Bendale (Benlomond)
About 1799, David Thomson and his brother Andrew, built log homes on their 100 acre properties on the banks of the Highland Creek. Neither structure has survived, but David’s son William built a fieldstone house in 1848, just north of the creek. To differentiate between himself and a cousin also named William, David’s son became known as ‘Stonehouse Willie’. His house, renovated early in the 20th century, still stands at number 1 St. Andrew’s Road at Brimley. Andrew’s son James built a brick house in 1840 overlooking a field and spring-fed creek. He became known locally as ‘Springfield Jimmie’. A daughter, Agnes married the famed Alexander Muir, composer of the Maple Leaf Forever. Springfield Farmhouse is located just west of McCowan Road on the north side of St. Andrew’s Road.
Between the two Thomson homes, on the south side of St. Andrew’s Road, stand St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the sexton’s house, and the Scarborough Centennial Memorial Library. All five of these 19th century buildings have been designated under the terms of the Ontario Heritage Act.
In 1819, on land donated by the Thomson family, St. Andrew’s Church was erected, to be replaced in 1848 by the present brick church. The church’s cemetery has burial monuments of many of Scarborough’s early settlers including many of the Thomsons. Nearby the church, Scarborough’s first public library was founded in 1834. The original frame library building was replaced in 1896 as a Centennial project. The old Canadian Northern Railway bisected the Thomson farms from 1910 to 1917 when the line went bankrupt. Parts of the old railway right of way and its embankment can still be found in the area.
The community was initially given the Scottish name Benlomond, in 1878, when a post office opened on the south west corner of what is now Lawrence Avenue and McCowan Road, in William Forfar’s General Store. However, as that name was already in use elsewhere, in close proximity to Scarborough, the post office was formally renamed Bendale in 1881. The name refers to the topography of the area, the hills and valley which make up this part of Scarborough. A major business in the area was John P. Wheler’s Grist and Saw Mill, on Bellamy Road just south of Lawrence Avenue.
While the post office closed in 1913 as rural mail delivery was introduced to Scarborough, the name Bendale has been used in three schools, a library, a church, a senior citizens apartment and several businesses, as well as the Bendale and North Bendale communities.
The southern part of David and Mary Thomson’s farm now form a permanent community facility known as Thomson Memorial Park to honour their contributions. Located within the park is the Scarborough Museum comprised of historic homes which help tell the universal tale of the immigrant experience in a new land.
Most of the property formerly owned by the Thomson family, like most other pioneer settlements, is now home to residential subdivisions. One of the prominent subdivisions to arise in Bendale was “Midland Park”, designed by Edward Ross and developed by Curran Hall Ltd.
A “Midland Park Toronto” website was created by Midland Park residents to highlight the subdivision and it’s history. (*External Link)
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Bendale – Historical Image Gallery:
