The Dominion Public Building of Guelph

From guelph.ca: The Post Office on Wyndham Street opened for service on July 1st, 1936. It was then known as the “Dominion Public Building” for it housed several federal government functions in addition to that of the post office, including offices for the Department of Agriculture and the R.C.M.P. on the second floor. The name […]

Canteen compassion from Guelph and Wellington County

Article from Guelph Mercury, November 29, 2014 by Bill Bean GUELPH — When the German bombers were overhead, the fires were raging and no place seemed safe, weary Britons in the Second World War could count on Guelph and Wellington County for some comfort. That comfort came in the form of sandwiches, hot drinks and kind words […]

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GUELPH GENERAL HOSPITAL

1875 – Original hospital opened – a two-storey building with 12 beds. The original steward and nurses of the hospital had a farm on the property that produced and supplied the patients with eggs, milk, vegetables, meat, etc. 1888 – The Jubilee Wing was completed at a cost of $9,869. 1897 – The Albert Wing was opened. The […]

A timeline of the Sleeman Family in Guelph

Courtesy of Visit Guelph Blog and Written by Kelly Waterhouse No Canadian city has a history quite like ours, because none can lay claim to the Sleeman dynasty. We can tap our history back to the beauty of true beer craftsmanship, rebellion, bootleggers, forward thinking politics and industrial masterminds. Even before we were officially a […]

The Last Days of the Guelph Mercury

Article from J-Source – a publication of the Canadian Journalism Project Former managing editor Phil Andrews reflects on the closing of the 149-year-old paper in 2016. Over its 149-year history, the Guelph Mercury was an acclaimed local newspaper. The careers of many journalists who went on to do bigger things were fostered there; the staff won a National Newspaper […]

Sleeman: The Toast of the Town

written by: Kelly Waterhouse from visit guelph Where else will you find a place where the first mayor was also one of Canada’s most successful brewers, and had the vigor to protest prohibition (and even find some careful ways around it). George Sleeman was the brew master of choice for Al Capone and his pals, […]

The Guelph CPR Station mystery

From Guelph Mercury October 3rd, 2014 Here’s a train station that didn’t remain stationary. The CPR station between Cardigan Street and the Speed River near Eramosa Road was a solid, brick building erected in 1911. It replaced the Priory House station — long known as the first substantial house built in Guelph, back in 1827 […]

Take a walk on the Historical side of Guelph

Learn about Guelph’s history on a Historical Walking Tour presented by the Guelph Arts Council. For over 30 years, Guelph Arts Council has promoted the cultural heritage of Guelph by offering walking tours delivered by a dedicated group of volunteer heritage enthusiasts These tours offer a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to learn about Guelph’s […]

Long Gone Street Names Of Guelph

From the Guelph Public Library Historically Guelph/Guelph Then & Now Blog. “Fleet, Manchester, Devonshire…what do these names have in common? They’re the former names of Yorkshire, Glasgow and Dublin Streets, south of Waterloo Avenue. But Waterloo wasn’t Waterloo, it was called Market Street back in the days when an electric street railway ran down its […]

Norwich Street Bridge: The Last Iron And Steel Bridge In Guelph

A bridge has spanned the Speed River at this location as early as 1860 and was known first as “the Wellington Foundry Bridge” and later “the Inglis-Hunter Bridge” because of its close proximity to one of the very early industries in Guelph, established circa 1860, on the easterly bank of the river. From HistoricBridges.org : […]