Pieces of the Past

Photographs and records relating to working women from over a hundred years ago are somewhat rare and it can be difficult to have a detailed understanding of what their lives were like.

From February 6, 1991

From Jan. 31, 1990

In this image from the collections at Stratford-Perth Archives, you can see a little girl feeding her chickens. Emma and Will Soeder of 216 Huron Street in Stratford sent this photo postcard of their daughter to their cousins to wish them a Happy New Year in the early 1900s. There were many chicken

Stratford was once well-known as one of Canada’s key furniture manufacturing cities. At its peak, the city was reported to be responsible for one-sixth of Canada’s total furniture output.

From Jan. 18, 1989

From Jan. 13, 1988

In early 1928, staff at the Listowel Banner newspaper did the same as they launched an initiative to attract additional subscribers. Their “Subscription Contest” was introduced in the Feb. 2 issue which dedicated two full pages to the announcement.

From Jan. 7, 1987

As a history buff, I love learning about the past and the people and places around us.  What I really get excited about is when I learn something that has perhaps disappeared from someone’s memory or from a town’s records.  I think this is what happened with my “mystery house.”

On this postcard from the collections at Stratford-Perth Archives, we see a rather underdressed young fellow arriving in December 1905 to spread New Year’s cheer. Besides sending greetings to friends and family through the mail, how else was the arrival of 1906 marked around Perth County?

From Dec. 20, 1995

Christmas is here! Hopefully, you’ve made your arrangements for the big day — and perhaps even…

What would it be like to attend a Christmas party over 200 years ago? Looking to historical British…

J. M. Schinbein was a significant Listowel business figure whose career spanned from time of the…