West of Dixie, where Dundas Street meets Mississauga Road, lies the village of Erindale. It began in 1822 when Thomas Racey, a land speculator, bought the centre block of land to build a sawmill and establish a village on the east bank of the Credit. Racey sold his land to settlers in 1827 and a thriving village called "Toronto" soon developed around mills, farms, the post office, a chair factory, a brewery, and taverns. By the time the Credit Valley Railway opened a station on Erindale Station Road in 1879, however, the village's hopes for prosperity had already been lost to the path of the Great Western Railway further south. The quiet village, which had become a favorite stop for travelers between Toronto and Hamilton, had al so become known as "Springfield." In 1890, it was renamed "Erindale" after the estate of the first minister of St. Peter's Anglican Church, Rev. James McGrath who had helped settle the area. St. Peter's still commands a scenic perch atop a hill in Erindale, and has 170 years of involvement in the community.
Source: http://www5.mississauga.ca/heritage/new/history.htm
April 20, 2005
