Thanks to Theresa Hartley for the idea to post this article.  

There are many residents who live in The Gallery that grew up in Georgetown and remember this man very well.  Theresa says that some residents drink the beer named after him from the Furnace Room Brewery in Town, but they didn't believe that the Chicken Man was a real person.  So for you "Come From Aways" the following story will verify the existence of this very interesting character.

The Chicken Man - whose actual name was George Chaplin, sometimes called Chicken George.

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It all began in a small town just east of Peterborough called Trent River. He was born on June 14, 1942 to Cliff and Helen Chaplin. The sleepy little hamlet of about 150 people was his playground. He had three siblings, a sister named Kathy and two brothers named Charlie and James.

He was a bit of a drifter before he ended up in Halton Hills, travelling as far as Brooks, Alberta, likely hitching rides with truckers. James doesn’t know how, why or when his brother ended up in Halton Hills. George used to work for a recycling company in Brampton, but that company left the municipality and for one reason or another, he chose to move to Halton Hills.

Aside from being a minor local celebrity in Georgetown, he lived a relatively quiet and uneventful life.

One of the highlights of his day was to watch the train go by on the tracks in between the conservation area and the Limehouse Tolton's salvage yard where he lived in a trailer for years. He spent a lot of time in Snelgrove, which is a former hamlet that straddles the border between Brampton and Caledon on Hwy. 10 and Mayfield Road. He documented his life on a camera he owned.

It's not known what kind of government program he was on, but he was receiving some sort of social support. It's believed that he found his bicycle somewhere in the Toltons’ salvage yard. He would also receive food donations from locals as he became more known. He meandered around town on his bike to run his errands, Chuck Chuck in tow. The Chicken Man was hence born.

He continued his old habit of collecting animals, developing a veritable entourage at the salvage yard of raccoons, cats and a crow.

The Tolton's took care of him the best they could, driving him around and feeding him as needed. On many-a-Friday, he would come over for dinner at the Tolton house. While George was considered a family friend, Chuck Chuck was not allowed in the house. Chaplin lived on the salvage yard property for decades, but the good times did not last. The yard was right in the middle of a residential area and just mere metres away from Limehouse Public School. Local residents weren't happy it was there and worked to have the site cleaned up. Eventually, the Town of Halton Hills bought the land in 2008 and cleanup began. George had to go.

Luckily for him, he met John Brotzel, owner of J.B. Trucks and Stuff from London. George would spend his last years in London, mostly living in the apartment above J.B. Trucks and Stuff with his animals. He would do odd jobs around the business as a second pair of hands of sorts. Whenever Brotzel bought a new car for his shop, George often drove it there - all this in exchange for room and board.

His time there wasn't long though as he was diagnosed with leukemia and his health deteriorated quickly. Brotzel did the best he could to help him, even moving him to a home close to Victoria Hospital in London. George, however, still would insist on working and not resting.

On his final day, Brotzel remembers him being “funny right till the end.” George died later that same night in Victoria Hospital on Apr. 13, 2014.

Taken for an article - Halton Hills today Sept 2022.