Freeman Village, located in the area of Brant Street and Plains Road, was never officially registered as a municipality – yet it served a large community through the Freeman Post Office and had its own Freeman postmark until 1952.
The village was named after Joshua Freeman, who moved to the area in 1816 and built a homestead and farm in 1818 on what is now the north east corner of Plains Road and Brant Street. One of his sons, Joseph, was given 200 acres on the north west corner of Plains and Brant. The area became known as “Freeman Corners” and later Freeman Village.
In 1885, Joseph’s son Edwin built a home now known as 906 Brant Street, which still stands today. When the house sold in 1988, it marked the end of an era, 170 years of Freemans living on Brant Street.
Freeman Station, officially named the GTR Burlington Junction, was built for the Grand Trunk Railway as a combination passenger and baggage depot transporting people and goods, including fruit. The current Freeman Station was built in 1906, after a fire destroyed the original structure built in 1856.
The Burlington area was known as “The Garden of Canada” and relied on the rail lines and Freeman Station to transport its fruit and produce to surrounding areas and even overseas. Trains leaving the station were often called “The Fruit Train.”
With the coming of the railroad, Freeman Village flourished. They had a general store and post office, and a blacksmith shop. Later and into the 1950s, there was a variety store, barber shop, bus station and a Royal Bank branch on the west side of Brant Street, south of the rail tracks. Many will remember The Clans Restaurant at Plains Rd and Brant, originally a stop along the QEW.
Plains Road was originally known as Middle Road, then the QEW, until a new bridge was built in the late 1950s for the Freeman diversion of the QEW.
The abundance of fruit and vegetables and proximity to the rail lines attracted several early businesses to the area.
William T. Glover, fruit farmer, opened his first business The Burlington Box, Barrel and Basket Works in Freeman in 1893 (later known as Glover Basket Co.), which had manufacturing and warehousing on both sides of Brant Street south of Plains Rd. The business was sadly destroyed by fire Dec. 20, 1966.
Hyslop and Sons - Tip Top Canners opened in 1919 on the north side of the rail lines on Plains Road west of Brant Street, specializing in jams, jellies and juices. A massive fire on Nov. 2, 1962, heavily damaged the facility. It was rebuilt and sold, but later demolished for development.
Biggs Fruit and Produce Co. took orders for autumn peaches and Christmas apples from local orchards, to be shipped overseas. This was very popular for many years, as many immigrants had family overseas.
The area of Freeman was a workers' colony, with many immigrants from Europe settling in the area for farming or industry opportunities. The Freeman House Hotel and Restaurant became a boarding house after the 1930s, where workers housed together.
Today, little remains of the “village”. Hercules Chemicals and Niagara Brand are two of the remaining industries.
Freeman Station, which closed in 1988, has been lovingly saved and restored by the Friends of Freeman Station group. It was moved to its current location at 1255 Fairview Street and opened as a museum. It is currently closed while the city makes plans to include it in its Museums of Burlington grouping - stay tuned for more on that.
And remember Freeman Village when you eat your Christmas apples.
