History of Cambridge

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This area of the Grand River valley was once the territory of a people known by their Huron neighbours as Attawandaron, which means ‘people who speak differently’. French explorers in the early 1600's called these same people ‘Neutrals’ because they maintained peaceful relations with both their Huron and Iroquois neighbours. In 1650, invading Iroquois conquered Neutral territory during the Beaver Wars. In 1784, the Grand River Valley was granted by the British Crown to Loyalist Iroquois, led by Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant).

The area that eventually came to be Hespeler was on land (Block 2) measuring over 90,000 acres (360 km2) purchased in 1798 by a group of Mennonites from Pennsylvania from the Six Nations Indians with the assistance of developer Richard Beasley. The first settler, in 1809, was Abraham Clemens who had bought 515 acres (2.1 km2) of land from Mr. Beasley. In 1810, Cornelius Pannabecker, arrived and set up a blacksmithy a year or two later. Twenty years later, Joseph Oberholtzer purchased a much larger area of land that would become the early Hespeler. Initially, it was named Bergeytown in honour of his brother-in-law and the name became New Hope in about 1835.

Settler Jacob Hespeler arrived in 1845 and bought a 145 acres (0.59 km2) tract on the Speed River. He built an industrial complex that was the beginning of Hespeler's future industrialization, which would consist primarily of woollen and textile mills. Records from 1846 indicate a population of only 100 inhabitants, a grist and a saw mill, a tannery, a tavern, one store, one pail factory, two blacksmiths, two tailors, two shoemakers.

The arrival of the railway in 1859 helped business and the population was adequate for Hespeler to be incorporated as a village that year. In 1869 the population was 1200 and the community contained several large manufacturers including a knitting mill and a woolens factory. Continued growth allowed Hespeler to be incorporated as a town in January 1901.

Over the following years the community continued growing slowly. By 1911 the electric railway system between Preston and Galt had reached Hespeler as well as Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover.

Historically, the town’s largest employer began as the woollen mill J. Schofield Co. in 1864. In 1928, that company was known as Dominion Woollens and Worsteds and advertised it was the largest woollen mill in the British Empire. During World War II, the mill supplied Canada with most of its wool for uniforms. Other textile companies also opened in the early 1900's and continued to be successful until the late 1940's, when they began to decline. Dominion Woolens, for example, was facing bankruptcy by 1959 and was sold to Silknit, which eventually closed the plant in 1984. Other industry was still quite successful and by 1969, Hespeler's population was 6,000

The town was also home to the Hespeler Hockey Stick Co. since 1905. The Hespeler Shamrocks, is the name of the minor hockey teams in town run by Hespeler Minor Hockey Association under the Ontario Minor Hockey Association . Graduates include Kirk Maltby and Paul Woods of the Detroit Red Wings, Tim Brent of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ken Ellacott of the Vancouver Canucks, Don "Red" Laurence of the Atlanta Flames and former NHL Linesman Bob Hodges.

Preston was originally formed on land belonging to the German Company Tract, along the Speed River, which was purchased earlier from the Six Nations Indians. The name Preston is named for the hometown of William Scollick, who was surveyor and a native of Preston, Lancashire in England.

In the 1800s a group of German-speaking Mennonites from Pennsylvania arrived in the area and purchased land in the area. Among the first settlers to arrive in what was later to become Preston was John Erb, a Mennonite from Lancaster County, who arrived in 1805. He bought 7,500 acres (30 km2) including land at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers in what later became Preston. It was John Erb who bought the 7,500 acres (30 km2) of land and settled it in 1805. He later built a sawmill in 1806 and a gristmill in 1807. This settlement became known as Cambridge Mills.

Even in the early 1800s, the area included homes, a store, an inn, small shops operated by artisans and craftsmen, mostly immigrants from Germany. The Erb sons had hired William Scollick for their development business and the latter completed a full survey in 1834 and convinced the Erbs to rename the Cambridge Mills area Preston. After Erb's death in 1832, a son sold off property on both sides of the Speed River. What eventually became Preston started as a large settlement on the north side.

There were only 250 inhabitants in 1836, many from Pennsylvania, but the population had reached about 1600 by 1855, with some 70% originally from Germany. By then, the area had eight hotels and taverns. Some of these hotels, such as the North American Hotel (later called the Kress and still standing) from the 1840s and the later Del Monte (most successful in the 1890s) and the Sulphur Springs, were built to accommodate visitors who arrived via the Great Road to benefit from the mineral springs. The high sulphur content was believed to be useful for those with arthritis and rheumatism.The Canadian Gazetter of 1846 indicates a population of about 600 inhabitants, two churches, a post office that receives mail each day, a steam grist mill, and tradesmen of various types. At the time, there was no significant industry.

The Preston post office opened in 1837 and the population continued to grow primarily because of immigration from Germany. Preston was incorporated as a village in 1853. The population declined in the late 1800s but by 1900, it had increased to 2,000 partly because of the new electric railway systems that started in 1894. In 1911, the line reached Hespeler, Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover. This made visiting other communities and carrying of goods very convenient.

Due to continued growth, by 1879 there were many industries such as a foundry, carriage manufacturer, potteries and a furniture company. This was also the year that the Cherry Flour Mills started, which would later become the Dover Flour Mills, a Preston company that still operates today.

On September 30, 1899 Preston was incorporated as a town with a population of just under 11,000. The Great Road between Dundas and Berlin (Kitchener) as well as the railroad connections helped the community to continue growing into an important industrial centre. Products made here included flour, agricultural implements, furniture, stoves, shoes and textiles. Preston grew and continued to be a successful industrial area; expansion followed in the 1950s and 1960s.

While most of the population of what became Waterloo County, Ontario was Protestant in 1911, Preston had a larger share of Roman Catholics, 844, while 862 were Lutherans, 707 Methodists, 704 Anglicans, and 525 Presbyterians.

In the late 1700s, developers began to buy land around the Grand River from the Six Nations Indians who were led by Joseph Brant. One speculator, William Dickson, a wealthy immigrant from Scotland, bought 90,000 acres (360 km2) of land along the Grand River in 1816; this was later to become Galt and the Dumfries Townships. Dickson divided the land and sold smaller lots, particularly to Scottish settlers. The centre of the planned community was at the junction of Mill Creek and the Grand River, then called Shade's Mills.

Dickson decided to name the Post Office Galt, in honour of John Galt of the Canada Company which was developing this entire area. Primarily agricultural in early years, Galt had attracted industry by 1840 and became the largest town in the Grand River area until the early 1900s. The town continued to grow however, based on a large industrial base. In fact, Galt was called "Manchester of Canada" because of the extensive industry, powered by the Grand River. Some of the important businesses in about 1870 included the Dickson Mills (opened in 1843), the Axe Factory forge, two furniture factories, The Dumfries iron and brass foundry, three large woolen factories, a malt factory, the Victoria Steam Carriage Works, the Dumfries Flour Mill, the Victoria Foundry making farm implements, a large soap and candles works and two steam powered tanneries.

Records from 1846 indicate that Galt had very valuable water-power that allowed for milling and manufacturing. Stone buildings in the downtown area had already been erected and the population was 1000, most originally from Scotland. Amenities included a curling club, library, a weekly newspaper, a school, a bank (Gore) and a fire company. The post office was receiving mail daily. Industries included two grist mills, two saw mills, two foundries, two carding machines and cloth factories, one brewery, two distilleries, one tannery, eight stores, nine taverns, two grocery stores and various tradesmen.

The largest of the early schools in the community, the Galt Grammar School, opened in 1852 with William Tassie as headmaster starting in 1853 at the site of what later became the Galt Collegiate. The school gained widespread recognition and attracted students from across North America. By 1872, it had been recognized as a Collegiate Institute.

Galt was incorporated as a town on January 1, 1857, with Morris C. Lutz elected as the first mayor. By 1858, a "Town Hall and Market House" had been built with an "Italianate", particularly Tuscan, influence. In later years, the building became the City Hall and was extensively modified. Throughout that entire period, it continued to grow based on a large industrial base.

An interurban streetcar connected Hespeler to nearby Preston and Galt.
The railway reached Galt in 1879, increasing the opportunities of exporting local goods and importing others. A new streetcar system, the Galt, Preston and Hespeler electric railway, (later called the Grand River Railway Company) also began to operate in 1894, connecting Preston and Galt. In 1911, the line reached Hespeler, Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover. The electric rail system ended passenger services in April, 1955.

Galt was incorporated as a city in 1915 and continued to grow based on a large industrial base.

In 1911, most of the population of Galt were Protestant: 4,240 Presbyterians, 1,930 Anglicans, and 2,122 Methodists. There were very few Roman Catholics.

The land (west of what is now Preston), including Carolinian forest, that would eventually become Blair was purchased from the Six Nations, through land speculator Richard Beasley. It was settled in 1800 by Samuel D. Betzner, one of the Mennonites from Pennsylvania. The group later discovered that Beasley had gotten into financial trouble and that a lien was placed on the lands. To solve the problem, the group created the German Company that bought an additional 60,000 acres of land from Beasley who used the proceeds to pay off the debt on the previous lands. This ensured a clear title for the Mennonite group. The village has one of the oldest (started in 1804) European cemeteries in Waterloo Region.

Joseph Bowman, a man called Wismer and John Bechtel were responsible for the early development of the community in an area laid out by Benjamin B. Bowman. They built a dam and then a sawmill and grist mill. In 1846, a large flour mill called the Bowman Mill, Blair Mill and also the Carlisle Mill opened. In about 1876, a 15-horsepower hydro electric system, the Sheave Tower, was built on Bowman Creek by Allan Bowman to help power the flour mill using a series of shafts and gears. This was a significant achievement in that era.

Although the name Carlisle (or New Carlisle) was commonly used then, the name Blair was chosen for the first post office in 1858 because a village of Carlisle had already been established in Halton County. The new name honoured Adam Johnston Fergusson-Blair, the first judge of Wellington District and a militia colonel in the area. In addition to Carlisle, earlier names for the village had included Shinglebridge, because a bridge with a shingle roof crossed the Grand River in this area from 1853 to 1857. It was called the Durham or Durhamville and Lambs' Bridge.

By 1864, the settlement was receiving mail daily, had a large school, a Mennonite meeting house, a large brick church and a population of 200. A railway line arrived at the village in 1873.

Blair became part of Preston in 1969. Many historic buildings still stand in the village, including some from the early 1820s. This includes the Sheave Tower (restored in 1999) and the John Bechtel residence.

Claudette Millar October 16, 1972
Robert Kerr December 2, 1974
Irwin Nelson December 6, 1976
Claudette Millar November 14, 1978
Claudette Millar November 10, 1980
Claudette Millar November 8, 1982
Claudette Millar November 8, 1985
Jane Brewer November 14, 1988
Jane Brewer November 12, 1991
This is the first election in which scanning technology is used to automatically count election ballots.
Jane Brewer November 14, 1994
Jane Brewer November 10, 1997
Doug Craig November 13, 2000
Doug Craig November 10, 2003
Doug Craig November 13, 2006
With this election the term for Council members increased from three to four years.
Doug Craig October 25, 2010

Jacob Hespeler Reeve: 1859 - 1862
George Hespeler Reeve: 1863
Conrad Nahrgang Reeve: 1864
George Hespeler Reeve: 1865 - 1873
Adam Shaw Reeve: 1874
John Chapman Reeve: 1875 - 1880
Lewis Kribs Reeve: 1880 - 1884
David Rife Jr. Reeve: 1885 - 1887
William Kribs Reeve: 1888 - 1896
Peter Jardin Reeve: 1897 - 1899
A. W. Brodu Reeve: 1900
George A. Forbes Mayor: 1901 - 1913
William A. Kribs Mayor: 1914 - 1915
L. E. Weaver Mayor: 1916 - 1920
D.N. Panabaker Mayor: 1921 - 1924
George A. Gruetzner Mayor: 1925 - 1929
L. E. Weaver Mayor: 1930 - 1931
James J Shaw Mayor: 1932 - 1937
Dr. R. F. Slater Mayor: 1938 - 1942
John N. Courtney Mayor: 1943 - 1944
Allan J. Wilford Mayor: 1945 - 1948
Cameron A. McNab Mayor: 1949
A. B. Jardine Mayor: 1950
William S. McVittie Mayor: 1951 - 1953
E. W. Goebel Mayor: 1954 - 1957
Howard McKellar Mayor: 1958
Morrison W. Day Mayor: 1959 - 1960
C. R. Alderson Mayor: 1960 - 1962
Horace G. Winton Mayor: 1962
Percy Harvey Mayor: 1963 - 1965
Ted G. E. Wake Mayor: 1966 - 1972

Jacob Hespeler Reeve: 1852
Henry Hagey Reeve: 1853 - 1855
Jacob Hespeler Reeve: 1856 - 1858
Julius Meyer Reeve: 1859
Abram A. Erb Reeve: 1860 - 1862
John Clare Reeve: 1862 - 1864
Jacob K. Erb Reeve: 1865 - 1866
Abram A. Erb Reeve: 1867 - 1869
John Clare Reeve: 1870
Abram A. Erb Reeve: 1871 - 1875
John Clare Reeve: 1876 - 1877
William C. Schlueter Reeve: 1878 - 1885
George A. Clare Reeve: 1886 - 1888
George M. Roos Reeve: 1889 (Resigned Feb.19)
Dr. Nelson Mulloy Reeve (Feb. 20 - Mar. 31)
George Pattinson Reeve (April 1)
Walter E. Guggisberg Reeve: 1890
George A. Clare Reeve: 1891 - 1897
Otto Homuth Reeve: 1898 - 1899
George A. Clare Mayor: 1900
Jacob E. Klotz Mayor: 1901 - 1903
Council members referred to as Aldermen for the first time. (1902)
Peter Bernhardt Mayor: 1904 - 1905
Frederick Clare Mayor: 1906 - 1908
M. H. Mullin Mayor: 1909 - 1911
Otto Homuth Mayor: 1912 - 1914
Clayton Hurlbut Mayor: 1915 - 1916
E. B. Reist Mayor: 1917 - 1918
Henry J. Schultz Mayor: 1919 - 1922
Norman O. Hipel Mayor: 1923 - 1924
John R. Grieve Mayor: 1925 - 1926
James M. Gillies Mayor: 1927 - 1928
Fred O. Pelz Mayor: 1929 - 1930
Marcus M. Donald Mayor: 1931 - 1932
William George Reids Mayor: 1933 - 1934
Robert Bieth Mayor: 1935 - 1940
William J. Pelz Mayor: 1941 - 1945
Harold G. Stockfish Mayor: 1946 - 1947
William H. Skelly Mayor: 1948 - 1948
James H. Reist Mayor: 1950 - 1951
James H. Reist Mayor: 1952
Kenneth Graham Mayor: Elected June 9 1952
Ford I. Willson Mayor: 1953 - 1954
William C. Woods Mayor: 1955 - 1957
Ion S. Snider Mayor: 1958 - 1961
Allan E. Reuter Mayor: 1962 - 1963
Harry L. Halberstadt Mayor: 1964 - 1969
Claudette Millar Mayor: 1970 - 1973

Andrew Elliott Reeve: 1850 - 1852
Absalom Shade Reeve: 1852
Morris C. Lutz Reeve: 1853
John Davidson Reeve: 1854 - 1855
Adam Ainslie Reeve: 1856
Morris C. Lutz Mayor: 1857 - 1859
William Robinson Mayor: 1860 - 1862
John Davidson Mayor: 1863 - 1864
Morris C. Lutz Mayor: 1865 - 1867
Adam Ker Mayor: 1868 - 1874
William Robinson Mayor: 1875
Richard Blain Mayor: 1876 - 1879
David Spiers Mayor: 1880 - 1882
Richard Jaffray Mayor: 1883 - 1884
Robert Scott Mayor: 1885 - 1887
John Lumsden Mayor: 1888 - 1889
William H. Lutz Mayor: 1890 - 1891
John Lumsden Mayor: 1892
Robert Gilholm Mayor: 1893 - 1894
Dr. T. W. Vardon Mayor: 1895 - 1896
Dr. J. H. Radford Mayor: 1897 - 1899
Thomas Vair Mayor: 1900 - 1901
Dr. Albert Hawke Mayor: 1902
Hugh Cant Mayor: 1903
Mundy MarkMayor: 1904 - 1905
Dr. Adam Thompson Mayor: 1906 - 1907
Thomas Patterson Mayor: 1908 - 1909
Thomas E. McLellan Mayor: 1910 - 1911
Stewart Scott Mayor: 1912 - 1913
A. E. Buchanan Mayor: 1914 - 1915
A. M. Edwards Mayor: 1916 - 1917
W. S. Dakin Mayor: 1918
A. W. Mercer Mayor: 1919 - 1920
S. E. Charlton Mayor: 1921 - 1922
J. A. McIrvine Mayor: 1923
A. E. Willard Mayor: 1924
J. E. Gardiner Mayor: 1925 - 1926
W. S. McKay Mayor: 1927 - 1928
A. W. Hilborn Mayor: 1929 - 1930
J. M. Willard Mayor: 1931 - 1933
A. W. Mercer Mayor: 1934 - 1935
R. K. Serviss Mayor: 1936 - 1939
W. S. McKay Mayor: 1939 - 1942
R. K. Serviss Mayor: 1943 - 1947
Mel Moffatt Mayor: 1948 - 1950
A. W. A. White Mayor: 1951 - 1953
William Anderson Mayor: 1954 - 1957
A. W. A. White Mayor: 1958 - 1960
E. M. Griffiths Mayor: 1961 - 1963
Robert J. Kerr Mayor: 1964 - 1967
Gordon S. Rouse Mayor: 1968 - 1972

Source: Wikipedia and Cambridge City Archives