The Churchville Fire Department
Embedded Files
July 16th, 2024
D. Rollings
The 1864 Tor-11 Survey, which shows a public lane next to Lot 33, running from Churchville Rd to the Millrace
In autumn 2023 the City of Brampton began considering a recommendation to dispose of the property at 7752 Churchville Road, reenvisioning the property as an open park space or perhaps the site of a new home. The building that currently sits on this site played an important role in village life for almost 80 years; first as the location of Ollie Burton’s Garage and then variously as Station 7, 17 and 217: home of the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department.
The property has a fascinating history that extends right back to the earliest years of the village. As you can see in the 1864 Tor-11 survey of the village, it stood on Lot 33. A public lane ran from Churchville Road back to the mill tailrace. The south section of the firehall actually stands partially on the path of the lane; you can still see this in modern surveys of the village.
The public lane still appears on modern surveys; the southern wall of 7752 was built over it. You can make out the location of the old Millrace by looking at the western end of the lot & lane (image: Region of Peel)
The location along the natural mill race made Lot 33 an ideal spot for industry, and a grist mill once stood on the site, owned and operated by postmaster and local merchant William Duggan. In 1864 several incidents of arson in the village destroyed the mill and left Duggan seemingly ruined. The family eventually did recover, however, and his son, T.W. Duggan, went on to become general manager of the Dale Estate, Chair of the CNE and Mayor of Brampton.
Photos seem to indicate that the lot sat empty after the fires. In the last part of the 19th century, Luke Marchment bought up the lots extending along the river between 7772 and 7746 Churchville Road. Not much is known about how the lot was utilized until Ollie Burton built his garage there in the 1940s.
Circa 1910 postcard appearing to show that the lot between 7772 and 7746 Churchville Road was empty.
Ollie Burton's Garage
As youths, Ollie Burton and his older brother James were locally renowned for their athletic prowess; particularly as members of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club. Ollie was a member of the team in 1930 when it won its first Mann Cup, and he was mentioned in a number of newspaper articles from the time. Ollie lived with his wife Dorothy (Dot) and family at 7764 Churchville Road, two doors down from his garage.
1947 ad for Burton's Garage from the Brampton Conservator
Burton's Garage in the 1940s.
A closer view.
A view of the garage from across the road in the 1940s.
The Volunteer Fire Department
In 1950 the Township of Toronto recognized that Churchville, Meadowvale and surrounding areas were in desperate need of their own fire station; historically they had relied on the far-off Cooksville brigade for their main source of protection. The Township approached Meadowvale first, but it proved impossible to recruit enough volunteers to set up the new station. Newly-promoted Township Fire Chief Jack Brathwaite approached Lloyd Golden and Tom Cattle to explore the possibility of creating one in Churchville. Golden owned and operated the only remaining store and gas station in the village and was very involved in Churchville United Church. He was well positioned to recruit and to manage the village fire alarm. Cattle served with Toronto Fire Services for 27 years before retiring to the village to manage Martin’s Camp. Brathwaite’s plan would proove a success.
The Township purchased a 1942 Ford truck and rented Burton’s Garage to store it and the associated equipment. Three phone lines in the village served for communication purposes with headquarters in Cooksville. These were located at Golden’s Store and in Ab Callaghan and Al Kean’s homes.
Chief Jack Brathwaite on his retirement in 1967 (image: York University Digital Library)
The Churchville Volunteer Fire Department was born, officially established on August 4th, 1951. Tom Cattle would serve as first Deputy Chief, overseeing the new brigade. In the first years of existence, the station boasted 23 volunteers. In 1953 the Township purchased Ollie Burton’s garage outright.
The following year, 1954, was a significant one for the Fire Department. Cattle retired and his son-in-law, Ab Callaghan, was named Platoon Chief. Al Kean was made District Chief. That spring saw some of the worst flooding that the village had experienced in its history, mainly caused by ice gathering and building up in millponds upstream, then traveling down the river in a huge mass and piling up in the vicinity of the village. Martin’s Park was severely inundated on several occasions. At one time that February, the water was reported as having raised over 10 feet. Rescuing the residents of the 24 cottages in the Park was an extremely difficult and dangerous task for the new force.
A 1942 Ford Foamite Pumper truck, similar to the original truck that serviced the village. (Image: Flickr)
One of the terrible floods in the Spring of 1954.
A rescue scene from one of the cottages in Martin's Camp.
Tensions between the renters and residents of Martin’s Park and the rest of the village had already existed for many years and the new firehall appears to have had the unexpected effect of exacerbating that situation. On March 16th, 1954, a group of residents from Churchville, led by Leslie Simmons (who lived at 174 Victoria Street, next to the park) and Edgar Letty petitioned the Township to have the station dissolved. They argued that the brigade was dangerously incompetent (they claimed that several emergency calls had been botched and required support of the brigade in Cooksville) and that the main purpose of the station seemed to be to provide a new venue for “beer parties” for the residents of Martin’s Park. They also argued that community input had not been sought out in the formation of the department, and that the village would actually be a safer place to live without the brigade. The Township heard and recorded their complaints, though there is no record of what action was taken. Later that autumn, Hurricane Hazel tore through the community and again required the brigade to cope with severe flooding.
On April 10th, 1960, the brigade was called to douse a fire in Churchville Public School. This had been ignited by a firecracker, set off by an eleven year old in the 70 year-old frame building.
1967 was an especially bad year in the village for barn fires. On February 26th the brigade was called to Hallstone Road as two of Dick House’s barns burned. These historic buildings, built by the Hall family, went up in flames and took most of Dick’s prized herd of cattle with them, causing about $65,000 in damages. Witnesses to the fire still can recount how the panicked cattle kept fighting their handlers, trying to flee back into the burning barns. Later, that summer, Wilf Raine’s large barn behind Whitehall, overlooking the valley went up in flames, creating a shocking spectacle: witnesses say that the fire was so frighteningly intense that night that the entire village seemed to be bathed in daylight. Later that summer Wilf auctioned off his surviving herd at Reinhardt’s in Snelgrove. The department was called to another terrible barn fire near Meadowvale in 1968, which caused approximately $30,000 in damage.
In this 1910 postcard image, you can see Wilf Raine's massive barn, which stood behind Whitehall, overlooking the village. The night that it burned, it illuminated the entire valley.
In 1974 municipal boundaries in Peel were redrawn, and the village became part of Brampton. Both Churchville and Huttonville both saw their volunteer stations absorbed into the newly-expanded Brampton Fire Department. Churchville was now Station 7; later to be renamed 17, and ultimately 217.
In October 1980 the home next to the station, owned by John Bannon, went up in flames. The station was downwind of the fire, which spread to its roof totalling about $15,000 in damages. Dot and Ollie Burton’s home on the north side of Bannon’s house sustained about $500 in damages. Four pumpers and two tankers from Brampton Stations 1, 4 and 5, as well as the Huttonville volunteer brigade, rushed to the village to help put out the fire. Churchville’s station was closed for repairs until the following year and the lot where Bannon’s home was remains empty to this day.
Both the Bannon home and the station on fire.
A Brampton pumper putting out the flames.
The aftermath of the fire.
In 1993 Gord Galliford retired as District Chief and was succeeded by John Hockett. The following year, Ab Callaghan retired from his role as Platoon Chief. He had volunteered with the department for a remarkable 43 years and a celebration in his honour was held at Eldorado Park. Callaghan was succeeded by Warren Piper and then by Paul Carpe.
Gord Galliford joined the department in 1966. He eventually became Chief, then District Chief until he retired in June 1993. To the right is an Image of Gord's Long Service medal, which he received in 1992.
For his remarkable service to the Churchville community, a parkette near the village was named in Ab Callaghan's honour.
Over the years a number of community members devoted 25 years or more to volunteering for the brigade. These include:
Albert Callaghan: 35 years
Al Kean: 35 years
Sid Manser: 35 years
Sid Galliford: 27 years
Gord Galliford: 27 years
Jack Harpley: 25 years
Joe Roeterink: 25 years
In January 2011 the City of Brampton opened Station 212; a new, state-of-the-art, full-time station located on Mississauga Road just north of the village. Churchville and Huttonville both saw their volunteer stations close permanently on January 31st. This brought to an end the 60-year tradition of volunteer firefighting in the village. Huttonville’s station was demolished and all that remains now is an open lot on the southwest side of Ostrander Blvd and Mississauga Rd. Churchville’s station was saved so that it might serve as a community center. Infrequent use has now put its future in jeopardy, though we will likely know in the next few months just what will become of the building.
Gallery
The crew in the early 90s.
Al, Harry, Gord and Ab receiving awards from the city.
Painting of the station by Syd Galliford
Mike Jr. looking on at his dad in uniform!
Syd Galliford, Ed Horsely & Dave Golden
From the same photoshoot: the men appear to be giving someone a tour of the truck.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse