Let’s return to a story I touched on recently, the Methodist cemetery known as God’s Acre on Garbitt Hill, now Prospect Street, at the former site of Alexander Muir school and now Chartwell Alexander Muir Retirement Residence. I must admit the story invokes a bit of bewilderment within me as it involves, if you can remember, the…
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Itinerant Methodist Ministers The Root Of Newmarket’s First Meeting House For Public Worship
I’m continuing my series on Newmarket churches with a closer look at the Methodists, from which the current United Church was to spring. Shortly after the beginning of the 18th century, the Methodists made their appearance at the new settlement north of York. An early reference to Methodism in the Newmarket/Yonge Street district comes from Nathan Bangs,…
When Newmarket Was Known As A ‘Nice Little Village’ Near Holland Landing
This is the second part of my two-part series on the history of Holland Landing, beginning with the organization of the community against the ruling Family Compact in Toronto. You can read part one here. In 1837, the area around Newmarket and Holland Landing was to become rebel country. Samuel Lount, the central figure in the…
Histories Of Newmarket And Holland Landing Have Long Been Intertwined
In the first of a two-part series, History Hound Richard MacLeod examines the establishment and growth of Newmarket’s neighbor to the north. This weekend and next, we will examine the history of our neighbours to the north in Holland Landing, which has long held a strategic and historic place in the history of our area. …
Newmarket Celebrates A Centennial, Ends Prohibition In 1957
This weekend, I return to a format that has proven successful to highlight an individual year from our history. I enjoy the process of picking a year and going back to chronicle what was happening in town, and in many cases, reliving cherished memories. I have chosen the year 1957 as our featured year so…
Some Name Dropping Highlights Newmarket’s Early Movers And Shakers
There are many prominent family names in Newmarket that you’ll likely recognize. One of the true delights in researching our past is the spotlighting of all those flesh and blood men and women who have permanently etched their names into our story as a community. They served as a defining force in our growth and…
Mass Resignation By Newmarket High Teachers In 1974 Set Record For Longest Strike
This weekend on Newmarket Today, I return to the subject of Newmarket High, in particular the administration and staff who play such a significant role in the success or failure of one’s high school experience. Many of the events mentioned will be remembered by those who attended the school over the years. I will examine…
Our Battle With COVID-19 Recalls Deadly Polio Epidemic
I have written about our experience locally with the Spanish Flu and the Great Depression to illustrate how resilient our ancestors were, managing to not only survive but prosper with far fewer resources at their disposal and with a determination that we have inherited. As we experience the COVID-19 pandemic, causing shutdowns, economic strife and general widespread fear, I…
Neighbouring Glenville One Of The Region’s Many Lost Villages
Glenville was once a small but thriving neighbouring village of Newmarket in 19th-century pioneer York County that, due to the fickleness of historical fate, eventually declined and completely disappeared. Glenville’s fate was similar to other villages, like Newmarket’s Bogarttown, that disappeared, leaving nothing but crossroad signs and sometimes a millpond to mark their existence. Glenville,…
Annexation Of East Gwillimbury Helped Fuel Newmarket’s 1970’s Boom
In an earlier article, I wrote about Newmarket annexing parts of East Gwillimbury the 1970s as part of my vanishing farmlands story. Let’s look at the whole story of the amalgamation of those areas to the north of Davis Drive that were previously part of East Gwillimbury. I am sure that you remember it was quite a…