Following the upheaval of the so-called Beaver Wars, the Haudenosaunee abandoned their settlements north of Lake Ontario, and the Mississaugas moved into the region.

1669 saw French explorer Robert de la Salle follow Spencer Creek (from Lake Ontario) up toward present-day Westover and the Indigenous settlement of Tinawatawa.

Brown built a log cabin and sawmill at the top of the Great Falls in present-day Smokey Hollow in 1805, making him the first European settler in the region.

[7] It was Alexander Brown that built the first school of the village (on the site of the present-day American House) in 1815, employing Mary Hopkins as its first teacher.

[8] The arrival of entrepreneur Ebenezer Culver Griffin in 1823, purchasing over half of Alexander Brown's property, marked the beginning of the Village of Waterdown.

A prohibitionist, Griffin disapproved of the vast quantities of alcohol being consumed during the Victorian Age, including the whiskey used to christen new mills.

Mills grew along the banks of Grindstone Creek (especially in the area known as Smokey Hollow – given this name because of all the smog caused by the many complexes) as individuals like William P. Howland arrived to make their fortune.

[11] By 1879 the settlement was severed from the Township of East Flamborough and incorporated as a village in its own right with quarrier Charles Sealey as its first reeve.

Burlington is closer geographically, and the Aldershot and Kerncliff Park neighbourhoods wrap around the south and east ends of the community.

Skarica ran partially due to a platform of keeping Flamborough unamalgamated and vowed to resign if the government amalgamated it with Hamilton.

On August 21, 2014, the Souharissen Natural Area was dedicated in Waterdown by the Honourable David C. Onley, 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Chief Bryan Laforme and Council of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.

Over 50 people attended the dedication, including David Sweet MP, Councillor Judi Partridge, Carolyn King, United Empire Loyalists, and other members of the Mississaugas of the New Credit.

The day began with lighting the first sacred fire in over two centuries, signalling the formal return of the Mississaugas to their traditional territory.

It is the result of years of work following the discovery of 104 Indigenous archeological sites in the Waterdown Bay Development Area in 2005.

The Natural Area includes a plaque identifying this important landmark, as well as detailing the histories of Merren Grierson and Alexander Brown, which was unveiled by the Lieutenant Governor, Chief LaForme, and researcher Kekoa Reinebold.

[15] Flamborough has a tradition of honouring royal milestones, including the "Queen's Trees" in Harpers Corners, located outside the library and at Memorial Park.

On September 9, 2015, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, visited Waterdown to unveil the Queen's Bench in Memorial Park.

Today, only remote foundation ruins of the mills remain, although a lookout over the falls and a signboard detailing the area's history is in place.

[24] Tens of thousands of people from Waterdown and surrounding communities fill Memorial Park enjoying local music artists, dancers, midway rides, kids' activities, and food.