The name of Thomson Beattie is a familiar one to many of those who have an interest in Wellington…
Valuing Our History
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…
Drainage lawsuit in 1899 was costly to East Luther Township
Robert McKim is a name that has appeared in this column a number of times. An Irish immigrant,…
Erin voted twice in 1950 – and defeated waterworks proposal
This is the conclusion of a three-part account of the proposed Erin water system between 1947 and…
Arthurs Arlington Hotel building a victim of fire in 1932
All the villages and towns of Wellington County have suffered the loss of 19th century main street…
Brazen youth sentenced to jail for series of thefts in 1912
In April of 1912 a 17-year -old young man named Howard Coughlin received a jail sentence for a…
Woman abandoned infant near Mount Forest in 1886
On June 26, 1886 two sons of Bob McDonald of Mount Forest decided to spend their Saturday morning…
Meningitis the probable cause of mysterious death in 1873
In the 1860s and 1870s the monthly fairs held in several of the towns in Wellington County were…
Travelling salesmen formed group called The Drummers Snack Club
A common visitor to small towns a century and more ago was the travelling salesman, often referred…
Guelph man buried lodger under his house in 1946
William A. Callahan was a Guelph resident who owned a house on Devonshire Street. That street was…
Elora Furniture Company received financial aid from municipality
Back in the early 1990s, when this column appeared in the now-defunct Elora Sentinel, I did a brief…
Salem and Lot 18 assessment values caused political stir in 1930
From the time Elora was incorporated as a village in 1858, the relationship of that municipality to…
Epidemic of barn fires in 1930 stirred fire marshal
Last week’s column described a few of the series of fires in Wellington County in the summer…
Ghoulish discovery of bodies in 1949 Mount Forest house fire
At about 10am on the morning of Friday, January 7, 1949 the Mount Forest volunteer fire brigade…
Guelph considered building a new city hall in 1907
Local history buffs and heritage professionals agree that Guelph’s old city hall is one of…