Pieces of the Past

The first Kirkton Union School was built of logs and opened in 1856. It was located on Part Lot 6, West Boundary, Blanshard Township, with an addition in 1925 of Part Lot 7 that was used as a playground. It encompassed both S.S. No. 11 Blanshard and S.S. No. 8 Usborne and sat on the northern limits

Before the invention of radio, television and the internet, people would travel to towns and cities to do recitations for the residents of the area. They would read from authors such as Dickens and Shakespeare. A number of them came through Perth County in the mid-to-late 1800s and into the turn of

Thanksgiving is almost upon us. From the online Canadian Encyclopedia, we learn that the First Nations celebrated the fall harvest in what is now called North America long before European settlers.

The Stratford Normal School, a training college for teachers, formally opened its new building overlooking the Avon River in January 1909. Students from around Perth County and beyond had been attending classes since the previous fall.

As we make our way into the cooler autumn weather and watch the leaves on the trees change colours, let’s take a trip back 101 years ago to the 1922 Listowel Fall Fair.

The Stratford Beacon Herald covered all three days of the 1951 Stratford Fall Fair, which was known for many “firsts” that year.

In December 1898, the Stratford Herald published a Souvenir Trade Edition. This issue contained articles regarding various businesses around Stratford. One of the articles advertised Wettlaufer Brothers Limited.

According to National Geographic, “an earthquake is caused by the movement of parts of the Earth’s crust, its outermost layer. They happen millions of times a year, but most are so small people don’t even feel them.”

Female entrepreneurs set up shop across Perth County in its early years. Independent women knew that ingenuity and hard work would result in, if not wealth, at least a comfortable life.

In the summer of 1953, Perth County celebrated one hundred years of existence as an independent municipality. In the days leading up to a grand anniversary party, the Stratford newspaper traced the county’s history back to the 1820s when the Canada Company hacked a road through the Huron Tract and b

On July 22, 1885, the former Town of Stratford hosted a grand gala day to celebrate its new status as a city. The programme – preserved as part of the city’s records at Stratford-Perth Archives – boasted of $2,000 in prizes and entertainment.

Railroads were an important aspect of life in Perth County during the 1800s. While there were trains coming into the southern part of the county as of the 1850s, the north had been largely left untouched, especially coming into Listowel. This had an impact on the economy and ease of travel for resid

Before social media, dating apps, and the exchange of phone numbers, the process of meeting a significant other often relied on introductions. This was especially true during the Victorian era when rules of conduct were very strict.

Finkbeiner’s Hardware in Milverton gave out the eye-catching card accompanying this piece to promote sales of the Jewel line of stoves and ranges manufactured in Hamilton. Appealing to national pride, the “world famous” status of the stoves is credited to “Canadian Enterprise and Energy.” Symbols of