Turner Park Branch- Facility Access

Parking lots, the main entrance and the exterior drop box are currently unavailable. Please use alternate entrances and parking as directed on-site.

Published:
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - 2:30pm
Labour Day Closure

All HPL Branches are closed on Sunday, August 31, and Labour Day, Monday, September 1st. Bookmobile is off the road, and Extended Access is not available. Regular service hours resume Tuesday, September 2. www.hpl.ca/hours

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 - 8:00am
Bookmobile Modified Service

The Winona Bookmobile visit on Friday, August 22 (11am-Noon) is cancelled due to the Winona Peach Festival. It is expected to resume the following week. Thank you for your understanding.

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Affected Branch: Bookmobile
Nearest Branches: 
Bookmobile Stop: 
Published:
Friday, August 15, 2025 - 2:00pm
Turner Park - Mid-Day Fire Drill, September 3

Due to a mid-day fire drill, Turner Park Branch and Les Chater Family YMCA are closed for a fire drill from noon-1 pm. Thank you for your patience.

Published:
Thursday, August 14, 2025 - 1:00pm
Kenilworth Branch - Upcoming Temporary Closure

Due to roof repair maintenance, the Branch is temporarily closed from September 2 until October 10. Please visit Parkdale and Barton locations as your nearest branches for your library needs. Thank you for your understanding.

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Published:
Monday, August 11, 2025 - 8:00am
Turner Park - Outdoor Maintenance and Repairs

From August 18-19, accessible parking spots at the back of the building will not be available due to concrete and perimeter walkway repairs. From August 20-22, the main entrance from the back of the building will not be available. Please use the sidewalk on the side of the Branch to enter through the front entrance (off Rymal Road East) and gain access to the back parking lot. Thank you for your understanding.

Published:
Friday, August 8, 2025 - 12:00pm
Public Computers - Audio Volume

Please note that the audio volume levels on our public computers are having issues. The estimated time of disruption is unknown at this time. Thank you for your patience.

All Branches and Bookmobile Stops
Published:
Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 4:00pm
Mount Hope Branch Accessibile Ramp Not Available

The accessibility ramp at Mount Hope Branch is damaged. The handrail is not available. The ramp will not be available while being repaired. We aim to fix it quickly.

Published:
Friday, May 23, 2025 - 4:30pm

Historical Hamilton

In 2001, the name Hamilton became applied, politically and in terms of municipal administration, to a wide variety of communities, which have grown and developed at the west end of Lake Ontario. One of the oldest and most distinctive regions in eastern Canada, the city of Hamilton’s history has been defined by its geographic footprint and its key location as a transportation hub. The earliest settlements and commercial centres after the arrival of the Loyalists were located to take advantage of the transportation routes and one of the area’s key geographic formations, the Niagara Escarpment. The communities of Ancaster and Dundas grew rapidly because of the many mills built where they were located near major streams flowing over the escarpment and because they were on important transportation routes established in the beginning years of Upper Canada’s history. The community of Stoney Creek, and Saltfleet Township, also benefited for similar reasons by its location near the Red Hill Creek and the Lake Ontario shoreline. Stoney Creek would gain great local and national fame because of the battle during the War of 1812 which marked the end of the deepest penetration of invading American forces into Upper Canadian territory.

Hamilton itself was well behind other settlements in the region in terms of development until the opening of the canal through the sandstrip which separates Lake Ontario from Hamilton harbour. With the canal, completed in the early 1830’s, Hamilton became a lake port and the transhipment of goods necessitated the building of wharves, warehouses and other dock facilities in the area which came to be known as Port Hamilton. Following the completion of the Great Western Railway, Hamilton became a dominant population and commercial centre at the Head of the Lake.

Rural communities within the Townships of East Beverly Townships developed throughout the 19th century becoming important economic drivers for the local economy in terms of agriculture. By the twentieth century, the Head of the Lake became a mix of a large industrial based urban centre surrounded by Wentworth County containing a richly productive agricultural region, and a variety of distinctive small towns and villages which helped give the community its character and identity. In the early 1970’s, the creation of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth pulled all of the communities at the Head of the Lake together in terms of political and municipal administration of some aspects of their interdependency. While the amalgamation completed that process in 2001, the result has been that the name Hamilton is applied to all the former areas of Wentworth County. But as a prime example of a community of communities, the names and identities of all the historic communities within the new city are both retained and celebrated.

Content provided by Hamilton historian Brian Henley