“Personal – Widower, over 60, without family, with moderate means and education,…
Valuing Our History
Motor cars have driven on county roads for over century
Many local history buffs look forward to the publication every spring of Wellington County…
Nichol Mutual Insurance Company folded 78 years ago
A feature of the 19th century rural economy was the local mutual fire insurance company. Most of…
Fergusson sons played roles in county history
A few weeks ago I received a call from a reader with a question regarding A. J. Fergusson, son…
Prominent Fergus citizens fought in 1883 bar room brawl
Hotel bar rooms in the 19th century normally were quiet and orderly places. Governments…
Itinerant Gypsies sometimes ran afoul of the law
Few readers of this column have ever seen old-fashioned bands of Gypsies – or Roma, as they…
Entrepreneurs attempted to make lignite a Luther industry
An interesting chapter in our local industrial history was the attempt in the 1930s to establish a…
Management of Wellington County Poor House had vocal critics
A controversial issue in Wellington County in the 1870s was the construction of the Wellington…
Crash near Fergus claimed life of glider pilot in 1958
Wellington County has been spared the tragedy of major air disasters, but there have been a few…
Erin council moved ahead very slowly with water system
Last week’s column traced the history of Erin’s water system up to a public meeting on…
Elora man died from fall after 1933 drinking session
On the evening of Nov. 28, 1933, Elora’s volunteer militia gathered at the Armory Hall (now…
Brazen 1886 theft in Palmerstons rail yard committed by a farmer
Today much of the site of the former rail yard in Palmerston is a largely a vast open area. It is…
Failed 1886 Palmerston bank heist landed local man in penitentiary
The working lives of Wellington County’s bankers, normally routine and uneventful, have…
First World War draft was very unpopular in rural Wellington County
Thousands of young Canadian men responded to the call for military volunteers in the late summer…
Wellington County teachers attempted to unionize in 1920
The question of salaries for school teachers cropped up regularly in the late 19th and early 20th…