In 1917, a new means of transportation was making travel easier, but it was causing a problem for the Georgetown Lawn Bowling Club.
The club’s greens were located behind the hardware store (now the Shepherd’s Crook) on Main Street. But with the use of automobiles becoming more common, space was needed for parking.
The 27 members of the Georgetown Lawn Bowling Club, established 10 years earlier, began looking for a new location. The club took out a bank loan and purchased a property on the corner of Edith and William streets for $400.
James McKane and Elizabeth Lyons donated a log cabin and stable from their farm on the Fourth Line of Chinguacousy Township and the club paid to have the buildings moved to Georgetown.
“These buildings were among the buildings of the original settlers of the area,” then-club president Ted Lawrence told the Georgetown Herald in 1975.
One hundred and seven years later, the structures continue to serve as the lawn bowling clubhouse.
The club was designated a heritage property in 2022 and Tuesday, the club unveiled its heritage plaque.
Halton Hills Mayor Ann Lawlor praised the club’s members for pursuing the heritage designation.
“It’s lovely for a non-profit organization to have the vision to save what’s special about who we are and caring about our history,” Lawlor said.
The two buildings, originally built in 1840, were eventually joined together.
“A lot of pioneer farms started with log cabins, and the fact is this is the only log cabin still in use (in Halton Hills),” said Mark Rowe, an archivist with the Esquesing Historical Society. “Some buildings have bits of log cabins and they’ve built over them, but this is the real thing. It’s unique and it adds to our catalogue of architectural styles.”
The club currently has 61 members and has continued to grow since reopening after COVID. Club president Elaine Kirk joined 10 years ago after seeing a notice in the paper looking for new members. She said the club provides a relaxed, social atmosphere, with an opportunity to enter competitions for those who wish to.
Kirk said with many properties being bought by developers, the members felt it was important to have some protection for the century-old club, while also recognizing its history in the town.
“For a long time, people in the neighbourhood have been telling us they like the idea of having the club here,” she said. “We felt that it was important to maintain the heritage and to keep it in the neighbourhood.”
