About a decade ago this column featured a piece on the sewing machine factory that set up business…
Valuing Our History
James A. Beatty is a largely forgotten Fergus native
Over the years the Beatty Brothers firm of Fergus has been the subject of several of these columns.…
Crown attorney failed to get conviction after fatal 1929 crash
Both the public and police authorities cringe at the number of automotive crashes today, but in…
Barn fires added to problems of Wellington County farmers in 1930
I have remarked previously about the curious way fires seem to have occurred locally in clusters.…
Vacuums, X-rays, Melville church: More historical briefs for 2014
Last week’s column featured a few odds and ends that have been accumulating in my files. Here…
Thieves hit Fergus stores twice in six months
One of the consequences of the widespread popularity of motor cars and improved roads in the…
Father-son stabbing incident turned into a farce
Samuel Soper was one of the better known men in 19th century Eramosa Township and Rockwood. He and…
Bad weather and politics delayed progress on dam
Last week’s column outlined some of the events preceding the construction of…
Stray Fergus cow derailed freight train in 1893
When livestock confronts locomotives the results are invariably a disaster for both. The…
Stovel brothers of Mount Forest prospered in Winnipeg
From time to time this column carries the stories of Wellington County natives who have prospered…
More on the early years of automobiles in Wellington
Several readers contacted me with comments and questions after last week’s column on the…
Harriston plant was a pioneer in ice cream production
At the end of the 19th century the town of Harriston boasted an economy that was as diverse and…
Four new Wellington post office buildings authorized in 1908
A century ago the post office had a much larger place in daily life than it has now. Postal…
Stephen Springer adopted Wellington County as his home
Over the years, this column has offered short biographies of people born in Wellington County who…
Rash of barn fires hit the Guelph area in 1896 and 1897
Fire was a constant fear of 19th century property owners. Towns and villages maintained volunteer…