Don "Tuffy" MacDougall served “B” Troop of the 100th Light, Anti-Aircraft Battery out of Guelph from March 1941 through “Cease Fire” May 8 1945 into September of 1945. The 100th was part of the 4th Canadian Infantry Division. Tuffy’s military story is mostly about times with people away from the war and with those he served. He spoke less about combat details. Those who knew Tuffy said he was about people and his experiences around them.
Engine 81 is a steam engine nicknamed ‘Old 81’ by the residents of Palmerston. Resting on its own track in the Palmerston Lions Heritage Park, it proudly surveys the downtown area. ‘Old 81’ turned one hundred years old in 2010.
Frank Lambier Court dedication ceremony in Palmerston with Mayor Bridge, Legion Branch 409 representatives and the Lambier family.
Dr. John FtizGerald (1882-1940) was born in Drayton, Ontario. In 1891 his family moved to Harriston and occupied 88 John Street South from 1894 to 1902.
The sole remaining pedestrian railway bridge in Ontario, the Palmerston Railway Pedestrian Bridge was originally built in 1912 to allow schoolchildren safe passage over the railway tracks. Now it serves as a symbol of Palmerston’s railway heritage and as the signature feature of the Lions Heritage Park. The Pedestrian Bridge turned one hundred years old in 2012.
Over the last 100 years we often hear about the young men from Canada's farms flocking to answer the call for King and Country. Milton Seiler, was one of those fresh faced country boys to take up the call to arms. His true intentions are not known, but the likelihood of it being primarily patriotic fervour is probably not the case.
Reverend john Smithurst was ordained by the Church of England in 1939 and served as a missionary to the aboriginal people at the Red River Settlements in Manitoba for twelve years. He settled in the Township of Minto in 1852 when he was appointed Rector of St. John's Anglican church in Elora, Ontario.
In 1871, the grand Western Railway line through Palmerston was completed. Although the railway helped the local economy, the expansion of the rail yard through Queen Street posed a serious threat to pedestrians. To ensure public safety, the Railway Commission of Canada ordered the town to close Queen Street and in 1911 the Grand Trunk built a 700' steel pedestrian bridge over the yard. The yard closed, and in 1998 the town purchased the site.