Local History
Post's Corners
Oakville's roots are firmly anchored at the mouth of the Sixteen Mile Creek, which starts its journey at the Niagara Escarpment and quickly flows into Lake Ontario. Originally occupied by the Mississauga of the Credit, land between Burlington and Etobicoke was surrendered in the Mississauga Purchase of 1805. The Mississauga of the Credit kept possession of hunting lands around the Sixteen Mile Creek, therefore preliminary development of lands occurred along what is now Dundas Street. Small settlements such as Proudfoot's Hollow, Munn's Corners, Post's Corners and Palermo quickly grew to support early settlers and travellers.
(Oakville Memories: Old and New)Post's Corners was one of the first hamlets in the area known as Trafalgar Township. It was located at the intersection of what is now Trafalgar Road and Dundas Street, Oakville, Ontario. Later, the hamlet was known as Postville.
(Trafalgar Township Historical Society Digital Collections)
‘Squire’ James Appelbe House has long been a landmark along Dundas Street in north Oakville. Built in the Gothic Revival style, the original front brick section was constructed c.1866 and a brick addition was added to the rear in the late 19th century.
The house is named after James Appelbe who built the house. James immigrated to Canada from Ireland around 1815 and married Jemima Kaitting McDuffee, whose grandparents were one of the first settlers in Trafalgar Township. They settled in Postville (also known as Post’s Corners and later as Trafalgar Village) at the corner of Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road, and James established a store and post office in the village. Known as ‘Squire Appelbe’, he was a prominent local citizen who served as Postmaster, a Justice of the Peace, a Treasurer of Trafalgar Township, the Recording Secretary of Nelson Circuit and as one of the first directors at the Bank of Toronto.
(Town of Oakville, Heritage Update, 2019)