1890s Hamilton

  “Thought Well of Hamilton : The Very Favourable Report of an American Visitor.” Hamilton Spectator. June 01 1895   “W. H. Farmer writes from Hamilton to the Rockton Illinois Herald, under the date of May 15, as follows: “Thinking that some of my friends and the readers of your paper might be interested in a few lines I will jot down, giving you a bird’s eye view of the city of Hamilton as I found it some eight weeks ago. “When I arrived here I found good sleighing and Hamilton bay completely frozen over. Hamilton is the second city in the province of Ontario, and occupies an alluvial plain lying between the bay and the escarpment, locally known as ‘the mountain,’ being the height over which the Niagara plunges. “To get a view of the city, you take the incline railway up the mountain. After reaching the top, you can get a splendid view of the city, the bay and Lake Ontario. From the mountain, you look down on the beautiful city with 40 miles of sewer, 99 miles of water main a...

    “Hamilton will be en fete this evening. There will be flares and flagging, fireworks and illuminations everywhere, bands will play, people will shout themselves hoarse, bells will clang, whistles will shriek and the hoarse roaring of cannon will be heard. All because of the homecoming of a good-looking and athletic young man who has proved his titles to be considered the best rifle shot in the world. “When Hayhurst plugged bullets into the hearts of the targets at Bisley more times than any other man on the famous field, it was a great thing for Canada and a great thing for Hamilton. No wonder that Canada and Hamilton are proud of him, and that we are all, every mother’s son of us, tumbling over each other in our eagerness to do all we can to give him a fitting welcome home. “The Thirteenth battalion has had many proud and happy days in its life, but none so proud and none so happy as the day on which Hayhurst won the Queen’s prize, and today, the day on which he com...

      Late on Friday afternoon, July 28, 1895, all three Hamilton daily newspapers had special editions printed and newsboys were shouting about the shooting that had earlier in the day. As reporters rushed to get as much information about the incident, some of the details provided would prove to be slightly inaccurate as the days passed but, basically, gunfire had broken out in a Stuart Street West Hotel, the Tremont House. The neighbourhood along Stuart street from the Grand Trunk Railway station to the area of Bay Street North was rough, and was generally referred to as the Bowery. Among the denizens of the Bowery was a gang called the Whitecaps. The Herald carried the following headline which carried most of information that was known just a few hours the incident: “Third Edition : Murder! : James Neelon Shot By Jimmy Wall : The Victim Not Likely to Recover : Shotting Affray In the Tremont House : A Row which May End Fatally : The Victim a Young Man Who Resided With H...

  During the fall of 1891 on Hamilton’s Victoria Avenue North, at Evans street, a new church had recently opened. Called the Victoria Avenue Baptist Mission. Across the street and a bit north at Barton street corner lived one of the city’s most prominent characters. Prof. Jesse Gant was a barber by profession as well as serving as the self-proclaimed spokesman for the city’s black community. Jess Gant was a loquacious, articulate man known as a singer, dancer, boxer and a frequent writer of letters to the editors of the various Hamilton daily newspapers. On October 14, 1891, the following Prof. Gant letter appeared in the Spectator: “TO THE EDITOR : Several months ago I was invited by (to my mind) some kind-hearted and Christian persons to visit them at their place of worship, a little Baptist mission not many yards from where I now live, and feeling that I would be welcome and satisfied anywhere among God’s children, I accepted their invitation and attended their meetings at d...