Hespeler, Ontario

Hespeler is a town and community located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada on the Speed River.

In 1830, Joseph Oberholtzer purchased land along the Speed River. The settlement that followed was to become known as New Hope. In 1845, Jacob Hespeler arrived in New Hope. Hespeler purchased land along the river and built several industrial mills. Hespeler brought strength to the village, with was aided by Great Western Railway stopping in the settlement between Galt and Guelph. In 1857, Hespeler called for a Census to find out if the number of residents in the settlement would be enough to name it a village. The Census took place in July, 1858, and the settlement became the Village of Hespeler on January 1, 1859. The village continued to grow until it was incorporated as the Town of Hespeler in 1901.

Hespeler flourished into the 20th century and housed Dominion Woollens and Worsteds Ltd., one of the largest textile producers in the country.

The town also developed a history in hockey, as a hockey stick manufacturer located there, and consequently named Hespeler, manufactured hockey sticks. The Hespeler Shamrocks, a pee-wee to minor level hockey had also developed.^[1]

In 1973, Hespeler amalgamated with the City of Galt and the Town of Preston to form the City of Cambridge.

Queen Street is often described as the downtown of Hespeler. There are many local businesses and dining establishments located on Queen Street.

Old Town and Fire Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Hespeler. It was originally used as a town hall in the days when Hespeler was an independent municipality. It still functions as a fire hall and is also the home of Company of Neighbours, a heritage organisation founded by Bill O'Krafka.

The Hespeler Library was originally an old carnegie-style library. In the early 2000s, it was decided that an expansion was needed. Rather than the typical expansion of another building, the existing library structure was placed in a glass cube, which both expanded the area and protected the historic significance of the building.

Hespeler Train Station, formerly located on Guelph Avenue, was used for passenger trains in the early 1900s to 1950s. Queen Elizabeth passed through the station in the 1950s. It burned down Halloween night, 2003.

Queen Street is home to many privately owned businesses, such as a tapas bar, a coffee shop, several salons and other dining establishments and clubs.

Recently, new developments have been coming to the downtown area of Hespeler. Once considered a run-down downtown area, high-class development came beginning with the new library. Soon following, developers started planning to turn the old American Standard factory into high-end condos.^[2] Construction on these condos is expected to start sometime 2010 and be completed in 2011. However, the project has still yet to be started, as the designers are attempting to gain approval from the Grand River Conservation Authority. To cater to the needs of the oncoming high-end demographic, several high-end businesses opened.

Hespeler has several elementary schools and one high school, Jacob Hespeler Secondary School, named after the town's founder.^[3]

The one source of post-secondary education is Heritage Bible College and Seminary.

Hespeler offers many different recreational activities for its residents. There are many parks, two of the largest being Woodland and Forbes, the latter housing a tennis club.

The Johnson Centre, a community centre, is located just across the street from Forbes Park. Its facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, gymnasium, exercise rooms, and areas for local organizations and clubs to meet in.

The Speed River offers various recreational activities, such as canoeing and fishing.

There are several trails running thoughout Hespeler. The Mill Run Trail, beginning at Sheffield Street, leads through Chilligo Conservation Area and part of the former site of Idylwild Park, to Cambridge's largest park, Riverside Park, in the town of Preston.^{[4] [5] [6]}

• Cambridge, Ontario
• Preston, Ontario
• Speed River
• List of Carnegie libraries in Canada

• The Evolution of Hespeler, City of Cambridge web-site
• Company of Neighbours, Hespeler heritage association
• Hespeler at Geographical Names of Canada

43°25′59′′N 80°18′26′′W / 43.43306°N 80.30722°W / 43.43306; -80.30722

• Communities in Waterloo Region, Ontario
• Cambridge, Ontario

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