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Georgetown, Ontario
Georgetown is located along the Credit River in the picturesque Halton Hills. On January 1, 1974, Georgetown became part of the Town of Halton Hills when it amalgamated with the Town of Acton and most of the Township of Esquesing.
Georgetown was named after George Kennedy, who settled in the area around 1821. Kennedy was born at Snyder's Mills (St. Anns, Ontario) in 1799. His father John Kennedy was a United Empire Loyalist from Sussex, New Jersey. In 1795 he was granted land in Gainsborough Township in the Niagara District.
George Kennedy married Sarah Bedford in 1821. By 1824 they had settled at Georgetown as their third daughter Harriet was the first child born there. With his brothers Charles, John, Morris and Samuel, George Kennedy operated a saw mill, grist mill, foundry and a woollen mill before selling them in 1830s to the Barber brothers.
The Barber brothers turned the mills into prosperous industries and by the 1850's the tiny settlement along the Credit River was booming. George Kennedy divided his land and sold lots in the village, naming several streets after his children.
When the Grand Trunk Railway was built in 1856 Georgetown became an important centre. The Toronto Suburban Railway or Radial Line (because it radiated outwards from the city of Toronto) enabled farmers to get their produce to a large market in record time.
