Ashburn, Ontario
| Ashburn | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
| Coordinates: 44°0′9″N 78°59′43″W / 44.00250°N 78.99528°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional municipality | Durham |
| Town | Whitby |
| Butler's Corners | 1832 |
| Ashburn | 1850 |
| Amalgamation with Town of Whitby | 1968 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Pat Perkins |
| • Councillor | Tracy Hanson (North Ward-1) |
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| Forward sortation area | L0B 1A0 |
| Area code(s) | 905 and 289 |
| NTS Map | 031D02 |
| GNBC Code | FADWX |
Ashburn is a hamlet in the town of Whitby, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada, located approximately 15 kilometres north of the town core, and centred on the intersection of Ashburn Road and Myrtle Road. It is a rural settlement area on the Oak Ridges Moraine, situated on the headwaters of the Lynde Creek watershed and part of Ontario's protected Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt.
The community was originally named Butler's Corners after settler Richard Butler in 1832. The first European settlers were primarily Scottish immigrants. A much earlier native settlement on the Lynde Creek immediately south of the hamlet has been documented. In the late 1830s, the Windsor Road Company was created and a road was built from Windsor Harbour (Whitby) to Butler's Corners. The first store was opened in 1847. The name "Ashburn" was eventually chosen in 1850 because of the community's connection to the potash industry. "Asheries were built to produce potash from the trees that were cleared during the settlement of Whitby Township." The original spelling—Ashbourne, after Ashbourne, Derbyshire in England—was changed in error due to the cancellation stamp used by the post office (est. 1852).
In 1857, Whitby Township was divided into two municipalities: East Whitby, and Whitby. Ashburn was one of the principal villages of Township of Whitby, together with Brooklin and Myrtle. In 1869, Ashburn had a population between 100 and 250, with a stage coach to Uxbridge and Whitby, daily mail, an Orange Society (No. 176), three stores, two hotels and several blacksmiths and wagonmakers. Between 1870 and 1872, a railway was built from Port Whitby on Lake Ontario to Port Perry on Lake Scugog, crossing Myrtle Road two kilometres east of Ashburn. The Port Whitby and Port Perry Railway—which was dismantled in 1941—allowed the hamlets of Whitby Township to ship grain and timber south to the railway mainlines along Lake Ontario. In 1875, the hamlet had a population of 150. In the nineteenth century the local Agricultural Society regularly held cattle fairs in the village. By 1910, the village's population declined to 100, and had a daily stage to the railway station in Myrtle. It was serviced by the Claremont and Ashburn Telephone Company, which later became part of the York and Ontario Telephone Union.
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