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More Railway Stories

When the railroad from Port Hope to Millbrook opened in 1856, extending to Lindsay and Peterborough shortly afterwards, our region was transformed from a rural backwater to a transportation hub.

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Bronze memorial plaque with a cross, honoring William Henry Bateson of the Canadian Army Medical Corps, killed at Paschendaele, Nov 6, 1917, aged 42.

A Name Not on the Cenotaph

There is a plaque along the west wall of St Thomas Anglican church in Millbrook “In loving memory of William Henry Bateson…. killed at Passchendaele Nov 6th, 1917”. His name is not on our local cenotaph and I have wondered about this over the years.

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Vintage open-top car with four passengers on a dirt road beside a wooden fence under trees in a black-and-white photo.

Cavan Monaghan Historical Overview

John Deyell assisted Samuel G. Wilmot in the first survey of this area in 1817 and is credited with naming Cavan and Monaghan Townships in honour of his Irish birthplace. An extraordinary entrepreneur, John Deyell lived to age 103 and is credited with significant…

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Three dairy bottle caps: two orange round lids reading 'Shady Nook Dairy' and 'Milk' with 'Pasteurized' text, flanking a silver triangular cap in the center.

Shady Nook Dairy

The following history has been gathered from an interview and subsequent newspaper feature written by Melodie McCullough for the Peterborough Examiner, March 22, 1999. The article was sent to the Historical Society by Jan Rowland, Cedar Valley Road, Fraserville. For 35 years, Clifford Larmer…

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Memories of Main Street

Tracing the history of the recently restored cabinet that now houses displays in the Millbrook branch of the Cavan Monaghan Library, led us to Reg Fowler. Reg’s uncle Dave owned Fowler’s Men’s Wear, which he took over from his father George who ran it…

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Smiling man in a military uniform holding a small cat outdoors in a field.

Who was Harry Williams?

The Resource Room of the Millbrook Public Library is named in honour of Harry Williams. So, who was this fellow? The fine citizens of Millbrook may have thought the same thing as a dashing young man in a Barbour motorcycle jacket rode his motorcycle into…

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