Milnesville is a historic community of

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

on the 8th Line or 8th Concession Road (now as Hwy. 48), between Elgin Mills Road and Major Mackenze Drive, and the Little Rouge Creek.

History

Milnesville was founded in 1851 by Peter Milne, who acquired lot 26, concession 7. In the 1830s, Peter Milne had been a strong supporter of the reformer

William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish-born Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify the establishment of Upper Canada. He represe ...

and Mackenzie's

Upper Canada Rebellion The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the Oligarchy, oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the Lower Canada Rebe ...

. Because of his involvement in the uprising, Milne was arrested on March 21, 1838 and taken to Fort Henry in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. He was eventually pardoned. In 1852, Milnesville was granted a post office which was run out of the general store operated by John Harrington. The store was located just south of where the Little Rouge Creek crosses Hwy. 48 on the east side on what was David Byer's farm lot. By the end of the 19th century, the community had a saw mill, a blacksmith shop and a cobbler shop. The Wideman Mennonite Church and Mennonite Cemetery predate the hamlet and are located on the west side of Hwy. 48, just north of the crossing of the Little Rouge. The original log church was already built before 1819 and was likely the earliest church structure built in Markham Township. The present church was constructed in 1928. Beyond the church and cemetery all other buildings (post office, stores) have since disappeared. Milnesville remains an agricultural community only. In 2008, the Town of Markham recommended the Samuel Wideman House at 10541 Highway 48 in Milnesville be preserved as a significant heritage resource for the community of Milnesville and the Town of Markham.Cf
The Eleventh Heritage Markham Committee Meeting of the Town of Markham
, Nov. 12, 2008, p. 3, no. 6.

References

{{Coord, 43, 53, 27, N, 79, 11, 52, W, display=title Neighbourhoods in Markham, Ontario