Pickering of Past and Present

Architectural Evaluation of the North Pickering Project and the Toronto Area Airports Project Sites - Whitevale United Church. G.M. Yost Associates Limited. Photograph. 1972. North Pickering Project Collection, Pickering Local History Collection. 96001602. This hamlet is a Heritage Conservation District settled by John Major in the 1820s when he built the first mill there when the community was called Majorville. Donald McPhee opened a hotel in 1855 and T.P. White later built a grist mill and further developed the community. The first post office was called Whitevale. The old mill pond, north of the Hamlet, is now a regionally significant wetland. Other former mill buildings remain along Whitevale Road. In the 19th century, with the expansion of population growth stemming from the City of Toronto, came the construction of summer cottages, many of which were eventually converted into year-round residences. Residential development then became more prominent along Fairport Road, Rosebank Road and Woodview Avenue. Despite growth and the development of fully planned communities in Pickering, these Hamlets remain a vibrant part of Pickering’s unique community feel with a depth of historical significance.