The village of Brighton was named in 1831. On page 106 of the Tobey Book we see the above quote. Union Hall was a typical hotel and tavern of the time, located at an ideal location on the busy Kingston road (now Main Street), at the south west corner of Prince Edward Street. It was operated by Simon Kellogg and its largest room served as a community meeting hall. A committee had been struck to decide on a name for the village because there was growing confusion due to competition between two settlements so close to each other on the Kingston Road. To the west around Ontario and Percy Streets, a collection of buildings was called Bettes Corners, after the involvement of the Bettes family in local business. To the east, at the three-way corner of the Kingston Road, Young Street and Prince Edward Street, was Singleton’s Corners, named for John Singleton, an early settler and land owner in that area.
Joseph Lockwood was appointed as the first post master of the village and his suggestion of Brighton, carried the day. The village was named after Brighton in England. Of course, Brighton, England was a very popular sea-side resort frequented by royalty, so the name was very much aspirational.
One more thing. The Secretary at this meeting was Jesse Wells. It turns out that this Jesse Wells lived near Hilton and he would be the grandfather of Nettie Wells, the mother of Wilmot Maxwell Tobey. Yes, it’s a small town.
Joseph Lockwood was appointed as the first post master of the village and his suggestion of Brighton, carried the day. The village was named after Brighton in England. Of course, Brighton, England was a very popular sea-side resort frequented by royalty, so the name was very much aspirational.
One more thing. The Secretary at this meeting was Jesse Wells. It turns out that this Jesse Wells lived near Hilton and he would be the grandfather of Nettie Wells, the mother of Wilmot Maxwell Tobey. Yes, it’s a small town.
This picture is from page 51 of "Pictorial Brighton 1859-1984", taken during Pretoria Day celebrations in May 1900, marking the British victory over the South African Uprising.
Simon Kellogg's tavern had occupied the south-west corner of Main and Prince Edward Streets, in the 1830s but in 1900 the corner held a two-storey brick building housing several businesses.
The building can be seen here in the upper-left part of the picture, behind two very obvious telegraph poles.
For modern Brighton residents, the only events that rival this kind of crowd might be Applefest.
Simon Kellogg's tavern had occupied the south-west corner of Main and Prince Edward Streets, in the 1830s but in 1900 the corner held a two-storey brick building housing several businesses.
The building can be seen here in the upper-left part of the picture, behind two very obvious telegraph poles.
For modern Brighton residents, the only events that rival this kind of crowd might be Applefest.