Article of brief history on the Great Fire of Bradford (1871). Scanned from a donation of the Bradford Today supplement to the Bradford Witness.

Photograph of the VIA Rail train passing through Bradford. The Bradford Fertilizer Co. Ltd. is still behind the tracks at this time.

An undated photo found in the Bradford Witness of Kilkenny's Furniture & undertaking, next to J.A. Webb's Bradford Meat Market, Ernest Snow's Saddler workshop, and L. Davey's Butcher shop. The picture is believed to date between 1910-1920.

"Eighty years old and almost blind, Alfred Tout of Newmarket is launching a business that he hopes will bring him enough money to buy a house. Alfred has turned his life-long hobby, weaving bamboo furniture, into a full-time job so he can get out of the senior citizens' apartment he and his wife moved into a few years ago. "You can't do anything there (at the seniors' home). You can't hammer, own a dog or cat or anything. Some people might like to sit around and do nothing, but not me." Alfred used to have a workshop in his Bradford home before he moved to Newmarket. He misses the freedom of having his own house..."

"Chicken thieves got away with between 39 and 40 fowl from the barn of Thomas Stewart, 10th line, West Gwillimbury. The pilferers had evidently used a car or light truck in their night prowling, as the marks of tires were plainly visible on the side of the road. It was thought they made their way along a gulley running from the vicinity of the car through a field to the back of the barn. The sound of a fire alarm bell for the first time in many months cause excitement in the town. It was soon discovered, however, that a representative of the Fire Underwriters Association was in town on one of his periodic visits and had put in a fire alarm, calling out the brigade for a test run. The inspector was reported to have been satisfied with the prompt and business-like response."

"Norm Barron, owner of Barron's Dominion Hardware, has retired after 32 years in the hardware business. The store was founded by Norm's father Harry Barron in 1932 in a location now occupied by John Gaus Interiors and N.S. Smith Real Estate. The elder Mr. Barron, a native of Brampton, had been a foreman at the Peace Foundry before making a move to Bradford and starting in the hardware business. Norm helped his father part-time in the store until the Second World War broke out and he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was stationed in the western provinces during the war and taught aerial photography, and while out west met and married his wife Carol.After the war, Norm returned to Bradford and entered into full partnership with his father."

"Persons dropping in at the new West End Fashions store in the Anzil Plaza will have a warm smile and a cup of coffee waiting for them from Bette Hare. Mrs. Hare opened the store primarily to meet people. "I love meeting people," she said, "and you just don't meet people being at home, so I asked Len about buying the store and he said, 'Why don't you'" Len and Bette had operated a radio and television appliance store in town for 18 years, and after they finally sold out this year, Mrs. Hare found staying at home very boring. Operating her own store has been very exciting, and she doesn't mind the hard work."

"Mrs. Rose McEvoy, owner and manager of Bradford's Queen's Hotel, is generous - from her whole heart. She is an outgoing, amiable person with a great feel for the needs of people. Mrs. McEvoy has been in the hotel business since 1940s. Her late husband Frank was already in the business when she met him. Later, Mr. McEvoy opened the Jolly Miller as a hotel, and then along with his brother bought the Queen's Hotel in Bradford in 1942."

"Gordon Compton, who owns the Bradford IGA, was born in London, Ontario, where his father ran the local A and P store. Gord's family moved around quite a bit from the time he was born in 1933, until they settled in Bradford. His father owned the old IGA store, now the site of 'Flowers by Tina.' After graduating from high school, Gord studied for a year at the School of Mines in Haileybury, Ontario, but gave up his studies and returned to help out in the family business when his father became ill. He eventually took over the business and saw IGA move into its present home in 1966."

"On the eve of his 92nd birthday, Tuesday, Bill Ruffett told the story of the booming ice industry of yesteryear. Bell Ewart - "I started on the ice when I was 12 yeards old. Father had rented the old hotel on the south side of the dock of 1897 for one dollar a month. After the old sawmill had burned down, the hotel went out of business. I remember well tearing out the bar. It was then I started to lead a horse on an ice plow for 50 cents a day for the Belle Ewart Ice Company. It was the only ice company there then and was across the road from my home where Sheppard's Marina is today. I remember the winter of 1906 was very mild and the big lake never froze over until nearly spring. The railroad was still here, you see, from the era of meeting the Lake Simcoe excursion boats. It was then ice companies from Jackson's Point came here, partly because of the railroad. Their only transportation there, for ice to Toronto, was by street car. I had anywhere from 60 to 80 men working for me at one time, all farmer's boys."