George Donald Dunn bequeathed the property known as Dunn Park, located at 2159 Rogers Road, to the City of Mississauga in 1996. George’s great-grandfather settled on this property in 1871. Historically, this property was part of Lot 32, Concession 2, North of Dundas Street. 

This property was not allocated for settlement until 1828, when it was transferred to King’s College. In 1834, on behalf of the Crown, Edgar Neave sold the southern 100 acres of Lot 32 to John Oliphant, a descendant of an early settling family from the Clarkson area. In 1850, Oliphant sold the property to William Forster, a surveyor and overseer of roads. William surveyed the 100 acres in the South half of Lot 32 into two parts. William Foster sold 54 acres to his son Frederick in 1855, who in turn sold to James Conover in 1863. William Forster sold the remaining 46 acres in the south half to Thomas Andrew in 1869. Andrew sold these 46 acres to Richard Dunn in 1871. Dunn then acquired the other 54 acres from the Conover’s in 1873, reuniting the 100-acre parcel under a single owner. 

Born in 1836, Richard Dunn immigrated from Hornsea, Yorkshire, England in 1853. Around 1865, Richard, together with his wife Susan (nee White), moved to Churchville, where they rented a farm. In 1871, Richard purchased his own farm here in historic Mississauga. In November of 1871, Richard, Susan and their two-year-old son Francis moved to their new property. The couple had 3 more children: George, John Paul and William. The eldest two sons, Frank (1869-1882) and George (1874-1908), died relatively young, while their mother, Susan (1840-1893), suffered from several ailments and died at only 53 years of age. 

According to family records, Richard was a man with a strong work ethic and great energy, who worked long hours on his farm. Under his guidance, the farm and the family prospered. When Richard died at the age of 69 in 1906, the family farm was left to his youngest son, William Dunn. At the time of his death, Richard was listed as a gentleman, indicating that he established himself quite well in the approximately 53 years he had been in Ontario since emigrating from England. 

In the years following the death of their father, and the deaths of brothers Frank and George, William and John Paul Dunn carried on their father’s legacy of hard work. William owned and farmed the family farm, and also branched out into the sale of wholesale oil. William married Edith Amelia Nattress (1874-1944), and the couple had two sons: William Norman and George Donald.  

 John Paul Dunn, who lived in Streetsville with his wife Josephine Steen, also continued to be associated with the home farm after Richard’s death. John became an exporter of apples to England, which were harvested from the home farm, as well as an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Streetsville and a much-respected member of the community. 

 On William’s death in 1957, the home farm passed to his sons, William Norman and George Donald. William Norman (1910-1963) died young, and his holdings were left to his wife, Alice McKay, and their daughter Delores. The main part of the farm continued to be owned by George Donald. George Donald Dunn, a bachelor, bequeathed the remainder of the family farm to the City of Mississauga in 1996. One of the desires of George Donald Dunn was that the lands were to be maintained in a park-like condition. 

If you visit Dunn Park today, you will be able to walk the former farm lane, see the foundation of the original house (built circa 1830 and lost to fire in 1995), read an interpretive plaque on the history of the property, and chance upon some former farm implements. Dunn Park is also home to Mississauga’s Millennium Grove, which features over 70 species of trees which are indigenous to Southern Ontario. At the south end of Dunn Park you will find a remnant of Rogers Road, which is a relic of the original course of Burnhamthorpe Road. Rogers Road takes its name from Joseph Rogers and the Rogers family who maintained a large farm immediately to the west of the Dunn farm.