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Whitevale, Ontario

Whitevale
Majorville
Community (hamlet)
Whitevale Logo.jpg
Whitevale, 1877
Whitevale, 1877
Coordinates: 43°53′18″N 79°9′32″W / 43.88833°N 79.15889°W / 43.88833; -79.15889Coordinates: 43°53′18″N 79°9′32″W / 43.88833°N 79.15889°W / 43.88833; -79.15889
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Regional municipality Durham
City Pickering
Established 1820s
Population (1996)
 • Total 240
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Forward sortation area L0H 1M0
Area code(s) 905 and 289
NTS Map 030M15
GNBC Code FDPDS

Whitevale, formerly Majorville, is a community located within the City of Pickering in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. The city refers to the community as the "Hamlet of Whitevale".

Whitevale was an excellent example of nineteenth-century industry concentrating by a power source and then expanding of its own accord.

The community was first settled in the 1820s when John Major built a sawmill. The community was known as Major or Majorville, because of the mill and the number of Majors who lived close by on the 5th Concession line.

Around 1855 Truman P. White bought the saw mill, built a gristmill and a cooperage; and in 1866 built a planing factory. The community owed so much of its development and business prosperity to T.P. White that in acknowledgement, it adopted Whitevale as its permanent designation.

The newly named community of Whitevale may be said to have had its beginning in the year 1855. In that year Donald McPhee opened the first store and T.P. White erected a grist mill that cost $10,000, which for equipment far surpassed all others in the township at the time. In 1866 he built a large planing mill and in 1867 a large four storey brick woolen mill, that cost about $30,000 and was the pride of the community. The woolen mill was leased and operated for some years by Mr. Ellis, the grist mill in the year 1867 to 1874 by the Spink brothers and the sawmill by the Besse brothers.

Whitevale during these years was a busy place. In 1890 Whitevale contained a stave and heading factory and a barrel factory both owned and operated by the Spink brothers; three general stores, one owned by James Taylor and Donald McPhee; a wagon and carriage factory, operated by the Pollard brothers; a cheese factory, owned and operated by P.R. Hoover and Co.; the merchant and tailoring firm of J. Rose and Son; the shoemaker shops of John Allen and D. Moodey; the butcher shop of Israel Burton and the tinsmith shop of S.B. Wigmore. In addition, Whitevale contained two blacksmiths, two wagon shops, a school house, undertakers, harness shop, grist mill, brush factory, grindstone factory, barber shop, three dressmakers, three gardeners, money order and post offices, hotel, brass band, two churches and four lodges.


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