figure 3). The property retains many of its orchards and is located close to a branch of Fourteen Mile Creek.

Figure 3: Aerial image of 2031 North Service Road and surroundings. (Google Earth Pro, 2015)

2 Historical information taken from By-law 1994-43.


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8. Evaluation (O. Reg 9/06)

O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria

Potentially Met (Y/N)

Potential Justification

1. The property has design value or physical value because it,

i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material, or construction method,

Y

The farm may serve as a representative example of a mid- to late-19th century fruit farm, depending on the degree of integrity. Representative example of vernacular design which incorporated elements of various architectural styles, including Neoclassical and Gothic Revival. Rare example of rubble stone construction using multi-coloured, local fieldstones.

ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or N Not shown.

iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement. N Not shown.

2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,

i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,

Y

The property is associated with the Hilton family (early settlers) and with the agricultural heritage of Oakville, in particular the theme of fruit growing.

ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture, or

Not known

iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.

N Not known

3. The property has contextual value because it,

i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area, Y

As the last remaining historic farmstead in the general vicinity and a rare example of a relict orchard, it is important in defining and maintaining the character of area.

ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings, or N It is not physically, functionally, visually

or historically linked to its surroundings. iii. is a landmark. N Not shown.


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9. Photographic Documentation

Figure 4: January 2013 photograph of the house at 2031 North Service Road West. (Town of Oakville)

Figure 5: View of orchard and portion of agricultural outbuilding (AB, 2015)


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10. Analysis & Recommendations Potential Heritage Value:

The former Hilton Farm may have cultural heritage value and interest as a representative example of a mid- to late- 19th century fruit farm, depending on the degree of integrity. It may have historical associations with the early settlement and the agricultural history of Trafalgar Township, in particular fruit growing. It may have historical associations with the Hilton family, who were early settlers and long-time farmers. The house may be a representative example of a 19th century Ontario farmhouse, as a vernacular design combining elements of Neoclassical and Gothic Revival styles. Its rubble stone construction of multi-coloured local fieldstone may be a rare example. As the last remaining historic farmstead in the vicinity and a rare example of a relict orchard, it may be important in defining the character of the area.

Actions:

The property at 2031 North Service Road is designated under Part IV of the OHA (By-law 1994-043). Although this By-law protects the property and implicitly includes some of the property’s key features (including the orchard) in its description of historical, architectural and contextual value, the By-law does not include a specific list of heritage attributes, nor does it specifically list additional built components of the property’s landscape (such as the agricultural outbuildings), natural features or topography in its consideration of cultural heritage value.

It is recommended that a full evaluation of the property be undertaken to determine and map the extent of built and natural heritage attributes that contribute to the cultural heritage character of the Hilton Farm. Section 30.1 of the OHA permits municipalities to amend a designating by-law to correct or clarify the statement of value and description of heritage attributes without enacting a new by-law.

A ‘high’ priority level is recommended for the following reasons:

• Vulnerability for loss of cultural heritage resources; • High vulnerability for change in ownership; • High vulnerability for development; • Its location within the Merton Planning Study Area provides impetus to undertake a full evaluation; and • All existing built and natural cultural heritage resources may not have been identified or included in current

designation.

11. Sources Town of Oakville, “By-law 1994-043: A by-law to designate 1054 Third Line as a property of historical, architectural and contextual value and interest.” 1994.

Town of Oakville, “Merton Planning Study,” 2013. http://www.oakville.ca/business/merton-planning-studies.html.

12. Appendix A SCHEDULE “A” TO BY-LAW 1994-43

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The house at 1054 Third Line, being Lot 26, Concession 2, S.D.S. in the nineteenth century, was built circa 1858 by the Hilton family who were farmers on the southern half of the property.

Charles Hilton moved onto Lot 26 in 1831. The assessment roll for that year shows that he resided on a 100 acre lot, none of which was cultivated at that time. By the assessment of 1833, Hilton had cleared 5 acres of his land. At this time, the


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property on which the Hilton family settled belonged to King's College, as part of their original grant from the Crown issued in the 1820's. It was not until 1854 that Hilton registered the purchase of the south half of Lot 26 from the University of Toronto. Meanwhile, he had established a prosperous farming operation on the land.

The clearing of the property was a slow process which has been documented in the Trafalgar Township Assessment Roils. Within 3 years of settling on the property, Hilton had 14 acres under cultivation. By 1840, 30 acres were cultivated and it was not until 1848 that Hilton had cleared half of his 100 acre property. Throughout much of this period the family was fortunate enough to have 2 oxen to assist with the clearing and the ploughing.

Charles was 32 when he first settled on Lot 26. His wife, Rebecca was 23. In 1831, there were also three other persons "under sixteen" living on the property - 1 male and 2 females. There is no indication whether or not these were Hilton's children. The assessment roll of 1848 shows that the Hilton's were living in a frame house, under 2 storeys.

The 1851 Census of Trafalgar Township is incomplete, leaving the 1861 Census as the first available detailed information for the Hilton family. In 1861, Charles was 64 years old, a farmer who listed his birthplace as "England", and his religion as "Wesleyan Methodist". His wife Rebecca, age 53, was also born in England. In this census, seven children were recorded - Henry, laborer, 28; Ann, 26; Martha, 24; Charles E., laborer, 21; John, laborer, 19; Rebecca, 17; and Eliza, 15. By 1861, the four persons "under 16" who were counted in the 1833 assessment roll would have been older than Henry, who was 28, but there is no evidence of their whereabouts in this record.

By 1861, there were nine members of the Hilton family living in a 1 1/ 2 storey house. The stone residence was built in 1858. This is the same dwelling which appears in the 1877 atlas of Halton County, and which is still standing on Lot 26 today.

The agricultural census of 1861 indicates that the Hilton farm was prospering. There were 80 acres under cultivation, 30 in crop, 48 in pasture and 2 in orchard. The value of the farm was $7,000. The farm machinery was worth $442.

It was between 1861 and 1871 that the Hilton's planted the apple orchard which would come to characterize their farm. According to the 1871 census, one quarter of the farm (25 acres) was under orchard. Charles E., age 34, was the only Hilton offspring living with his parents that year. In keeping with the nature of the farming operation, this son gave his occupation as "Fruit Grower".

In the Illustrated Atlas of the county of Halton published in 1877, the south half of Lot 26, Concession 2, S.D.S., is shown in the name of Charles Hilton. There is a house marked just south of the creek which cuts across the property. The land south of the house is covered by a large orchard. There is no other orchard of its size marked on the map in the surrounding area.

By 1881, the orchard had reached its maximum size of 35 acres. The farm was operated then by Henry Hilton, who had inherited his father's property. Henry was 34 and lived with his mother, his sister Anne Harrison, 47, who had been widowed, and Frank Curtis, age 22, who was probably a hired farm hand. Henry was still residing on this farm in 1899. This is the last year for which records of Lot 26, Cone. 2 S.D.S. are available.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Hilton house at 1054 Third Line is a 1 1/ 2 storey structure, rectangular with a central hall plan.

It is a vernacular design incorporating elements of various architectural styles, including Neoclassical and Gothic Revival. The building has a 3 bay facade, with a central gable and projecting front porch. The front facade is adorned with bracketed cornice.

The house is constructed in rubble stonework using the colorful local fieldstone, a rare feature in Oakville. There are well-cut stone voussoirs over the windows and upper floor door, and rusticated stone quoins on the corners and on the projecting central bay.


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There have been several alterations to the house. These include the replacement of the original wood shingles with asphalt, the addition of porches to the south, north and west, the application of stucco to the north (rear) facade, the addition of a dormer to the rear, and the attachment of aluminum storm windows (although most of the original 6 over 6 sash windows have been retained). An unusual feature in the central gable is the existence of a doorway instead of the more typical window. Although compatible with the symmetry of the facade, this is most likely a later alteration.

The design of the house has incorporated varied architectural features into a form which is well balanced, and of pleasing proportions.

Although there have been alterations to the house at 1054 Third Line, these do not significantly detract from its heritage character.

CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE

Although it is in the vicinity of the Q.E.W., Third Line and North Service Road, the immediate setting of the Hilton house today appears much as it did over 100 years ago. It is situated just south of a branch of Fourteen Mile Creek and much of the surrounding land used by the Hilton's as orchard is still covered by trees.

Documents

57: 2031 North Service Road West, Hilton Farm