mmullen

Hot and humid days near the end of the school year remind me that I have often heard older adults remark that when they “tried their entrance” it was always on the hottest days of June. Entrance exams were required for admission to high school in Ontario from 1853 to 1924.  Passing required a score […]

An occasion worthy of a school holiday – that was the opening of the Erie and Huron Railroad through the communities along the St. Clair River.  Henceforth, axle-deep springtime mud could be avoided by those wishing to travel north or south.  Now, freight could be economically transported over land.  The link from Chatham to Sarnia

A detailed account of life in the former Moore Township in the early to mid 19th century is provided by John C. Geikie in his book Adventures in Canada; or, Life in the Woods [1882.  Originally published in 1864 as George Stanley: or, Life in the Woods.  A Boy’s Narrative of the Adventures of a

Launched at Collingwood in 1909, the Hamonic  became part of the Northern Navigation Division of Canada Steamship Lines in 1913.  The Hamonic  was a well-appointed passenger ship with many facilities, including a barbershop, music room, ballroom and dining salon with large windows for viewing the passing scenes.  Canada Steamship Lines ran 7-day passenger cruises on

Many of the earliest settlers along the Moore Township shoreline of the St. Clair River had served in the British navy and army.  These retired officers received grants of land in recognition of their service. One of these settlers was Capt. William E. Wright, R.N.  Capt. Wright had joined the navy at the age of

At a time when most of Upper Canada was still a vast forest, and roads, where they existed, were muddy trails for much of the year, waterways were the easiest means of transportation.  Accordingly, the earliest settlement of the western side of what would become Lambton County occurred along the St. Clair River.  Very early

Born in Omagh, Ireland in 1789, Hugh Johnston was the son of William and Isabella (Jones) Johnston.  In 1801, William Johnston died and twelve-year-old Hugh was apprenticed to learn the grocery business with a relative named Greer. When Hugh was 21 years old he married Mary Bell.  Mary had been previously engaged to a wealthy,

This issue’s Personalities of Moore column brings together the families of two pioneer settlers featured in previous columns – Thomas Sutherland and Hugh Johnston. Thomas William Johnston was the eldest son of Hugh and Mary (Bell) Johnston.  Born in Omagh, Ireland, on March 24, 1813, he came to Canada with his parents in 1834.  Just

Famous with his colleagues around the world as an inventor of magic tricks, magician Stewart James is much lesser known close to home. Born in 1908, Stewart James lived his entire life in Courtright, in a house called “Aberystwyth”, named for his grandparents’ birthplace in Wales.  He was exposed to magic at an early age

The little wooden shanty that trailed faithfully after every string of freight cars – like many railroad scenes — has undergone many changes in the past 150 years. The box-like shelters that train crews built to shield their cooking fires on platform cars in the mid 1800’s, the converted box cars with sliding doors around