Armistice Day, Nov. 11, has arrived, and I wanted to do something related to the occasion for this weekend’s article. The two world wars changed everything locally and it deserves to be embedded in our history, deep within our hearts long after the sounding of the last post. When war was declared by England on…
Tag: Interview
Davis Tannery Once Largest Leather Producer In The British Empire
This is the second part of our series on the Davis Tannery, examining the tannery itself and its place in our economic and social history. Newmarket’s progress seems to quite often be related to either floods or fire. The Canes came here because of fires at their initial location in East Gwillimbury, as we learned…
Most Of Newmarket’s Ghosts Are Friendly
Just a few days removed from our celebration of All Hallows’ Eve, I am sharing with you some of the ghost stories from my annual heritage walk for charity in downtown Newmarket. To my way of thinking, most ghost stories have a firm footing in history, whether it be an event, a historic structure or…
Theatre Productions Once Highlight Of Newmarket’s Entertainment Scene
This topic is one that I have wanted to cover for awhile now: the History of Theatre in Newmarket. Let me begin by apologizing if I have forgotten an organization or a builder while writing this history, though I am trying to cover nearly 110 years of entertainment within our town. In this part, I’ll review…
Retracing The Steps Of Yonge Street’s Original Settlers
I want to take you on a little walking tour of Yonge Street, albeit only in your mind, stretching from St. John’s Sideroad, north to Green Lane, to retrace the steps of Yonge Street’s original settlers. Reading through the names of the settlers who came from the United States, post American Revolution, along with Timothy…
Three Early Newmarket Business ‘Survivors’ Thrive Today
Over the last year, I have written about the effects of fire and flood and other misadventures that have altered the landscape of Newmarket, as well as highlighted businesses and merchants of old and their contributions to the growth of our community. This week I want to take a brief look at three survivors, companies…
Three Early Newmarket Business ‘Survivors’ Thrive Today
Over the last year, I have written about the effects of fire and flood and other misadventures that have altered the landscape of Newmarket, as well as highlighted businesses and merchants of old and their contributions to the growth of our community. This week I want to take a brief look at three survivors, companies…
Meeting Houses Reminder Of Newmarket’s Early Quaker Settlers
Three Quaker meeting houses stand front and centre for having a key role in our past. A huge wave of immigrants from the Pennsylvania area of the United States began arriving in our area beginning in 1801. Known as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), they established homesteads along Yonge Street from Aurora to Newmarket…
Newmarket’s Champion Drum, Bugle Corps Demanded Dedication
The concept of the drum corps traces its roots to the American tradition of the Drum and Fife from the 1800s and bugle bands of the early 1900s. Today, those drum and bugle corps have evolved, spreading throughout North America and offering a disciplined display of musical pageantry. It is from this tradition that our…
Newmarket’s Club 14 Welcomed Soldiers, Lit The Fire For Romances
Let’s go back to 1942, when slow waltzes and lively swing tunes were the music of the day and Newmarket was at the height of its war-time activities. A small building on Millard Avenue, known as the old I.O.O.F (International Order of Odd Fellows) Hall was in the midst of its transformation into the Soldier-Citizen…
