The temperance movement was a constant presence in most North American communities during the 19th…
Valuing Our History
Gang of pick-pockets stirred up excitement – and escaped – in 1898
The morning of Monday, April 11, 1898 began as a routine one at the Grand Trunk’s Mount…
Family members of Mount Forest banker achieved distinction
The career of James A. Halsted, the Mount Forest private banker, was the subject of a column in…
A tragic ending to the long life of an aging Erin Township farmer
Erin Township received a flood of new settlers in the early 1830s. Some of that first wave…
Man killed by train at 1899 Palmerston Orange celebration
Accounts of various 19th century July 12 celebrations by the Orange Order have appeared in this…
Corpse found near Harriston was tagged The Minto Mystery
In the late afternoon of Saturday, April 22, 1899, Peter McEachern was returning to his farm in…
Detective John Wilson Murray investigated The Minto Mystery
(Note: This is the conclusion of what was known at the time as “The Minto Mystery.” In…
Management of Wellington County Poor House had vocal critics
A controversial issue in Wellington County in the 1870s was the construction of the Wellington…
Mount Forests Rube Allyn led a remarkable life in U.S.
Among the notable people who grew up in Wellington County was a fellow named Rubert Royce Allen. He…
Garafraxa widow was unsuccessful in bringing suit against the county
John Beames, a young farmer from West Garafraxa, operated a supplementary business in the late…
Two-ring circus appeared in Mount Forest in 1887
Circuses were occasional visitors, but by no means frequent ones, to Wellington County in the…
Mount Forest doctor was acquitted on 1868 murder charge
Murders and homicides have not been common in Wellington County’s history. Many years may…
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…
Derailed car of coal plugged CNR line in Guelph in 1953
Back in 1953, the railways were still vital to the local transportation system. Although passenger…
Queens Plate horse race was run at Guelph in 1864
The biggest event in Canada’s horse racing season is the Queen’s Plate, and it has been…