As many readers know, the Wightman Telephone Company of Clifford – now known as Wightman…
Valuing Our History
Ponsonby workman was killed by a train in 1890
All too common in the first decades of railway service in Wellington County were deaths resulting…
Orton photos show old and new railway stations
Orton is one of Wellington County’s more interesting hamlets, and has been featured a couple…
Fergus widow horrified at empty grave of her husband
Scattered through the 19th century history of Ontario are tales of bodies disappearing or being…
Officials feared sectarian strife after 1847 execution
Last week’s column related the events of March 22, 1847, and the death of Richard Oliver…
Three hotels operated at Marden in the 19th century
Hotels were the key businesses at most of the small hamlets founded in the 19th century. There were…
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…
Huge Reform Party celebration in Guelph after elections of 1848
The history of elections is something of a specialty, exciting some people and boring a larger…
Push for municipal water for Erin village began in 1947
The construction and extension of municipal water supplies has been an issue for local councils for…
Huge gravel pit planned for Guelph Township in 1929
Most people find the subject of gravel pits to be a rather mundane and boring one. Nevertheless,…
Livery stable fire threatened downtown Elora in 1911
Last week’s column described the 1911 fire that destroyed the Broomfield Mills in Fergus, and…
1918 raid on novitiate remained a hot issue for months
Last week’s column described the immediate aftermath of a raid by the federal government on…
Rosemont woman charged with murdering husband in 1921
The hamlet of Rosemont is on the far northern fringe of the circulating area of this newspaper. It…
Hugh Templin persisted in attacks on county councillors in 1924
Last week’s column outlined some of the events in the 1924 campaign of Fergus newspaper…
Judge sentenced two men to jail terms for armed robbery in 1921
Joe Davidson was a farmer who lived on the 12th of Peel, about a mile-and-a-half from Alma. On the…