One of the most peculiar stories from our history books is the chicken blood election. Local politics can often present us with some funny and even weird stories, and this is certainly one of them. Through the annals of municipal contests in Newmarket, occasional bits of humour flash across the pages and this is a…
Tag: Interview
Newmarket’s ‘Chicken Blood Election’ One For The Storybooks
One of the most peculiar stories from our history books is the chicken blood election. Local politics can often present us with some funny and even weird stories, and this is certainly one of them. Through the annals of municipal contests in Newmarket, occasional bits of humour flash across the pages and this is a…
History Reminds Us, And Gives Us Hope, Newmarket: We Will Get Through This
As mentioned in my article on the Spanish Flu, history contains so many examples of us having been taken to the breach and our ancestors fighting their way back, eventually becoming even stronger than ever. The Great Depression of the 1930s is such an event. The Great Depression was a shock worldwide, both socially and…
Newmarket’s Boer War Soldiers Honored With Pomp And Ceremony
The story behind Newmarket’s connection with the Boer War isn’t well known. In 1899, Great Britain declared war on the Boers in South Africa. At once, Lt. Col. T.H. Lloyd of Newmarket, commanding the 12th Battalion, York Rangers, offered their services and a cablegram of acceptance was received from the Imperial War Office shortly afterward. At…
In Fair Weather And Foul, Newmarket’s Early Doctors Made House Calls
Newmarket’s early doctors had practices that covered an apparently boundless territory. In those years prior to the arrival of the car and paved roads, in fair weather and foul, often on horseback, they arrived at isolated homes to administer help to the sufferer and to comfort the anxious family. Sometimes the only facility in which…
Stories Of Newmarket’s First Settlers Preserved In Burying Ground
The Pioneer Burying Ground on Eagle Street is the final resting place of some of our earliest settlers. The story is as much a story of the people who are buried there as it is one of a heritage site. The first official map of the Village of Newmarket in 1862 shows that the Boultons…
Wasn’t That A Party When Newmarket Officially Became A Town
I have often referred to the incorporation of Newmarket as a town on Jan. 1, 1881 in my various articles on Newmarket Today, but let’s look at this momentous occasion in a little more depth as it was captured at the time. Newmarket incorporated as a village in 1857. In 1878, the village had been…
Newmarket’s Early Newspaper Owners Were Men Of Influence
Come with me to 1852 Newmarket to take a look at the town’s early newspapers and publishers. The population was only 500. There were no sidewalks on Main Street north of the Christian Church and only two or three houses had been built in that area. Beyond the main street to the north and west,…
There’s Gas In Them Thar Newmarket Fields
This week, let’s look at a story that I had always considered a tall tale but one that immediately captured my imagination upon recent examination: the discovery of gas deposits and coal right here in Newmarket. Our story begins in the March 1875 edition of the Newmarket Era reporting the discovery of a gas spring…
In Review Of Decades, The ’60s Marked Massive Growth In Newmarket
In keeping with the beginning of a new year, this week I’ll highlight the progress that occurred with each decade from the incorporation of the Village of Newmarket in the 1850s up to the 1970s. It is my hope this article, coinciding with the arrival of 2020, will serve as both an overview of our…
