Hespeler, Ontario

History

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 1600s 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). A block of land from this grant was resold by Brant in 1798, and In 1830, Joseph Oberholtzer purchased a parcel of this land along the Speed River. The settlement that followed was to become known as New Hope. In 1845, Jacob Hespeler arrived in New Hope. Hespeler purchased land along the river and built several industrial mills. In 1857, Hespeler called for a Census to find out if the number of residents in the settlement would be enough to name it a village. The Census took place in July 1858, and the settlement was renamed the Village of Hespeler on January 1, 1859. The village continued to grow until it was incorporated as the Town of Hespeler in 1901.

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. However, by 1959, the company was facing bankruptcy and was sold to Silknit, which eventually closed in 1984.

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.

In 1973, Hespeler amalgamated with the City of Galt and the Town of Preston to form the City of Cambridge.

Downtown

Queen Street is the downtown core of Hespeler, on which many local businesses and dining establishments are situated.

The Old Town & Fire Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Hespeler. It originally functioned as a Town Hall when Hespeler operated as an independent municipality. It still functions as a fire hall and is also the home of the Company of Neighbours, a heritage organization founded by Bill O'Krafka.

The Hespeler Library was originally an early twentieth century Carnegie library. In the early 2000s, it was determined that an expansion was needed. Rather than constructing another structure onto the preexisting building, a glass enclosure was built around the existing library.

The Hespeler Train Station, formerly located on Guelph Avenue, was used for passenger trains in the early 1900s to 1950s. Queen Elizabeth passed through the station in the 1950s. It was destroyed following an act of arson on October 31, 2003.

The former post office, built 1928, is now the home of the Fashion History Museum

Education

Hespeler has several elementary schools and one high school, Jacob Hespeler Secondary School, named after the town's founder.

The sole source of post-secondary education in Hespeler is Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary.

Recreation

Hespeler offers many different recreational activities for its residents. There are many parks, two of the largest being Woodland and Forbes, the latter housing a tennis club.

The Johnson Centre, a community centre, is located just across the street from Forbes Park. Its facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, gymnasium, exercise rooms, and areas for local organizations and clubs to meet in.

The Speed River offers various recreational activities, such as canoeing and fishing.

There are several trails running throughout Hespeler. The Mill Run Trail, beginning at Sheffield Street, leads through Chilligo Conservation Area and part of the former site of Idylwild Park, to Cambridge's largest park, Riverside Park, in the town of Preston.

The Galt, Preston and Hespeler Electric Railway

The Galt, Preston and Hespeler electric railway connected Hespeler to Galt and Preston from 1896 to 1955. The railway incorporated with neighbouring interurban railways, and partnered with the Canadian Pacific Railway, and was named the Grand River Railway when passenger service was ended in 1955. With lines that connect to Berlin (now Kitchener) to the north and BrantfordPort Dover to the south.

Transit terminal

The terminal is located curbside at the southwest corner of Groh Avenue and Holiday Inn Drive, just down Groebel Avenue from Queen Street. It serves as a transfer and connection point for Grand River Transit (GRT) bus routes.

GRT bus service