Under the headline A Sad Tale, the Guelph Weekly Mercury reported the death of Mrs. Benjamin…
Valuing Our History
Fergus natives formed social group in Toronto in 1890s
Thousands of people who grew up in Wellington County moved elsewhere in adulthood. Stories of some…
Palmerston contended with high welfare costs in 1936
The great depression of the 1930s was a difficult period for municipal councils in Ontario. Much of…
Clifford Horticultural Society founded 50 years ago
There are about a dozen horticultural societies in Wellington County, and over the decades they…
Unpopular Pilkington couple was stripped, tarred in 1872
It is a sad fact of life that some people manage to annoy their neighbours through their actions or…
Beatty firm marked 60th anniversary with big celebration in 1934
Fergus celebrated its centennial in 1933. It seems that the managers of the Beatty Brothers…
Palmerstons Imperial Hotel was an architectural gem
Through fire and demolition, Palmerston has lost a large portion of its 19th century commercial and…
Argument in Mount Forest resulted in second 1868 homicide
Last week’s column outlined the trial and acquittal of Mount Forest’s Dr. Samuel Dunbar…
1860 Breach of Promise case provoked laughter in court
Some of the most interesting legal cases in our local history are those pertaining to breach of…
Ice storms in 1959 created havoc in Wellington County
A major weather hazard during December is freezing rain. This column has recalled a number of them…
CPR changed staffing policy after collision near Orangeville
The practice of business enterprises to reduce staff levels as an economy measure are a fact of the…
Crime spree of a brazen 18-year-old led to jail term in 1916
A few weeks ago this column carried a summary of the career of Howard Coughlin, a young petty…
Harriston furniture factory destroyed by fire in 1920
Though only a few vestiges of it remain, furniture making was once a major industry in Wellington,…
Angry mob tarred and feathered Orangeville man in 1922
Archie Nesbitt was a labourer who toiled at a number of jobs in the Erin area in the first years of…
Guelph foundry tried to aid Confederacy during American Civil War
Canadians took a keen interest in the American Civil War, avidly following events as they were…