Old Oakville

Vision for Oakville
The first town survey was completed in 1833, enclosing an area bounded on the west by Brock Street, on the north by Rebecca and Randall Streets, and on the east by Allan Street.  Road allowances were laid out in the standard grid pattern parallel and perpendicular to the shore of Lake Ontario. Each 1½ acre block was subdivided into six lots lettered alphabetically from A to F inclusive. The first public sale of lots took place in May 1833 offering 50 of the most valuable "Town" and "Water" Lots.  The conditions of sale required a structure, no less than 24'x18' to be erected within 18 months, and the structure to be of stone, brick or frame construction. The conditions of sale ensured the orderly appearance of the growing village. By 1851, Oakville had a population of 916.

The name "Oakville" was chosen for the new settlement to mark the abundance of oak trees in the area and to honour the founder, William Chisholm - whose nickname was "White Oak". Today, a portion of the original plan of settlement has been designated by the Town as a Heritage Conservation District to preserve the architecture of the Town's beginnings.

Early Leaders 1827-1875
In addition to the founder William Chisholm, strong leadership from other citizens was important in developing Oakville into a town by 1857. One such person was Merrick Thomas. He managed Chisholm's Burlington shipyard before he came to superintend Oakville's townsite. Later he was an Oakville mill-owner and steamship agent, and performed civic responsibilities.
Justus Williams opened a general store on Colborne Street in 1833 and became a leading merchant. Simultaneously, he took up community duties. He became Recording Secretary for the Wesleyan Church (a post he held for 30 years). In 1834 he was appointed to form a Board of Health for Oakville, to deal with an outbreak of cholera brought in by immigrants. A lifetime of dedicated public service followed. Leader in church, educational, judicial and municipal affairs, he held many offices.

In private life a farm-owner, mill partner (with his brother John) and mason, in public life Lt-Col. George King Chisholm exercised political and military leadership. An M.P. and Oakville's first Mayor, he also organized militia units to defend against the 1837 rebellion and possible incursion during the American civil war and Fenian troubles of the 1860's.

Period Homes
The early settlers of Oakville, while full of optimism lacked formal training - there were few master builders or architects at the time. In fact, the shipbuilders who came to work for Chisholm in the shipyard, also built many of the first houses in Oakville. From the beginning, there was extensive mingling of the workers' cottages and merchants' houses.
The earliest homes in Oakville were constructed quickly with the easiest and most available materials. Timber was there for the taking and shipwrights and carpenters were skilled in its handling. Lake stone and river stone were used for the cellar walls and footings.

The houses at 18-26 Thomas Street were built circa 1852 for the shipyard workers and their families working for Duncan Chisholm ship builder and tinsmith. Frame construction with shiplath clapboard siding, these houses have "six over six" windows - based on a pane width that was quite common from 1835 to 1865.  As time passed, many of the original frame houses were sheathed in two coats of stucco to provide the jointless weather-resistant, low maintenance finish. "Roughcast" stucco was scooped up on the back of the trowel and flung against the wall with a backhand motion.

Captian John Moore built the house at 29 Navy Street in 1830. Origionaly sheathed in clapboard, it was enlarged into a hotel, and given its rough cast stucco finish in the 1850s. Named the "Frontier House", it served steamboat passengers arriving and departing from the Harbour. The house returned to a private dwelling about 1870. In 1906, the northern portion of the house was separated and moved to a lot on King Street - becoming what is now 154 King Street.

For the greater part of the nineteenth century, the centre hall Georgian plan remained popular. In the early homes, this basic form was embellished with door and window surrounds and cornice treatments. The degree of decorative detail depended on the financial capabilities of the owner.  The Sweeney House was built by ship carpenters John and Thomas Sweeney circa 1834. Stuccoed in the 1850s, this Georgian Style house features windows balanced around a centre door embellished by a rectangular transom and side lights to illuminate the hall. The cedar shake roof reflects the material that was used at that period.

Brick was a much more expensive cladding and as a result, there were very few houses built with this material until the 1860s. Early bricks were somewhat irregular in size, averaging less than 8" x 4" x 2". They had flat surfaces but were often rough, warped and cracked.  The Lt-Col. George K. Chisholm House at 85 Navy Street was built in 1848 as a one and a half storey Regency Style brick house. It was one of Oakville's first brick houses. Its owner became the town's first mayor.

Census records show that in 1851, there were 130 frame houses and 4 brick houses in Oakville. By 1861, as the town grew in prosperity the number of homeowners had increased substantially and there were 228 frame houses and 45 brick houses.  Many of Old Oakville's early homes have been preserved and recognized with plaques commemorating the original owner and the year in which the home was built. 

Lock-up & Town Hall
An act to incorporate the Town of Oakville was assented to on May 27th, 1857. The first council members were:

Mayor
G.K. Chisholm, Farmer & Landowner

Ward 1
R.K. Chisholm, Customs Agent & Postmaster
W.E. Hagaman, General Merchant

Ward 2
W.F. Romain, Grain Merchant
P.A. MacDougald, Grain Merchant

Ward 3
J. Reid, Grain Merchant
J. Barclay, General Merchant
J. Potter, Joiner & Shipbuilder

The land for Market Square had been set aside in 1835 by William Chisholm for public use.  The Lock-up/Town Hall was built on the north side of the square in 1859. The main floor served as a jail and as a quarantine for immigrants. Council Chambers were on the upper floor.  A similar structure, the Market Building was also built on this site in 1862. The lower floor consisted of stalls for butchers and farmers to sell meat & produce. The upper floor was devoted to an auditorium complete with piano, and was used for entertaining up to 500 people.  In 1876, after the Lock-up burned down, the Market Building became known as Town Hall and the lower floor was remodelled for Council Chambers and jail cells. In December 1913 the Town Hall also burnt to the ground.  The Lock-up and Town Hall were in the charge of George J. Sumner (1834-1911), a respected and influential figure holding many official posts. His personal diaries vividly describe the daily life of his time.

Commercial Buildings
William Chisholm's first priorities for Oakville economic development were developing the harbour, building a grist and sawmill, and setting up a shipbuilding yard.  This activity, along with the declaration of the harbour as a Port of Entry for Canada in 1834 and a Warehousing Port in 1850, quickly made Oakville a hub of commercial activity.  Navy Street, leading to and from the harbour was a very busy thoroughfare. All supplies for the town arrived by ship and all products of the region - grain, flour, lumber and fruit were transported from here to other ports.  During the 1850s, a number of commercial buildings were erected to support the town's thriving economy.