This postcard is from the downtown core as it would have looked back in 1940.
The downtown of Bradford West Gwillimbury has survived two fires. The first was on May 23, 1871.
The fire destroyed upwards of 100 homes, including all of the business part of the village, except two hotels. A new downtown area was rebuilt with most buildings being made of brick. Today, many of the buildings still exist and make up the downtown core.
The second fire was on Feb. 11, 1959, and it destroyed a large section of the downtown core, from what was then Evans and Evans, to the bank. It went through several businesses that were not protected by firewalls. Firefighters from five area departments battled almost 20 hours to put out the blaze, which caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Details from the archives of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, and other online resources.
