1890s Hamilton

 “The Biograph and its remarkable moving pictures of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, the gallant Gordon Highlanders, the 21 st Lancers, the Grenadier Guards and the Prince of Wales are coming to Hamilton.” Hamilton Times.   June 12, 1899. Its considered to be one of the wonders of the era. While there had been some advances in moving picture technology, for the most part the moving images which had been seen were small. The Biograph was something new and exciting in 1899. The moving pictures which could be seen from the Biograph projectors were large, large enough that everyone a big crowd seated in a Hall could see them at the same time. On June 12, 1899, the Hamilton Times promoted an upcoming exhibition of the Biograph: “The dates are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 19 th , 20 th and 21 st and the place is Association Hall. The public of Hamilton and excursionists from all surrounding places will have an opportunity of...

 It had been an eventful day in Hamilton, Wednesday June 10, 1896. When readers of the Hamilton Times opened their morning edition of that newspaper on June 11, there was more than enough of interest to attract the attention of all. On Wednesday evening June 10, a home wedding took place in the east end: “At 7:45 last evening, Miss W. Wodell, organist of the Victoria Avenue Baptist Church, and Mr. C. W. Upsedell, were married by the Rev. F. Barker at No. 65 Oak avenue, the future home of the bride and groom. The bride wore a cadet blue dress trimmed with cream silk and carnations. The bridesmaid also carried carnations and roses, and Mr. J.H. Upsedell, brother of the groom, was best man. About twenty-five friends of the happy couple witnessed the pleasing ceremony and partook of a sumptuous wedding repast. The rest of the evening was spent in music, the enjoyment of games etc. Mr. Jim Upsedell favored the company with several trombone solos. The couple received many an...

When the summer’s heat was up, it was not unusual for a large number of people to be encountered in the waterfront area of James Street North. Especially in the vicinity of the dock of the Hamilton Steamboat Company, there was usually a crowd when the passenger steamer, Macassa, arrived back in the city after a trip from Toronto, or when the Macassa set off from Hamilton to her outward destination. During the morning of Thursday, August 12 ,1892, passengers for the trip to Toronto had embarked on the Macassa. Friends, family and general onlookers watched when the big boat started to move out towards the bay Those people saw something that afternoon which many would not soon forget : “A young man named Harry Brothers was employed on the steamer Macassa as a kitchen helper, and while the boat was at the dock at the foot of James street, he was working in the cook’s gallery cleaning vegetables, and just as the steamer was leaving and when she was about 200 feet from the do...

On a chilly Saturday afternoon, October 21, 1889, nearly 1,500 people from Hamilton boarded several open cars of the Hamilton, Grimsby and Beamsville Electric Railway to be transported to the Stoney Creek battlefield. The attraction was an event organized by the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society to mark the formal opening of the public park and museum on the grounds. The guest of honor was Lady Aberdeen, wife of Canada’s Governor-General. There was some delay before the ceremonies could begin. The cars of the H.G. & B. electric railway had been forced to stop several times on the way because of power shortage, much to the annoyance of the many Hamiltonians on board. “The ladies of the historical society had put together a well-rounded guest list of prominent people to witness the opening ceremony at Battlefield Park: “British nobility was represented by the Countess of Aberdeen; Canadian letters were looked after by O.A. Howland, of Toronto; the patriotic spirit ...

From just after dawn, Wednesday, August 9, 1899, the bee in aid of the Stoney Creek Battlefield project was in full swing: “At an early hour, and later during the day, as required, twelve teams, loading plows or scoops, and a contingent of thirty-six stalwart men, many of whom were the representatives of U.E.L. families   in the county, set to work to transform the fruit orchards surrounding the old Gage homestead, of 1812-13 memory into a public park. “All small fruits and undergrowth have been cleaned and, when entirely completed, there will be three natural terraces, from which, as a crown, the site in pre-eminent and commanding fitness, will raise its head, a spot from which at night the electric lights of Hamilton, Guelph, Toronto and St. Catherines are to be seen exchanging friendly greetings with one another.” 1 1 Citation incomplete –need to check with HPL – from one of the Gardiner Scrapbooks. The day before the Bee, there was nearly a second major battle ...

 “Travelers who journey to Niagara Falls, or the villages and towns between, on the Queen’s highway, cannot fail to have noticed, a short distance west of Stony Creek, and to the south of the road, a long, rambling sort of a wooden structure which would not present an appearance of habitation, were it not that the surroundings of vineyards, apple and peach trees and other products of luscious fruit, show that man is somewhere very near, and that, in all likelihood, he is to be found in the big wooden building before mentioned. That frame structure, odd as it looks, has a history, and a lively one; the chief events being connected with the great battle of Stony Creek in 1813. In and around the house occurred some strange events such as have not infrequently, changed the whole course of a country’s history.”           Hamilton Spectator.              October 17, 1896. Th...

For weeks and weeks, Hamiltonians had been venturing to Zealand’s wharf to observe the construction of the first large ship to be built in the city for many years. The Arabian was a large, steel-hulled steamship. As the workers neared completion, the hull could be seen blocks away. The date selected, and publicized widely, for the launching of the Arabian was Saturday July 21 1892. The morning before the scheduled afternoon event the Arabian was the subject of much conversation. The Hamilton Times, in its early edition of the paper, carried the following, detailed summary of the Arabian story: ““Getting a large vessel off the ways in it has rested for months, while in the course of erection, is always an interesting event. This afternoon, the large steel propeller, built and owned by Messrs. J.B. and Hugh Fairgrieve, of this city, will enter the waters which she is expected to sail for some years to come, and will, at the same time, receive the name which she will make famil...