As I often mention, my historic curiosity knows no bounds and my interests are eclectic, to say the least. This article focuses on what I have learned so far about the Black history of our area. I am sharing a few stories in the hope they will spark others to send me their stories of…
Tag: Newmarket
Booming ’50s Created Need For Second High School In Newmarket
This weekend, I will tie up a few odds and ends regarding my series on the history of Newmarket High School, which I first started writing for Newmarket Today back in 2018. You can go to the Remember This section to catch up on any of segments that you may have missed. Let us begin with a…
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,…
‘Number Please’: In 1937, You No Longer Had To Crank The Phone To Reach The Operator
Newmarket had its first telephone subscriber just three years after Alexander Graham Bell first transmitted his first voice sound over wire in 1876. In 1879, S.A. Russell and Company rented a pair of telephones from Melville Bell, Alexander Graham Bell’s father, for use within their firm. They were linked to the Montreal Telegraph Company office on…
Newmarket Marks 1964 With Growth, Sporting Glory, And End Of Specialty Whistle
Let’s take a closer look at another year in Newmarket’s history. I received several requests to examine the town during the year 1964, so I have gone through the records and chosen some highlights. As 1964 begins, the world is still shook up following the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the…
Many Mentors Pave Path To Success
Exceptional mentorship has served to nurture my love of history, creating a relationship which, on the surface, may not be immediately apparent. By definition a mentor is “an experienced and trusted advisor.” While technically true, this fails to fully explain the true relationship between the mentor and mentee. In this article, I will attempt to…
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…
Newmarket’s Lacrosse, Softball Teams Brought Glory To The Town
Three sports have dominated the Newmarket sports scene over the years — softball, lawn bowling and lacrosse — enthralling our community over the last 180 years. In the early days of our community, cricket was one of the most popular sports dating back to around 1859. Football and quoits (something like horseshoes, as players toss rings…
Newmarket Has Long Answered The Call Of Duty
Given Wednesday’s observance of Remembrance Day, I want to dedicate this article to all those who selflessly have put their lives on hold in service of their community during times of trouble. My own father is one of those who answered the call to arms and who sacrificed everything as a result. Born into a…
Little Known Details About Newmarket’s Role In WWI
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…
