Hespeler, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Hespeler is a town and community located in Cambridge
, Ontario
, Canada
on the Speed River
.
arrived in New Hope. Hespeler purchased land along the river and built several industrial mills. Hespeler brought strength to the village, with was aided by Great Western Railway
stopping in the settlement between Galt and Guelph
. 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 became the Village of Hespeler on January 1, 1859. The village continued to grow until it was incorporated as the Town of Hespeler in 1901.
Hespeler flourished into the 20th century and housed Dominion Woollens and Worsteds Ltd., one of the largest textile producers in the country.
The town also developed a history in hockey, as a hockey stick manufacturer located there, and consequently named Hespeler, manufactured hockey sticks. 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 of the Detroit Red Wings, Paul Woods of Detroit, 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
.
Queen Street is often described as the downtown
of Hespeler. There are many local businesses and dining establishments located on Queen Street.
Old Town and Fire Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Hespeler. It was originally used as a town hall in the days when Hespeler was an independent municipality. It still functions as a fire hall and is also the home of Company of Neighbours, a heritage organisation founded by Bill O'Krafka.
The Hespeler Library was originally an old carnegie-style
library. In the early 2000s, it was decided that an expansion was needed. Rather than the typical expansion of another building, the existing library structure was placed in a glass cube, which both expanded the area and protected the historic significance of the building.
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 burned down Halloween night, 2003.
Queen Street is home to many privately owned businesses, such as a tapas
bar, a coffee shop, several salons and other dining establishments and clubs.
The one source of post-secondary education is Heritage Bible College and Seminary.
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
.
(GRT) bus routes.
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on the Speed River
Speed River
The Speed River is a river that flows through Wellington County and the Region of Waterloo in western Ontario, Canada. It flows south from its source near Orton, through Guelph, where it is joined by the Eramosa River, then through the towns of Hespeler and Preston, finally uniting with the Grand...
.
History
In 1830, Joseph Oberholtzer purchased land along the Speed River. The settlement that followed was to become known as New Hope. In 1845, Jacob HespelerJacob Hespeler
Jacob Hespeler was a prominent businessman in Canada West and the founder of the town of Hespeler .- Early life :...
arrived in New Hope. Hespeler purchased land along the river and built several industrial mills. Hespeler brought strength to the village, with was aided by Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway (Ontario)
The Great Western Railway was a historic Canadian railway that operated in Canada West and later the province of Ontario, following Confederation...
stopping in the settlement between Galt and Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
Guelph is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Waterloo and west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it...
. 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
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. The Census took place in July, 1858, and the settlement became the Village of Hespeler on January 1, 1859. The village continued to grow until it was incorporated as the Town of Hespeler in 1901.
Hespeler flourished into the 20th century and housed Dominion Woollens and Worsteds Ltd., one of the largest textile producers in the country.
The town also developed a history in hockey, as a hockey stick manufacturer located there, and consequently named Hespeler, manufactured hockey sticks. 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 of the Detroit Red Wings, Paul Woods of Detroit, Tim Brent of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ken Ellacott of the Vancouver Canucks, Don "Red" Laurence
Don Laurence
Donald Gray "Red" Laurence is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 57 games in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Flames and St. Louis Blues.-External links:...
of the Atlanta Flames and former NHL Linesman Bob Hodges.
In 1973, Hespeler amalgamated
Amalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
with the City of Galt and the Town of Preston
Preston, Ontario
Preston is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Prior to its amalgamation with the city of Galt, the town of Hespeler and the village of Blair to form the new city in 1973, it was an independent town. It is located near the confluence of the Grand River and Speed River...
to form the City of Cambridge
Cambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
.
Downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
of Hespeler. There are many local businesses and dining establishments located on Queen Street.
Old Town and Fire Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Hespeler. It was originally used as a town hall in the days when Hespeler was an independent municipality. It still functions as a fire hall and is also the home of Company of Neighbours, a heritage organisation founded by Bill O'Krafka.
The Hespeler Library was originally an old carnegie-style
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
library. In the early 2000s, it was decided that an expansion was needed. Rather than the typical expansion of another building, the existing library structure was placed in a glass cube, which both expanded the area and protected the historic significance of the building.
Hespeler Train Station, formerly located on Guelph Avenue, was used for passenger trains in the early 1900s to 1950s. Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
passed through the station in the 1950s. It burned down Halloween night, 2003.
Queen Street is home to many privately owned businesses, such as a tapas
Tapas
Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....
bar, a coffee shop, several salons and other dining establishments and clubs.
1847 Riverbank Project
Recently, new developments have been coming to the downtown area of Hespeler. Once considered a run-down downtown area, high-class development began with the new library. Soon following, developers started planning to turn the old American Standard factory into high-end condos. Construction on the project, dubbed the 1847 Riverbank Project, is expected to start sometime 2010 and be completed in 2011. However, the project has still yet to be started, as the designers are attempting to gain approval from the Grand River Conservation Authority. To cater to the needs of the oncoming high-end demographic, several high-end businesses opened.Education
Hespeler has several elementary schools and one high school, Jacob Hespeler Secondary School, named after the town's founder.The one source of post-secondary education is Heritage Bible College and 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
Speed River
The Speed River is a river that flows through Wellington County and the Region of Waterloo in western Ontario, Canada. It flows south from its source near Orton, through Guelph, where it is joined by the Eramosa River, then through the towns of Hespeler and Preston, finally uniting with the Grand...
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
Grand River Conservation Authority
The Grand River Conservation Authority is a conservation authority in Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario...
and part of the former site of Idylwild Park
Idylwild Park
Idylwild Park was a park located on the Speed River in what is now Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It attracted people from across Southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe, via the Grand Trunk Railway and the Galt, Preston & Hespeler Street Railway....
, to Cambridge's largest park, Riverside Park, in the town of Preston
Preston, Ontario
Preston is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Prior to its amalgamation with the city of Galt, the town of Hespeler and the village of Blair to form the new city in 1973, it was an independent town. It is located near the confluence of the Grand River and Speed River...
.
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 TransitGrand River Transit
Grand River Transit, or GRT, is the public transport operator for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge....
(GRT) bus routes.
GRT bus service
- Route 51 Hespeler Rd. to Ainslie St. Transit TerminalAinslie St. Transit TerminalAinslie St. Transit Terminal is the main hub for local Grand River Transit bus services in Cambridge, Ontario. It was built as a replacement for the Mill Street Terminal, in response to a 1988 report, commissioned by the city, which concluded that the existing facilities were totally inadequate and...
- Route 53 Franklin
- Route 65 Fisher Mills
- Route 66 Winston
- Route 71 Melran
See also
- Cambridge, OntarioCambridge, OntarioCambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
- Preston, OntarioPreston, OntarioPreston is a community in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Prior to its amalgamation with the city of Galt, the town of Hespeler and the village of Blair to form the new city in 1973, it was an independent town. It is located near the confluence of the Grand River and Speed River...
- Regional Municipality of WaterlooRegional Municipality of WaterlooThe Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
- Speed RiverSpeed RiverThe Speed River is a river that flows through Wellington County and the Region of Waterloo in western Ontario, Canada. It flows south from its source near Orton, through Guelph, where it is joined by the Eramosa River, then through the towns of Hespeler and Preston, finally uniting with the Grand...
- List of Carnegie libraries in Canada
External links
- The Evolution of Hespeler, City of Cambridge web-site
- Company of Neighbours, Hespeler heritage association
- Hespeler at Geographical Names of Canada
- Hespeler Village downtown B.I.A.