By Dave Allston – Place names are important. Selecting a place name is the first step in creating a community when folks settle in one shared geographical area. Knowing where place names originate is a fascinating part of our shared history. Hintonburg became part of the City of […]
By Dave Allston – Westboro has not been whole for over fifty years. An important piece of the village’s history was stolen away in the dark of the night and residents have never successfully reclaimed what is rightfully theirs. The former Nepean Town Hall stands proudly on Richmond […]
By Dave Allston – It’s hard to believe, but Kitchissippi is one of the few wards in Ottawa without a fire station. It hasn’t always been that way, however. Local fire fighting has a history as old as the neighbourhoods themselves. Over time, Kitchissippi has been well served […]
By Dave Allston – Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have particularly deep francophone roots. While both neighbourhoods still feature a bilingual population, it may surprise some to know that for most of their history, these two areas were mainly French-speaking, at some times, significantly so. Several notable events (and people!) […]
By Dave Allston – Few forms of entertainment in the early 20th century were more popular than the travelling circus. A visit from touring companies such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey was often the highlight of the summer. Children waited for weeks in anticipation. One newspaper […]
By Dave Allston – Kitchissippi has its share of busy intersections, but few are as rich in history as Wellington Street West at Holland Avenue. For the last 130 years and beyond, the neighbourhood has evolved around this junction of two important local roadways, and it is well […]
By Dave Allston – When you look at the history of Wellington Street West and Richmond Road, you can’t help but notice how residential and commercial properties evolve over time. Wellington Village features a large number of houses that were converted into commercial spaces. This type of repurposing […]
By Dave Allston – Have you ever wondered what Kitchissippi would look like if we could go back in time? What would we see? What would be familiar? 1867 marked the unification of the Dominion of Canada, but it also marked the start of the neighbourhood’s transition from […]
By Dave Allston – To many, the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway along the Ottawa River is a simple, convenient and scenic way to move around town. However, the history behind it is so much more complex. Many view its construction as the turning point in the history […]
By Dave Allston – Kitchissippi comprises multiple neighbourhoods, each of which has its own story of early development. The ward developed like a quilt, each small section built up gradually at different rates over a period of about 80 years, until by 1950, it was all part of […]
By Dave Allston – The commercial districts within Kitchissippi have a lot going for them. The Westboro and Wellington West BIAs have done a remarkable job transforming Richmond-Wellington into an exciting, vibrant commercial strip, where the bulk of our shopping can be done locally, at both eclectic and […]
By Dave Allston – On the road to Lemieux Island, just off the SJAM Parkway, lies the mysterious ruins of a structure which has sat untouched and decaying for nearly thirty years. A popular spot for urban explorers and bored youths alike, this unmarked derelict site has an […]
By Dave Allston – Sporting clubs were the centre of social life in the first half of the twentieth century. Recently, I was told about a sporting club that existed for only a few years during the Great Depression. It’s one of the most surprising, unique and intriguing […]
By Dave Allston – In my previous column, I wrote about the Thomsons, an important pioneer family in the history of Kitchissippi. I focused on the Thomson era from their arrival in 1818 to the unfortunate loss of their farm, including the Maplelawn stone house, sixty years later. […]
By Dave Allston – For a column titled “Early Days,” what better subject than to go back in time and take a look at Kitchissippi’s very earliest days and its first residents, the Thomson family. Nearly 200 years after their arrival, they are still recognized as builders and […]
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