Dipping into the past…

January 14, 2015 · 0 Comments

150 YEARS AGO
Thursday, January 12, 1865
• rom The Sun, Orangeville, compliments of Dufferin County Museum and Archives:
SKATING RINK – The Orangeville Skating Rink, now under the management of Mr. Richard Mortimer, has been visited by a large number of the skaters of our village during the past week. It was again re-flooded yesterday, and the ice being now in excellent order, we would advise those who delight in the graceful and healthy amusement of skating to embrace the opportunity offered by visiting it this evening.
• The village Board of School Trustees met on Saturday last, and adopted a resolution renting the Primitive Methodist Church for a school room, at $40 per annum. A motion was also carried to the effect that the Grammar School should be free to the residents of this municipality, but that non-resident pupils should be charged $1 each per quarter for tuition. It was also decided that the Primitive Methodist Church should be used for the Common School, and the old school house for the Grammar School, and a committee was appointed to effect the change. This is a very undesirable change, and has already been made the subject of a complaint by the electors. We trust the Board will reverse its decision.
THE VILLAGE ELECTION – The election of five councillors for this village took place at Bell’s Hall on Monday and Tuesday, the 2nd and 3rd inst., when Messrs. T. Jull, W. E. Thompson, F. C. Stewart, W. S. Hewat, W. Armstrong and T. Jackson were severally proposed and seconded as fit and proper persons to represent the interests of the village for the present year. On the second day, when polls closed, the vote stood as follows: T. Jull, 93; W. E. Thompson, 91; F. C. Stewart, 85; W. S. Hewat, 77; W. Armstrong, 65, and T. Jackson, 62. The advocate of the Tramway have no reason to be discouraged at this result.
THE MILITIA DRAFT – The draft for the organization of Service Battalions from the several regiments of the Provincial Militia took place in the county towns of Upper and Lower Canada on Friday, Dec. 30. The number of battalions raised by this draft is 112 – forming an aggregate force of 89,040 men, of which Lower Canada supplies 40,545 and Upper Canada 48,495. This force is enrolled for a term of three years, and may at any time in each year be called out, by order of the Governor-General, for drill or instruction, for a period not exceeding six days, each non-commissioned officer and man thus called out being paid 50 cents for each day’s drill. The Commander-in-Chief may also call out the Militia for active service whenever he deems it advisable for the protection f the country, in which case the force would come under the rules and regulations governing the military force of Great Britain in these colonies. Should our relations with the United States – from whom alone trouble is anticipated – remain undisturbed for the next three years, the duties of the battalions now organized will be exceedingly light.
CONFEDERATION – In a few days, the Canadian Parliament will meet for dispatch of business, when questions of great importance, by which the destinies of this country will be immensely influence for good or evil, are to be submitted for consideration. The question of the defence of the country is of grave importance, and ought to be appreciated in all its magnitude by our legislators. We hope that on this question no half-way measures will be entertained. … But the great question for this present session of Parliament is that of the Confederation of the British American Provinces. Never in the history of the province did so momentous a subject demand the attention of the Legislature. The union of the two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, however important at the time, was but of small moment when compared with the Confederation scheme of the present day. … In Canada there are many parties opposed to Confederation, and, in the lower provinces, the opponents of the measure are much more numerous. Some of our sister colonies appear to be afraid of losing their importance by joining in such a large partnership; others have local jealousies, which appear to be well nigh irreconcilable. … But notwithstanding all these difficulties, our faith in the success of the Confederation scheme is still unshaken.

125 YEARS AGO
Thursday, January 16, 1890
• William Knight, whose father, Thomas Knight, resides on West Broadway and is one of Orangeville’s oldest residents, nearly committed murder in a crazy fit last Friday. Young Knight, who is about 30 years of age and has spent terms in jail and in the asylum, brutally abused his aged mother, and but for the interference of neighbours, the affair might have culminated in tragedy. The lunatic escaped to the bush after the assault and no trace of his whereabouts has since been discovered.
• A sad and fatal accident occurred at the St. John’s Church rectory, Mono, on New Year’s Day, by which the two-month-old daughter of Rev. A. C. Watt lost her life. It appears that the Rev. gentleman had been engaged to officiate at a marriage ceremony that day, and had his horse and buggy waiting at the door. He went into the house for something, leaving his wife and the babe in the buggy. While Mr. Watt was in the house the horse became frightened and dashed away, upsetting the vehicle and throwing the occupants out. Mrs. Watt was seriously injured, but the baby suffered a fracture of the skull, killing it instantly.
• The Orangeville Sun, commenting on the recent election of Mr. Endicott as Orangeville’s Deputy Reeve, says: “Now, Mr. Endicott has been placed in a position to make himself heard in the County Council and we expect him to start where Mr. Kearns left off. Shelburne’s ambition for a high school is as high as ever yet, and the question will probably be brought up at the next meeting of the County Council.
• During the noon hour on Monday it was discovered that the interior of S. P. Hodgson’s planning mill in Shelburne was on fire, some shavings near the planer having ignited in some way. Willing hands with pails and water gave assistance to the operators of the Chemical Engine, and the fire was checked before much damage was done. The wind was very high at the time, and had the fire remained undiscovered for any length of time, the building and machinery would undoubtedly been consumed.

100 YEARS AGO
Thursday, January 14, 1915
• The front page of the Shelburne Free Press included a large photograph of the village’s new Post Office on Owen Sound Street. The beautiful stone structure was erected at a cost of about $35,000. The stone was procured locally from Shelburne Quarry and is pronounced by the three government architects who inspected the building to be of superior quality and a pleasing colour. In fact, they said they did not know of as good a building stone in the Dominion of Canada. These men were so much interested in the stone that each one visited the quarry individually and expressed surprise that stone of such high quality was to be found so advantageously located, and all three expressed their unbounded satisfaction with the stone in respect of quality, quantity, colour and size. “We are given to understand that the only stone to compete with it in the Canadian market is from Indiana, whence it is shipped under the disadvantage of heavy duty, running as high ad 20 percent, in addition to the extra freight charges, making it cost about $140 more a car to lay it down in Toronto, than the Shelburne stone can be delivered therefore. Now that this stone is known, as having been used in this building, there is bound to be a very large demand for it.”
• n increase in motor license fees, calculated to boost the provincial revenue from that source by $100,000, has been put through by the Ontario Cabinet. The new fees, which will be applied to all licenses for 1915, represent a general scaling up in the rates charged, and it is only the very light cars which will escape with less than double the old $4 fee per car. Those with 25 horsepower or less will pay $6.

75 YEARS AGO
Wednesday, January 11, 1940
• ulmur Councillor Milton Armstrong received painful injuries on Friday, which may leave him confined to his home for some time. He had a number of neighbours assisting him in tearing down a house on the farm of Hugh Ireland, which he intended to remove and erect on another farm which he had recently purchased. The men had removed the flooring and were working on the rafters when a plank broke, sending Mr. Armstrong and Samuel Shaw into the cellar. Mr. Shaw escaped injury, but on being brought to ground level, Mr. Armstrong relapsed into unconsciousness and did not recover until Sunday. By Tuesday he was somewhat in proved but will be laid up for some time.
• The ill fortune which had dogged W. C. Barber, the dismissed Jail Governor of Dufferin County, reached a climax Monday when he was killed while vacating his office. A truck carrying his household effects from the apartment over the jail backed up and crushed the former governor against a veranda post of his home. His chest was crushed and he died before medical aid arrived. Thirty days ago Mr. Barber was dismissed on the order of the Provincial Secretary’s Department. Escape of two prisoners from the jail was given as the reason for the action, which also included dismissal of Turnkey W. Campbell.

50 YEARS AGO
Wednesday, January 13, 1965
• Dufferin County Emergency Measures Organization staged an “Exercise Icicle” on Sunday afternoon and demonstrated that it can be a real asset if and when and emergency arises to threaten the general welfare of the public. Many Dufferin residents remember the ice storm at the end of 1959 when hydro and telephone lines were left in a shambles. At one time then, it was almost impossible to get a long distance phone call out of Shelburne except on an emergency basis.
• Eric White, a former Dufferin County Warden, has been appointed Clerk of Mono Township, succeeding Boyd McLaine, who had held the job for 20 years.

10 YEARS AGO
Friday, January13, 2005
• t is looking more and more like John Tory, new leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, will becomes Dufferin’s MPP sometime in the very near future. Although as of writing Ernie Eves was the sitting member for Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey, Mr. Tory paid a surprise visit to Orangeville last Friday at the invitation of MP David Tilson, who was holding a New Year’s Open House at his Constituency Office on Broadway. “I’ve been spending some time in this community getting to know the issue,” Mr. Tory told reporters. “It’s no secret that one of the ridings that could end up presenting itself to me as an opportunity to run in a by-election is this one.”