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…
Tag: Oral History
Newmarket’s A Hockey Town At Its Heart
Newmarket has long been fascinated with the sport of hockey. There has been organized hockey in and around Newmarket since the mid 1880s, and before that, private games on ponds. We may not have produced any champions during this early period, but it is clear that the game was hotly contested and provided its supporters…
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…
Some Name Dropping Highlights Newmarket’s Early Movers And Shakers
There are many prominent family names in Newmarket that you’ll likely recognize. One of the true delights in researching our past is the spotlighting of all those flesh and blood men and women who have permanently etched their names into our story as a community. They served as a defining force in our growth and…
Mass Resignation By Newmarket High Teachers In 1974 Set Record For Longest Strike
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…
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…
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…
Tales Of Newmarket’s Taverns, Hotels Include Murder, Circuses, Morse’s Telegraph
At one time, Newmarket had more taverns and hotels per capita than any other place in Canada of its size! One need only to read my article on Prohibition locally to appreciate fully how much we loved our drink locally. The first tavern in the area appeared in Armitage, a small hamlet at the corner…
Newmarket’s Small Band Of Catholic Pioneers Built First Church In 1840
Let’s take a look at the history of the Roman Catholic Church of Newmarket. Over the years, several excellent books have been published on “the old lady on the hill”, located on Ontario Street West, but I will provide a short overview of the early years of the institution and its place in Newmarket’s history….