Beverly, Alberta
| Beverly | |
|---|---|
| Area (former town) | |
 Beverly
|
|
| Coordinates: 53°34′12″N 113°24′11″W / 53.570°N 113.403°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Alberta
|
| City | Edmonton |
| Quadrant | NW |
| Ward | 7 |
| Sector | Mature area |
| Village | March 22, 1913 |
| Town | July 13, 1914 |
| Annexation | December 30, 1961 |
| Government | |
| • Administrative body | Edmonton City Council |
| • Councillor | Tony Caterina |
| Elevation | 658 m (2,159 ft) |
Beverly is a former urban municipality within the Edmonton Capital Region of Alberta, Canada. Beverly incorporated as a village on March 22, 1913 and became the Town of Beverly on July 13, 1914. It later amalgamated with the City of Edmonton on December 30, 1961. The population of Beverly was 8,969 at the time of amalgamation.
Now located within northeast Edmonton, Beverly was a coal mining community that overlooked the North Saskatchewan River valley. During the first half of the twentieth century, more than 20 coal mines were active in and around the town. The larger mines provided much of the town's employment.
The earliest use of "Beverly" to describe the area dates to 1904, and it appears the area was named after a township in Ontario. Within a few years, there were enough people living in the area to designate the community as a hamlet.
In 1907, construction began on the Clover Bar Bridge. Unable to use the CP owned High Level Bridge in Edmonton to bring its trains north of the river, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) decided to build a bridge of its own further downstream. This brought the railway to Beverly. In the years that followed, the GTPR became the biggest shipper of coal in Alberta, with much of the coal mined in and around Beverly.
Upon become a village in 1913, the village council promptly passed a bylaw that "authorized borrowing up to $30,000 (more than $568,000 today) for the construction of roads and sidewalks and the purchase of fire equipment." It was years before residents of Beverly enjoyed amenities that were increasingly being taken for granted in other communities.
Growth was fast, and in 1914, the following year, Beverly incorporated as a town. That same year, Gustav C. Bergman was elected town mayor. The town council needed a town hall, and Allan Merrick Jeffers, who also designed the Alberta Legislature Building, was brought in to do the design. Allan Merrick Jeffers served as the Alberta Provincial Architect from September 1907-1910.
The town hall was a multi-purpose facility that also housed police, courts and the fire service on the main floor. The upper floor was used as a dance hall and a school. Located on the same site was the town jail and a corral. One of the famous five, Emily Murphy worked in the Beverly town hall as a Justice of the Peace.
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Wikipedia