125 YEARS AGO Thursday, December25, 1884

• Former East Luther councillor F. I. Holmes and his family had an experience with fire and frost Saturday night that will never be forgotten. Mr. Holmes was awakened at about 1 a.m. by the smell of smoke and the sound of crackling fire coming from the back kitchen. On opening the door he found flames racing into the log house and lost no time running upstairs with his wife to rescue the children. All escaped by jumping or being thrown to the snowbank below but Mr. Holmes was badly burned and his wife’s feet were frost-bitten. The eldest boy ran half a mile to the nearest neighbour, Mr. Holborn, who came to the family’s rescue with clothing and a team and sleigh. A new frame house, partially built, was damaged.

• Says the Shelburne Economist: We have to congratulate the people of Orangeville upon the appearance of The Dufferin Post, Messrs. Ketchum & McGuire’s sprightly publication. Stick to your Post!

100 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 23, 1909

• John A. Best of Whitfield will now have the pleasure of writing “M.P.” after his name, having been elected by acclamation as the member for Dufferin in the Dominion House Wednesday. C. R. McKeown, W. H. Hunter, George Little, J. R. Gillespie, W. J. Dynes, G. M. Vance and H. Atkinson were also nominated but all withdrew from the field.

• Shelburne town hall was packed to the doors Tuesday evening of last week to hear Hon. Seaborn Wright, the noted Georgia Temperance worker and orator.

• John Large has accepted a nomination to contest the reeveship of Shelburne against the incumbent, Dr. Thomas Babe.

• At the last meeting of Shelburne School Board, held in the council chamber on Tuesday night, principal T. E. Langford tendered his resignation, advising the board that he had received an offer from a collegiate institute at an increased salary. After considerable discussion the board approved a motion that the resignation be accepted and that the secretary advertise for applications to fill the vacancy.

75 YEARS AGO Wednesday, December 27, 1934

• Municipal nominations in Shelburne, Melancthon, Mulmur, Amaranth, Mono, East Luther, Grand Valley and East Garafraxa will take place on Monday noon next. Because of Tuesday being New Year’s Day and a public holiday, the closing hour for the filling out of qualification papers by candidates will be 12 o’clock noon on Wednesday, January 2, instead of 9 p.m. Tuesday. Voting will take place on Monday, Jan. 7th.

• Rev. J. F. G. Morris of Honeywood and Mrs. Richard Westecott have received letters of appreciation from Saskatchewan farmers for the carload of food collected from Dufferin residents and shipped by train from Shelburne last month.

50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, December 23, 1959

• Rt. Rev. George Luxton, Anglican Bishop of Huron, has announced that Rev. Arliss Hunt, assistant rector of Trinity Church, Simcoe, has been appointed as rector of St. James Church, Dundalk, Cranmer’s Church (Honeywood), St. Mary’s Church (Maxwell), and St. Paul’s Church (Melancthon).

• At a senior citizens’ party at St. Mark’s Church, Orangeville, Mrs. Frank Russell, 82, received a prize as the oldest person present.

• Kitchener experienced the worst fire in the city’s history last Wednesday when a blaze swept through three downtown buildings causing damage estimated at up to $2 million.

• You very seldom see them — the Provincial Police Night Patrol. In the dark, cold hours of Saturday morning they were on the job and then some. As Constables Bruce Mullen and Mel Crockford were starting away from the Dufferin Detachment office just north of Orangeville, at 3:30 a.m., they saw a car “take off” in wild flight from in front of the nearby service station. They gave chase and overtook the auto in a ditch near Laurel, the two occupants fleeing through the snow into a bush. Radioing for Constables Doug Edge and Stan Dick to assist, they strung a loose cordon around the woods. One man was captured but the other escaped. Staying on the hunt, the officers found a matching footprint on the snowy floor of a telephone booth in Orangeville, and with this slim clue began checking with neighbouring municipal police. Saturday afternoon, Brampton police reported they had picked up the second man. Two Georgetown young men were taken into custody on a charge of car theft.

25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, December 24, 1984

• Ontario Attorney General and Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Roy McMurtry, was in Orangeville last Thursday to meet area delegates. His bus rolled into Orangeville Bottling Ltd. where Mr. McMurtry spoke with the press and local delegates.