Stewarttown was first settled in 1819. The community was originally known as the Village of Esquesing. Esquesing is a First Nations word meaning “That which lies at the end”, a reference to Bronte Creek that flowed through the village from the Escarpment.  In 1849 the name of the village was changed to Stewarttown. This name was chosen in honour of brothers Duncan and John Stewart who established saw and grist mills on the banks of the Credit River. Stewarttown was a prosperous community through the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s. In addition to a complex of mills there was also a successful tannery, a harness maker, a blacksmith shop and a hop farm that employed many people in the village. The village also had a two-storey brick schoolhouse, two churches and a Town Hall. Farming has always been and continues to be a way of life for some residents. However, the land to the east of Trafalgar Road is now largely residential. To get a sense of what life was like during the Victorian era in Stewarttown visit Devereaux House located at 11494 Trafalgar Road. This circa 1860, classic Ontario Farmhouse is situated on its original site on the west side of Trafalgar Road. It had been owned continuously by the Devereaux family from 1829 to the 1970’s.