I recently explored the importance of our ‘childhood neighbourhood’ and how, historically, we are all shaped by the neighbourhood we called home as a child. This column examines what I consider the second half of this exploration, the part best friends play in our personal histories. Just as I did when I examined childhood neighbourhoods, I shall share my personal…
Tag: Interview
400 Series Of Highways Have Fueled Our Growth
This column is the first in a series exploring our local highway system, in particular the development of the 400 series of highways. If you have been reading my columns over the past few years, you will remember a key factor in Newmarket’s development is its strategic positioning in the provincial transportation system, whether it be the…
Neighborhoods Of Childhood Conjure Up Emotions
In this column I want to focus on our childhood neighbourhoods and examine the part our early environment played in colouring our development. Our childhood neighbourhood often remains deeply ingrained in our psyche to this day. Throughout this article I will be sharing my personal memories of my own ‘childhood neighbourhood’ which consisted of the area of…
Newmarket’s Radial Arch Earliest Of Its Kind In Canada
Whether I am conducting one of my heritage walking tours or giving a historical talk, there are always people who want to know more about that “hunk of concrete” under the Queen Street bridge. Here’s a brief explanation of what it represents and the reason why it has been designated historic by both the Ontario…
Newmarket Quakers Paid Price For Pacifism
This column examines the Quaker pacifist influence in Ontario, its origin and effect on our history. Quaker or Friends pacification has become one of the known facts in our rich local history, so I wanted to examine it further. Quaker pacifism finds its roots in 17th-century England, but it continued to flourish and expand once the…
Avro Arrow Conspiracy Theories Abound
This column wraps up my four-part series on the Avro Arrow with a look at the various conspiracy theories that arose from the abrupt cancellation of the Arrow project. It seems it is a foregone conclusion any historical event will spawn any number of alternative facts, which then lead to a review of our understanding of…
Newmarket Historian Dedicated Years To Sharing Town’s Past
This column highlights the life and contributions of an individual who I believe is ‘the mother of Newmarket history,’ Ethel Willson Trewhella. If you have followed my columns, presentations, or videos over the past 40 years, you know her work is the foundation on which I and other local historians have built our narratives. She,…
Some Of Aviation’s Best Minds Designed, Built Arrow
This is the second article in a series on the Avro Arrow story, exploring the design and construction phases of the storied craft. Next, the story continues with Feb. 20, 1959, the day that became known as Black Friday in Canada, the day the Avro Arrow project was cancelled. The infamous Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was unveiled to…
The Avro Arrow and The Newmarket Area
This weekend on Newmarket Today we begin our much-awaited series of articles on the ‘Avro Arrow’ and its place in not only Canada’s aeronautical history but that of the world. Rather than jump into the story mid-stream, I have decided to examine the story right from the beginning. Over what I intend to be a…
How A Hamlet Becomes A Village Becomes A Town
Let’s delve into the meanings of some of the terms that I have been using in my series of articles for the various forms of human settlement. The main ‘units of settlement’ used since our first arrival are roadhouse, hamlets, villages, towns, cities, and metropolises. I’ll focus on the four smallest units that constitute much of…
