Acton, Ontario

Acton
—  Urban area  —
Mill Street in Acton
Coordinates: 43°37′53″N 80°2′20″W / 43.63139°N 80.03889°W / 43.63139; -80.03889Coordinates: 43°37′53″N 80°2′20″W / 43.63139°N 80.03889°W / 43.63139; -80.03889
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Regional municipality	Halton
Town	Halton Hills
Founded	1828
Incorporated (village)	1874
Amalgamated	1974
Elevation	350 m (1,150 ft)
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Forward sortation area	L7J
Area code(s)	519, 226
NTS Map	040P09
GNBC Code	FABPG

Acton (population 9,704) is a community located in the Town of Halton Hills, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada.

Acton was first named Danville when Settler Wheeler Green opened a dry-goods store in 1828. It was later called Adamsville, after three settlers from a family of that name. In 1846, the postmaster named the community after the area of Acton in West London, England. Originally part of Esquesing Township, Acton was incorporated as a village in 1874,^[1] and was erected into a town in 1950.^[2]

On January 1, 1974, Acton amalgamated with the Town of Georgetown and most of the Township of Esquesing to form the Town of Halton Hills.

Demographics

Geography

Fairy Lake
Bathymetric contours of Fairy Lake
Location	Halton Hills, Ontario
Coordinates	43°37′28.76″N 80°2′58.09″W / 43.6246556°N 80.0494694°W / 43.6246556; -80.0494694
Lake type	reservoir
Catchment area	20.31 km2 (7.84 sq mi)
Built	1830 (1830)
Surface area	0.26 km2 (0.10 sq mi)
Average depth	1 m (3.3 ft)
Max. depth	7 m (23 ft)
Water volume	400,656 m3 (324.817 acre·ft)
Surface elevation	347 m (1,138 ft)
Settlements	Acton, Ontario
References	[6]

The town's location was chosen because of the good source of waterpower from the Black Creek, and the flour mill established at the beginning is still in operation today, although its source of power has changed. It is also near the watershed between the Credit River and the Grand River which is just west of the urban area, where the Blue Springs Creek begins. Acton also has Fairy Lake at Prospect Park,which is the fairgrounds for the Acton Fall Fair every September.^[7]

Transportation

The former Acton train station

Acton is located at the intersection of Highway 7 and Halton Regional Road 25. Bus service is provided by GO Transit on its Georgetown line corridor.

The Grand Trunk brought train service to the area in 1856, and its station^[8] was located at Mill Street East and Eastern Avenue next to the Beardmore leather warehouse (now known as the Olde Hide House). Canadian National closed the train station in the late 1960s, but the stop continued to serve both Via Rail and GO Trains until the 1990s. GO Train service is planned to be revived in the area in 2012.^[9]

From 1917 to 1931, Acton was also served by the Toronto Suburban Railway,^[10] which entered into a notable dispute over a crossing with a spur line of the Grand Trunk in the town, that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada for resolution.^[11]

Leathertown

Downtown Acton

Tanning has been an important industry in Acton since 1844, when the first tannery was established, as the area was attractive to the leather industry because of the large numbers of trees.^[12] The tannery was subsequently purchased by Beardmore & Co. in 1865, and over time became the largest tanner in Canada.^[13] It was sold to Canada Packers in 1944, and continued in operation until its closure in September 1986.^[14]

Other specialty tanners were also established in the town.^[15] In the early 20th century, Acton was the main urban community of Esquesing Township, much larger than nearby Georgetown, Ontario which now has four times the population.

Because of the extensive tanning industry that was located in the area during the 19th Century and early 20th Century, the area has earned the nickname of Leathertown. The industry continues today in diminished form at:

• The Olde Hide House^[16]
• Superior Glove Works Ltd^[17]

Actonite or Actonian

It is interesting to note in older books and papers of the area that not one, but two demonyms have existed for residents of the area at the same time. Actonite was used to identify people who moved to the area, and Actonian referred to people who grew up there. The first designation now predominates, due to the last influx of new residents in the 1960s, but older residents still remember it.

Acton Town Hall
General information
Architectural style	Italianate
Address	19 Willow St
Town or city	Acton
Completed	December 1882
Opening	March 1883
Cost	$4,574
Technical details
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Owner	Heritage Acton
Main contractor	W.M. McCulla of Brampton, Ontario
Architecture firm	James, Mallory and Mallory of Toronto, Ontario
Designations	Heritage property
Website
www.actontownhall.com
References
[18]

Media

Acton is covered by local newspapers and television through the following services:

• Acton Free Press
• TVCogeco
• The Acton New Tanner
• The Halton Compass

Library

The Acton branch of the Halton Hills Public Library is located at 17 River Street was initially built as the community's centennial project, and was opened in 1967. It was significantly expanded in 2012.^[19]

Notable Actonians

• George Elliott - novelist
• Donald Mann - industrialist
• Jeff McEnery [1] - comic
• Jamie Taras - former professional Canadian football player
• Lar deSouza [2] Least I Could Do [3] Looking for Group - artist
• Russell Weston - television personality

Bibliography

Acton's Early Days (1939); privately published by The Acton Free Press, last reprint 1978

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acton, Ontario

• Acton, Ontario Urban Area Profile
• Acton at Geographical Names of Canada