We had a dilemma in the Newsroom last week. A.O. Smith was removing its water tower and the question became was this News?
For most people in Fergus, the old water tower constructed by the Beatty organization has been a part of the skyline their whole life. There, high above the ground, 125,000 gallons of water were at the company’s disposal should fire break out at its Hill street plant.
Some 7,000 sprinkler heads were installed strategically throughout buildings to beat down flames that would make short work of an industrial plant if left unchecked.
County residents worked there for generations, making everything from agricultural hardware and gadgets to water pumps and water heaters. The firm lost its Beatty name when GSW (General Steel Wares), took over the operation.
As to the question of is it News, it is – because it was.
We have commented in this column before on the great irony that the county’s free Newspaper, without subscription revenue, once again shoulders the load of chronicling history. It’s a challenge we take seriously and one that civic leaders and business owners support through advertising. A decade or two from now, long after memories have forgotten this landmark, online readers or researchers at the archives can uncover the water tower and its important past.
The GSW tower removal is yet another example of the changes that come about from development, since the site is now serviced by municipal water. This plant was on the periphery of town for decades. Slowly but surely, inch by inch, the town has grown, swallowing up what used to be a teeming hive of activity. Changes in the company’s direction have left the Hill Street plant as more of a warehouse than a factory.
Downstream in Elora, the redevelopment of the mill and property across the way provides another example of an industrial hub being re-purposed, in this case into a commercial/residential mixed use. By 2025, long after construction is complete and life has moved on, people will look back at what was, and wonder about the changes.
The Wellington County Museum and Archives, which fastidiously preserves the history of this area, will no doubt have oodles of paintings and photography from the last century telling the story of sleepy Elora turned cultural centre. Newspapers will also share in framing this transition from village to small city.
As communities change and man-made landmarks disappear, we are left realizing that about all we can count on is the natural heritage that drew our forefathers to this area.
Change is something communities and people can’t avoid. For many, the natural inclination is to fight it, but in time, most of us will accept change as the difference between a life of stagnation and drudgery and one of greeting new days with passion and excitement for what is possible.
