With Long Branch, Alderwood was originally part of Col Sam Smith's land. In 1850, Archibald Cameron purchased four farm lots of this land comprising most of the area that is now Alderwood; he built his home 'Ashfield' on what is now Beta Street. In 1874 Archibald Cameron was facing bankruptcy and sold his farm lots to Daniel Horner, who later served as a prominent member of Etobicoke Township's Council; Horner Avenue is named after him. The naming of Alderwood's main street was a hotly debated issue in the early community between the Brown and O'Connor families; today it is called Brown's Line.