ELORA – Hallowe’en night was long established as a time for mischief and petty crime in…
Valuing Our History
Young West Garafraxa man died in gravel pit accident in 1924
Today the gravel pit industry is highly regulated, and new pits are licensed only after lengthy…
American Civil War veteran abandoned his first family
John F. Skyring was an early resident of Wellington County, and one of a handful of men from this…
Canadian National Railway suffered a wreck near Palmerston in 1936
Train wrecks have been a popular feature in this column over the years. The largest number were in…
Lewis Ernst of Mount Forest killed in aviation crash in 1929
The first decades of aviation produced a handful of aficionados with something of a daredevil…
Fergus did not emerge as largest centre in Wellington until 1920s
An interesting exercise for those interested in both local history and business history is to…
Ag rep suggested a campaign against jack rabbits in 1931
R.H. Clemens, the first agricultural representative appointed by the province for Wellington…
Lack of railway siding frustrated Fergus’ James Gow
The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who…
Relocated railway station doomed Hustonville
From time to time, this column has offered short histories of some of the hamlets of…
Beaten candidate tried to unseat Arthur’s 1908 reeve
In the early decades of Wellington County, disputes over election results were so common as to…
Notorious woman criminal died at House of Industry
Gangs of criminals in rural and isolated areas were a feature of life in old Upper Canada in…
Woman shot Palmerston hotel clerk in 1933
One cool Monday morning of June 12, 1933, a woman with a pillow case filled with some personal…
Major drought of 1864 resulted in many major fires
Weather historians state that dry, hot summers have become more common in recent years, but the…
Hillsburgh men passed counterfeit money in 1864
Only the very oldest readers of this column will remember the time when the Canadian chartered…
Fascinating display of industrial history at Harriston library
It has long been my opinion that the pioneer period has received far too much emphasis in the…
