Locust Hill is a historic community of

Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...

centred on Hwy. 7 and the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

and within the boundaries of the future national

Rouge Park Rouge National Urban Park is a national urban park in Ontario, Canada. The park is centred around the Rouge River and its tributaries in the Greater Toronto Area. The southern portion of the park is situated around the mouth of river in Toron ...

History

Locust Hill Train Station (1936) at Markham Museum

Locust Hill was first settled about 1799 by Samuel Reynolds, a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...

from

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...

. The hamlet, centred on lots 10 and 11, concession 10. Today the area is made up of existing and newer homes along Highway 7. Locust Hill only became a place of significance with the arrival of the

Ontario and Quebec Railway The Ontario and Quebec Railway (O&Q) was a railway located in southern and eastern Ontario, Canada. It was initially chartered in March 1881 by managers of the Canadian Pacific Railway to run between Toronto and Perth, where it would connect, via ...

in the 1884, linking

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

with

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. Area business leaders from Whitevale and

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

petitioned to create a railway station at what is now Locust Hill. Originally called Green River Station and later renamed. The hamlet and station were named after the farm of William and Esther Reesor Armstrong, where

locust tree Locust tree can mean: * Any of a number of tree species in the genera ''Gleditsia'' or ''Robinia'', including: :: Honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), a leguminous tree with pods having a sweet, edible pulp :: Black locust (''Robinia pseudoac ...

s were a prominent feature. Locust Hill was one of the busiest stations on the Toronto-Perth line and was built on the St Clair Farm owned by Captain William Button on the northwest side of Highway 7. Flour, brushes, livestock and milk were shipped out of Locust Hill in quantity. In 1887 an elevator and mill were built east of the station, a water tower on the west side, and a co-operative creamery was built on the south side of Highway 7 on the east bank of the Rouge River in 1893, which burned down in 1910. The original ''Van Horne'' style one and half storey station burned down in 1935 and was replaced by a single floor station in 1936. Rail service through Locust Hill ceased in 1969, but the line is still active. The old Locust Hill Station has been relocated in 1983 and reconstructed at the Markham Museum and Historic Village and the station platform was removed and replaced with a grass strip.

Retail Sections

Locust Hill had a small number of retail businesses along Highway 7: * Nighswander Brothers General Store and Temperance Hotel was built in 1885 and largest non residential structure. Building housed the local

Standard Bank of Canada The Standard Bank of Canada was a Canadian bank established in 1873 as the St. Lawrence Bank by a group of Toronto businessmen led by John Charles Fitch. In 1876 it was renamed the Standard Bank of Canada following a reorganization, and under it ...

branch. The site sat vacant after 2004; it was torn down in 2012 after a partial collapse and now a vacant lot despite City of Markham request for owner to rebuild the structure. * Sandy Duff blacksmith shop. * Locust Hill Creamery located off Highway 7 on east bank of Little Rouge Creek; it later converted as private residence.

Churches, post office and school

In 1856, a

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

as well A brick schoolhouse, SS#21, was built in 1864 on east side of Reesor Road north of Highway 7 and remained in use to the 1960s, converted to residential use and now partially repaired to the original configuration by

Toronto Region Conservation Authority The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a conservation authority in southern Ontario, Canada. It owns about of land in the Toronto region, and it employs more than 400 full-time employees and coordinates more than 3,000 voluntee ...

in 2017. A post office, now at present day 7842 Highway 7 East, was originally opened in 1886 and remains in use today. Neighbouring community of Belford to the south closed their post office in 1889 and services moved to Locust Hill. The present church structure, Locust Hill United Church, was built in 1890 (replacing earlier church on south side of Highway 7) is shared site with Eastside Baptist Church. A cemetery is located across Highway 7 from the church and a cairn was added in the cemetery in 1990.

Future: Rouge National Park

While much of the city of Markham has become residential, the land immediately around Locust Hill is still in agricultural use. In 2011 the Canadian federal government announced plans to create a national

. The park will completely encompass the community of Locust Hill.See the Rouge Park Alliance
Park Map
.

Transportation

The main transportation link in Locust Hill is Highway 7 and Highway 407.

Locust Hill Line

Metrolinx Metrolinx is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario that manages and integrates road and public transport in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), which comprises much of Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region. Headquartered at Union Sta ...

has a planned spur line off from the purposed Midtown corridor terminating a Locust Hill.

In film

* The 1974 film, ''Vengeance is Mine'', starring

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

was filmed partially at the Locust Hill train station (which now sits on the Markham Museum grounds). * The 1976 film, ''Silver Streak'', starring

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

includes a train scene in the hamlet where the general store can be seen.

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Markham, Ontario