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…
Tag: Newmarket
‘Lovers Of Antiquity’: What Does The Future Hold For Historical Societies?
An issue that occupies my mind as I get older is exactly how we will be most effective in our efforts to preserve our local heritage for coming generations. I have found myself racing against time to share as much local heritage information with the community as I can while I am still able to…
Time And Time Again, Newmarket Was Devastated By Fire
Fire profoundly shaped the development of Newmarket. In this first of two parts, we shall look at the period from the mid-1800s to 1900. You may wish to read my previous articles on the fire department, the Stickwood Brick Factory, my history of Main Street and the waterworks for additional information. Fire has proven to be a major hazard for…
Battle Long Fought For Burgeoning Newmarket To Adapt Ward System
Let’s examine an example of that old adage that old ideas never really die but are merely re-introduced over the years. Ideas tend to find their legs as the years pass, particularly if those ideas have been put forward by governments. When we take the time to examine our history, we quite often find the…
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…
Butchers, Bakers, Barbers All Thrived On Newmarket’s Late 1800s Main Street
This is the second of a two-part series weekend on Newmarket in the late 1800s from an economic or commercial point of view. About 1903 or 1904, Samuel Bondi (Rusto) arrived from Italy and opened a fruit store on the Main Street hill, near the present-day Roadhouse & Rose funeral parlour, eventually moving to the…
Fashion Models Once Strolled Main Street With Hats Of Velvet, Flowers, Feathers
In this first of a two-part series, we’ll look at the period from just after Confederation to the early 1900s from the perspective of local commerce, industry, and the economy. During the last decades of the 19th century, there was a steady growth in the prosperity of our area. The farmer was finally receiving a…
Lessons From Hurricane Hazel Will Never Be Forgotten
Perhaps one of the defining historical moments of my generation was the arrival of Hurricane Hazel in Newmarket and the subsequent effects of this event on our town and region. I will confine myself to York Region and the resulting devastation, what happened, how it happened and what changes resulted. Floods were a regular occurrence…
Years Of Hardship Plagued Newmarket Settlers After War of 1812
This is the second of my two-part series of articles on the War of 1812 and its impact on Newmarket. When the war ended in 1814, several military men and their families, most accustomed to a comfortable life with an established church back in England, began to settle around Newmarket. Many had forsaken American homes to begin…
Newmarket Men Stepped Up To Bravely Fight In War Of 1812
We step back in time to the period around the War of 1812 in this first of a two-part series. I hope to convey a sense of local life, observe how the war affected the fledgling hamlet of Newmarket and examine its lasting impact here. Along the way, we will meet a few individuals who became…
