Glanbrook Heritage Society

Hannon

From material in “Glanford Recollections and Reflections” by Sandy Smith

The village of Hannon was located at the intersection of Rymal Road and Nebo Road. The first settler in Glanford in the Hannon area, Mr. Henry Horning, arrived in 1805. Before the end of the century, it was a thriving settlement serving residents over a wide area in Glanford and Barton.

Perhaps one of the most significant factors contributing to the growth of Hannon was the construction of the Hamilton-Lake Erie Railway through the village in 1872. The earlier announcement that the line would pass through the hamlet was greeted with great enthusiasm by local residents. They were anticipating the advantages of regular passenger service to Hamilton and a means of access to markets for their farm produce and lumber. Needless to say, there was great disappointment when it was discovered that there were no plans for a station in Hannon. In spite of this, people for miles around stopped work and came to see the first train pass through, drawn by the familiar wood-burning engine of that era.

Not to be denied, local residents appealed to “Honest” Joe Rymal, the federal M.P. for Wentworth, to use his influence to have a station established there. His efforts were successful and in appreciation, it was named Rymal Station. For several years after this, the village was known as either Hannon or Rymal Station, but finally the original name of Hannon prevailed.

In the early years of its existence, there were four passenger trains daily, to and from Hamilton, with a return trip costing twenty cents. The service continued until the 1950’s, but with service reduced to one train daily.

Most of the commercial and industrial development occurred on the north side of the road in Barton Township. Just west of Nebo Road were two blacksmith shops operated by John McKee and his brother, Harry. Their father, Jacob, came here from Mount Hope when they were small boys. Among other businesses that existed in Hannon in Barton Township were a gristmill, quarry, limekiln, post office, two sawmills, distillery, and in more recent years, a coal yard and farm supply outlet. St. George’s Anglican Church was the only church in Hannon, while the Methodists worshipped at what is now Trinity United Church, a mile east of the village, in Glanford.

On the south side of the road in Glanford, most of the early settlers devoted their lives to farming. Lot 14, Con. 1, on the southeast corner of Nebo Road and Hwy. 53, was granted by the Crown in 1801 to Henry Lockwood, who sold it in 1809 to Henry Hannon. Mr. Hannon was a very enterprising man and over the next forty years, he and his sons assembled some 1,100 acres of land in the Hannon area. The Glenfield Inn, located on this corner property, was a familiar Hannon landmark for many years. A fine old stone building, it was built by Mr. Young in 1874. Subsequent owners were Mr. Whitwell, Mr. McGoldrich and Anson Hannon, who converted it to a general store in 1926. In 1959, this part of our early heritage was lost when it was demolished to make way for improvements to Hwy. 53.

A mile south on Nebo Road, the first log schoolhouse in the area was built in the 1840’s. While the school was built at that time, the title to the land was not obtained from the Hannon family until 1875. It may be of interest to note that the right-of-way for the railroad was purchased from the Hannon family in 1858, but the line was not completed through the village until 1870.

Most of the remaining land in Lot 14 was occupied by a pipe treatment plant, a builders supply outlet, now gone, and, immediately east of the railroad tracks, a small industrial park. Further east, some distance back from the highway, was a fine stone house, probably built in the 1850's by the Hannon family. It was owned for many years by Stanley Miles, along with the remaining land in Lot 14. Some distance south, on Nebo Road, Mr. Miles operated a stone quarry, which was closed decades ago.

Lot 15, Con. 1, immediately to the east, was granted by the Crown to John Lockwood in 1801, and sold to Henry Hannon in 1809. Among several of the homes built on Lot 15, were two red brick houses, built around the turn of the century. One of these was built by Daniel Ecker and sold in 1927 to Leonard White. It has some historical significance, having served as the Hannon telephone exchange for telephones in parts of Barton, Binbrook and Glanford for a number of years. The other house was occupied for many years by Gordon Soules, who ran a sawmill on the property, while his brother, Truman, had a gristmill nearby. The Soules were one of Hannon’s early families and were well-known in the area. In the early 1900’s, Tom Tidy operated a coal and wood yard near the gristmill, which has long since disappeared.

Lot 13, Con.1, on the southwest corner of Nebo Road and Rymal Road, was granted to King’s College in 1828. After several changes in ownership, half of it was sold to Jeremiah Horning in 1865 and the balance to Nathaniel Reed that same year. The Horning family remained on the property until the 1970’s. None of the old farm buildings remain on Lot 13. It is presently the location of a large warehouse owned by Hamilton Hydro and a waste transfer station.

Lot 12, Con. 1, was granted to Mary Griffin in 1802 and sold to Daniel Servos in 1926. In 1933, Wm. Roelston purchased one hundred acres where he operated a blacksmith shop for many years. Over the years, the property was divided and changed hands many times. The Servos family continued to live on part of the land until mid-century, and for some of those years, operated a slaughterhouse to augment their farm income. All of the buildings of the past have now disappeared and the land has been developed for different commercial purposes.