(from Early Settlements of King Township, Ontario by Elizabeth McClure Gillham. Published by the Author, 1975).
The intersection of the third concession (Dufferin Street)
and Aurora Road (side road 17, King Township) was first called Coates’ Corners,
then Hainstock’s Corners, and lastly, Snowball. The settlement included concession 1, west half, lots 75 to 91
inclusive; concession 2, and east half of concession 3, lots 14 to 31 inclusive
and the west half of the third concession, lots 14 to 20. The first settlers arrived at the end of the
eighteenth century and at the beginning of the nineteenth. Names of some of these early settlers
include Phillips, Cutting, Teasdale, Patrick, Storey, Casey, Heacock,
Chappell, Appleton, Rank, Edwards, Tustian, and Copson.
In 1849, on the northeast corner of the third concession and sideroad 17, stood a blacksmith shop and a residence owned by James Coates. He was familiarly known as “Boss Blacksmith”, and the corner was named Coates’ Corners. It was renamed Hainstock’s Corners presumably because, according to the Voters’ List of 1837, lot 21, concession 3, was then owned by Robert Hainstock.
Before 1891, there were two places of worship in the Snowball area. The church known as King Mission Sabbath School (undenominational) was erected during 1876 on the northeast corner of lot 25, concession 3. The other early place of worship was the First Methodist Church, built in 1856 on the northwest corner of lot 18, west half of concession 2. This church burned down in about 1890. In 1891, George Tustian deeded a piece of land on lot 21, west half, concession 2, for a new Methodist Church. The decision was made to buy a church building that had already been closed in Vaughan Township.
(In 1850, Samuel Thompson deeded a plot of land on lot 35, concession 2, Vaughan Township, to the Primitive Methodists. They built a log church, and it is reported that when the men were erecting it, they pegged the joints so full of snow, that worked was delayed until the snow melted. As a result, it was decided that the Church be appropriately name “Snowball”. On the first Sunday in May 1870, this church was completely destroyed by a fire caused by an overheated stove. The members set to work, secured donations of money, lumber and labour, and soon had the erection of a new church progressing rapidly. When the framework and rafters were up, misfortune struck again; a windstorm blew the structure down. But it was soon rebuilt, painted white, and opened for services in October of the same year. Gradually, services were discontinued, as many of the members decided to join other congregations).
The Methodist congregation at Hainstock’s Corners purchased the building in October 1891 for $150.00. A group of men set off at five o’clock in the morning with their horses and wagons. The carpenters, James Cairns and Archie McGill, sawed the sides of the building in two pieces, the floor in four, and the end wall in two pieces. They arrived back at their destination at ten o’clock at night. In a few days, the carpenters had the church standing on its new site. A long shed was constructed at the back of the church for the protection of the horses and buggies of the worshippers. Charles Blaker planed a board, printed the name “Snowball” on it, nailed it high up on the front of the Church, and that is the name by which the whole area has since been known. The Church became the Snowball United Church until 1966 when it closed.
The first school in the area was built about 1820, on the northeast corner of lot 20, concession 3. This was used until plans were made in 1853 for a new school. It was built on an acre of land on lot 21, west half, concession 2, purchased by John Spence. A frame school opened in January 1854, with James Van Every as teacher. In 1866, a new red brick school was built on the same property.
In the agricultural area served by the Snowball church and school were some farms that remained in the same family for several generations. The first Crown deed in the area was given to Thomas Phillips in 1797 for lot 81, west half, concession 1. According to the map of 1860, the owner was Teville Cumberland Appleton, who had obtained the land from his grandfather, Jacob Hollingshead, and the farm remained in the Appleton name for four generations.