Lawrence Turner remembers well when the towns of Hespeler, Galt and Preston came together to incorporate a new City of Cambridge over 50 years ago.
As board member and executive chairperson at the Hespeler Heritage Centre, Turner says, after the amalgamation in 1973, everything changed.
“Back then, when Waterloo Region was created, we got pushed into a shotgun marriage with Galt and Preston,” he said. “At that time, Hespeler was very independent. People worked here, lived here and shopped downtown at all kinds of butchers and grocers.
"Everything you could imagine or want was within the community.”
Once Cambridge came to be, Turner said the shift for residents caused concern as to whether or not the histories of all three communities might be in jeopardy, forgotten, or even erased.
In an effort to preserve and promote a rich history that goes back to the 1700s, The Hespeler Heritage Centre, part of the the non-for-profit organization, ‘The Company of Neighbours’, was established.
Since 1992, the centre, located in the old Town Hall in downtown Hespeler Village, has become home to an archival collection that consists of over 5,000 pieces including old photos, documents, memorabilia and artifacts ranging in age from the early 19th century to recent days.
“There are probably way more than that now. Items just continue to come in. We do have quite a growing collection,” Turner said.
Included are many exhibits from the town’s industrial and sporting history, government documents, local business records, as well as Indigenous artifacts.
“We do a lot of research with people who might be looking for their grandmother from Hespeler or we get memories of past Christmases. The other day, somebody had found a piece of equipment in Godfrey, Ontario. It was stamped, Hespeler, Ontario.
“They wanted to know about the company, what it manufactured and where it was located,” Turner said.
For many years, Turner and his family have been avid volunteers within the Hespeler community.
As a leader with Scouts Canada and a volunteer with the Presbyterian church, Turner also began the Forbes Park Music Festival in 1997, which is now the Hespeler Village Music Festival, and still continues today.
“We have had members of our board of directors on so many different organizations including churches, the Cambridge Farmers' Market committee and with the legion,” Turner said.
“I was on the organizing committee for the Hespeler Reunion of 1996. Prior to that, we had a group, the Hespeler Historical Society, which was the forerunner to the Company of Neighbours. The name changed to the Company of Neighbours when we incorporated,” Turner said.
Turner said he has always had a passion for Hespeler and its history.
“I even married a local girl. We’ve been in the same house here for 56 years. We had four children are all now married and have families of their own,” he said.
Turner remembers Hespeler as always being a fiercely independent town.
“Going back to the 50s and 60s, before the 401 was put in, there was a rivalry between Galt, Preston and Hespeler,” he said.
“There’s a reason that goes way back in history.”
Since 1906, the popular tradition of holding a Hespeler reunion every 20 years has continued.
“Following the amalgamation, there should have been a reunion in 1986,” Turner said.
“But they closed down a lot of the town infrastructure here including the town hall, where we are located today. Time moved on and we decided that that was enough,” Turner said. “We needed to promote and protect the history of the town and that was the impetus that started the Company of Neighbours, and it has been going on since.”
The Hespeler Heritage Centre is a self-sustaining, volunteer driven, non-profit organization committed to improving the sense of community in Hespeler.
“We raise our own funds and we lease our space from the City of Cambridge, where we operate,” Turner said.
“We do not charge at the door. If somebody wants to make a donation, that’s fine but we do not press them for it.”
Involved in all aspects of community life in Hespeler, the centre has become a resource centre, drop-in centre, a gathering place, and a strong voice in the community.
It is open free of charge from Monday to Saturday for historical research, family history investigation, or for just plain viewing of the extensive collection.
The centre welcomes group tours, For more information about the centre, visit here.
“Our facility is open to groups in the community who want to hold a meeting," Turner said.
“And four mornings a week, from Tuesdays to Fridays, we have a seniors drop-in centre. A lot of the old folks from town here, including myself, go in and have a coffee and solve the problems of the world,” Turner said.
Of interest to history buffs, The Hespeler Heritage Centre has published and offers for sale a largest collection of books, CD's and souvenirs.
“I have learned a lot and learning is basically what we do. It is a hub within the community,” Turner said.
“And it really has become a labour of love as well.”
