Let’s go back in time to 1939 to the Newmarket Old Boys Reunion. I have made mention of this event in a few columns, but I think it was so momentous that it deserves its own column. The 1939 Newmarket Old Boys Reunion was predicated on the fact that many of the children and grandchildren of Newmarket’s pioneers…
Tag: History
Look For ‘Historical Gems’ Of Gabled Roofs In Newmarket
Whether I am conducting a heritage walk, doing one of my talks or just mentioning a specific heritage property on social media, the term gabled house comes up frequently. While I know what a gabled home is, I always wanted to know more about this architectural feature so that I could provide a better reason for why…
George Haskett – Local Sport Renaissance Man
As a child, my parents would often take me to Haskett Park for skating on the outdoor rink located on 24 acres of land, stretching along Millard Avenue west to Queen Street, with ball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, a clubhouse, washrooms and playgrounds. In 1951, the area west of the original town limits had been annexed to the town, including…
Local Family Cemeteries Continued
This weekend on Newmarket Today I have again chosen to continue my examination of the importance of ‘family cemeteries’ in the Newmarket area. This weekend the featured cemeteries may be a bit smaller and perhaps less well known but they are indeed excellent examples of the historical family cemeteries that I have been trying to…
Family Cemeteries Rich With Local History
This is the second in a three-part series on family cemeteries in the Newmarket area, in which we’ll investigate some of our local family cemeteries with an eye to their location, uniqueness, and history. Here is a list of the family cemeteries in York Region I shall examine in this column. You can get a full listing…
Significance Of The Family Cemetery
My topic for this weekend’s article on Newmarket Today will focus on one of my favorite topics, our local cemeteries. I have written a few articles in the past on the subject, focusing primarily on the history of the various public cemeteries in our area but I thought that this weekend we would have a…
The History Of The Newmarket Horticultural Society
This weekend on Newmarket Today we will examine an organization which has been focused on contributing to natural beauty and its communal beauty for over 146 years in Newmarket. The Newmarket Horticultural Society has been dedicated to making Newmarket a more pleasant place to live for all of us. Perhaps before we look at the…
Looking Back At The Origins of NHS Student Council and Yearbooks
I have written a series of columns on the history of Newmarket High School, from its humble beginning as a grammar school to a series of buildings of higher learning that were prone to fire. The moniker ‘the Phoenix’ is well placed regarding this educational institution given its ability to rise from its ashes time and time again….
Some Winter Storms Go Down In History
In this week’s column, History Hound Richard MacLeod recalls when winter was really winter, and some of ‘storms of the century’ As winters go in southern Ontario, this year’s has been a breeze so far, but it hasn’t always been so. Let’s look back at some of those winters where we experienced some of our…
Black History Is A Story Of Firsts In Canada
This column continues my two-part examination of our Black history. My goal for these columns has always been to whet your appetite, to encourage readers to investigate further to achieve a deeper understanding of the subject, so I’ve added some additional sources for you to follow up on. Let’s continue to explore the substantial contributions of the…