What’s in a name?
It all depends upon the name. Street names in Stratford are carefully considered before being passed by city council. No scandals, please.
Where do the names come from? Early settlers were an easy choice, for example Daly, Linton, and Sharman. Mowat, Meighan, and Monteith were politicians. You may live on a street named for a famous battle such as Normandy (D-Day) or Waterloo.
Walking along Elizabeth Street, you will pass homes that were at one time the residences of John Vernon, Christopher Plummer, Brian Bedford, and Max Helpman. Who may have lived on your street and how did they contribute to the making of Stratford?
Even newer streets such as Huntington Avenue have a history. It appeared on the 1857 map of Stratford as the western boundary of the village. It ran through the John Sharman survey and also gave access to the Sharman farm, part of which became part of Stratford’s agricultural grounds.
Paul Wilker and Gord Conroy, who grew up in Stratford, have spent years researching the origins of these names, and the interesting people who lived on Stratford’s streets. Now this information is available on their new website. Check out your street and those of your friends and family at https://www.streetsofstratford.ca/home