Modern Mississauga presents Way Back Wednesdays - The history of Harborn Road

Modern Mississauga and Heritage Mississauga have come together to present an ongoing series called “Way Back Wednesdays."
We’ll share information about the history of Mississauga here and answer your questions.
Today’s topic is the history of Harborn Road.

Just north of the modern QEW, and running west off of Hurontario Street, is a street
called Harborn Road.

The road takes it name from a large estate house, which had been built circa 1851 by
Henrietta Jennings. Her daughter, Lucy, married Albert Parker, the younger brother of
Sir Henry Parker and Sir Melville Parker (of the Parker Baronetcy of Harburn, Warwick
County, England). Albert and Lucy purchased the estate from Henrietta Jennings in
1858, and named the house “Harbourne” after the Parker’s ancestral estate in England.
In 1872, Lt. Andrew Robertson Gordon, who had married May Elizabeth Parker
(daughter of Sir Melville Parker), purchased the Harbourne estate and renamed the
house “Craigmyle” after his family’s home near Aberdeen, Scotland. The property
remained in the Parker-Gordon family until 1876, when it was sold to William Moody.

In the mid-1930s, according to local tradition, the grand home became the location of an
illegal gambling operation. The house stood until about 1968, when it was demolished to
make way for modern apartment buildings. The laneway to the home in part follows
modern Sherobee Road, which runs east off of Hurontario Street. Harborn Road, to the
west, takes its name from the estate, as do other road names in the Gordon Woods
area, such as Gordon Drive, Harborn Trail and Parker Drive.

If you’ve got a question about the history of our city, we want to hear from you.
Please send your questions to info@modernmississauga.com with “Way Back Wednesday” in the subject line.