The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who…
Valuing Our History
Community news from the Mapleton area in 1931, 1981
The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who…
News from the Mapleton Township area in 1952, 1977
The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who…
Gas shortages, heavy bus/train traffic marked WWII holidays
The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who…
Few details survive about Glenlamond saw mill
By 1860 seven dams had been constructed across the Grand in the Fergus and Elora area.
Relocated railway station doomed Hustonville
From time to time, this column has offered short histories of some of the hamlets of…
Beaten candidate tried to unseat Arthur’s 1908 reeve
In the early decades of Wellington County, disputes over election results were so common as to…
Notorious woman criminal died at House of Industry
Gangs of criminals in rural and isolated areas were a feature of life in old Upper Canada in…
Woman shot Palmerston hotel clerk in 1933
One cool Monday morning of June 12, 1933, a woman with a pillow case filled with some personal…
Major drought of 1864 resulted in many major fires
Weather historians state that dry, hot summers have become more common in recent years, but the…
Hillsburgh men passed counterfeit money in 1864
Only the very oldest readers of this column will remember the time when the Canadian chartered…
Fascinating display of industrial history at Harriston library
It has long been my opinion that the pioneer period has received far too much emphasis in the…
Martin’s sawmill in Mount Forest destroyed in 1881 fire
No 19th century industries were more prone to fire than sawmills. Sparks from wood-fired boilers…
A lively couple of days at Beatty Brothers in 1897
Many oldtimers think of Fergus as a one-industry town, totally dominated by the Beatty Brothers…
A major blaze threatened downtown Fergus in 1953
On the evening of June 3, 1953, the members of the Fergus chapter of the Orange Lodge ended…