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Did You Know...?
Woolwich and Trains Go Way Back
Yesterday: The Grand Trunk Railway completed its main line from Toronto in 1856. Early in that year, for the first time, passengers and freight were transported by rail through the southern part of the area now called Woolwich Township. Another branch of the Grand Trunk linked the city of Waterloo to the town of Elmira. Getting around by rail was fairly convenient and not very expensive.
Today: The Grand Trunk Railway has become the Canadian National Railway, still carrying large loads of freight from city to city. Two railway workers can haul at least as much freight as one hundred tractor-trailer drivers. The branch which once served the city of Waterloo, the village of St. Jacobs and the town of Elmira is now a tourist attraction, running especially for the benefit of visitors to the area. With the exception of the St. Jacobs tourist train, passenger trains no longer stop in Woolwich but Via Rail does travel through the southern end of Woolwich several times a day.
Tomorrow: Some people see no future for the railways. A more optimistic view envisions more tourist facilities as well as trains being made available for taking people to work, to school, on shopping excursions, and possibly even to vacation areas.
If the railways are encouraged and used, there could be great savings in human-power, fuel consumption, and road usage. Let’s get our township on track!
Birth Announcement
On January 3, 1808 in a log home near the junction of the Conestogo and Grand Rivers, a daughter, Priscilla, was born to Captain and Mrs. Thomas Smith. Priscilla has the distinction of being the first white child born in Woolwich township. Her parents were squatters who have built their home in an area not yet settled by immigrants to Ontario.
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Woolwich Was Big into Flax
Did you know that Woolwich pioneer farmers grew flax as a cash crop? Starting in the 1850’s, flax mills in Floradale and Conestogo were busy removing the seed from the flax stalks which had been uprooted from the fields by hand. Next the stalks were spread out in grasslands to disintegrate until only the fibers of the plant remained. Then teams of horses hauled the fibers by sleigh to the factories in Guelph where it was made into tow, a course thread used for spinning. The main products from flax were linseed oil from the seeds and upholstery from the tow. The tow was even in the liners for the wings of airplanes in World War One.
Woolwich is a Garden of Gardens
Woolwich: a garden of gardens, a place for plant-proud people to cultivate the beauty of their community. A good example is the tiny ‘ghost hamlet’ of Shantz, once an ambitious railway fueling station, now a crossroads settlement with a difference. What makes the difference? Five garden centres within the old Shantz school section (S.S. #14) attract gardeners from miles around. These five businesses make what could be called a beautiful blooming neighbourhood.
 
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