Pieces of the Past

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

Turning back to 1967, the City of Stratford was abuzz with planning celebration events for the week of the Centennial of Canada’s Confederation and throughout the year

Many interesting people have passed through Stratford over the years, and one of those was architect Cornelius John Soule. When he arrived, an article was published in the Stratford Beacon Weekly, introducing and welcoming him to the city.

The book Water Under the Bridges: Fullarton Township, 1824-1997 tells the story of Hattie Baker’s Farm Centre for Boys and her devotion to housing and educating vulnerable youth.

Did you know there used to be a sawmill in Woodham? The accompanying photograph from Stratford-Perth Archives with this article shows some of the mill workers. They are, back row, from left: Billie Wynn, Joe Rinn, Creighton Wynn, Sidney Mills, and Alonzo Mills. Front: Mary Mills and Lula Mills. 

To date, there have been well over 500 wildfires in Alberta in 2023. According to news reports, we currently have a haze from these devastating fires. 

Plog, pflug, ploh, plogr, or ploeg – these are old spellings for the word ‘plough.’ It is difficult to establish the origin of the word as it has been spelled differently throughout the world, but in Canada, we tend to spell it as ‘plow’ or ‘plough.’

Did you know that Listowel’s first hospital was privately run? The hospital opened in 1910 and was based out of a house at 445 Wallace St. N. It was ran by two nurses, a Miss Tolton and a Miss Schneider. The house had been the private residence of Fred Ellis prior to its sale and conversion to a sma