Editing Cambridge, Ontario (section)

==History==
The area today known as Ontario has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples since end of the [[Last Glacial Period|last Ice Age]]. In the south of Cambridge when preparing for building townhouses near Myers Road in 1989, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a [[longhouse]] village dated to between 1280 and 1360 CE.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-13 |title=Archaeological dig in Cambridge combs area for Indigenous artifacts |url=https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/archeological-dig-in-cambridge-combs-area-for-indigenous-artifacts-7978387 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=CambridgeToday.ca |language=en}}</ref> They may have practiced [[Slash-and-burn|slash and burn]] agriculture (as was common in the [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands|Northeastern Woodlands]] since 1000 CE) cultivating the [[Three Sisters (agriculture)|Three Sisters]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loud+Clear |date=2024-04-22 |title=Legacy of the Grand River |url=https://theheartofontario.com/article/legacy-of-the-grand-river/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Hamilton Halton Brant |language=en-US}}</ref> and could have been occupied by the [[Iroquoian]] speaking [[Neutral Confederacy|Chonnonton Peoples]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Smithsonian |last2=Bugos |first2=Claire |title=Remnants of Woodland Iroquois Village Discovered in Ontario |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remnants-iroquois-woodland-village-discovered-ontario-180976099/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-08 |title=Waterloo's history |url=https://www.waterloo.ca/en/things-to-do/waterloo_s-history.aspx |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.waterloo.ca |language=en}}</ref> In the late 17th century, the [[Algonquian languages|Algonkian]] speaking [[Anishinaabe]] and [[Mississaugas|Mississauga]] peoples moved into the territory of southern Ontario.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cambridge |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cambridge |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |language=en}}</ref>

===History of the City of Galt===
{{Main|Galt, Ontario#History}}

[[File:Old Post Office Galt Cambridge Ontario.jpg|thumb|Old Post Office in Galt, built in 1886]]
Galt is situated on land once granted to the [[Iroquois]] people by the [[The Crown|British Crown]] at the end of the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Young|first=James|url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_26166|title=Reminiscences of the Early History of Galt and Settlement of Dumfries In the Province of Ontario|publisher=Hunter, Rose and Company|year=1880|location=Toronto|isbn=9780665261664 }}</ref> In the late 1700s, developers began to buy land around the Grand River from the [[Iroquois Confederacy|Six Nations]] who were led by [[Joseph Brant]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} One speculator, [[William Dickson (Upper Canada)|William Dickson]], a wealthy immigrant from Scotland, bought {{convert|90000|acre|km2}} of land along the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] in 1816; this was later to become Galt and the Dumfries Townships. Dickson divided the land and sold smaller lots, particularly to Scottish settlers. The centre of the planned community was built at the junction of Mill Creek and the Grand River, then called Shade's Mills.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Dickson decided to name the Post Office Galt, in honour of [[John Galt (novelist)|John Galt]] of the [[Canada Company]] which was developing this entire area. Primarily agricultural in early years, Galt had attracted industry by 1840 and became the largest town in the Grand River area until the early 1900s. The town continued to grow, however, based on a large industrial base.<ref name="cambridge1">{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/Local-History.aspx |title=History of the Town of Preston |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2011 |website=Cambridge |publisher=City of Cambridge |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> In fact, Galt was called "Manchester of Canada" because of the extensive industry, powered by the Grand River. Some of the important businesses in about 1870 included the Dickson Mills (opened in 1843), the Axe Factory forge, two furniture factories, The Dumfries iron and brass foundry, three large woolen factories, a malt factory, the Victoria Steam Carriage Works, the Dumfries Flour Mill, the Victoria Foundry making farm implements, a large soap and candles works and two steam-powered tanneries.<ref name="collectionscanada.gc.ca">{{cite web |title=Towns, Villages and Post Offices of the County of Waterloo |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001075/f2/e010780571_p2.pdf |page=126 |access-date=December 1, 2021}}</ref>

Records from 1846 indicate that Galt had very valuable water-power that allowed for milling and manufacturing. Stone buildings in the downtown area had already been erected and the population was 1,000, most of whom were originally from Scotland. Amenities included a curling club, library, a weekly newspaper, a school, a bank (Gore) and a fire company. The post office was receiving daily mail. Industries included two grist mills, two saw mills, two foundries, two carding machines and cloth factories, one brewery, two distilleries, one tannery, eight stores, nine taverns, two grocery stores and various tradesmen.<ref name="SmithsGaz" >{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=Smith's Canadian Gazetteer - Statistical and General Information Respecting All Parts of The Upper Province, or Canada West |url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. Rowsell |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/62 62]}}</ref>

The largest of the early schools in the community, the Galt Grammar School, opened in 1852 with the Dubliner William Tassie as headmaster starting in 1853 at the site of what later became the [[Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School|Galt Collegiate]]. The school gained widespread recognition and attracted students from across North America. By 1872, it had been recognized as a Collegiate Institute.<ref name="waynecook1">{{cite web |url=http://www.waynecook.com/awaterloo.html |title=Historical Plaques of Waterloo County |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2014 |website=Historical Plaques |publisher=Wayne Cook |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312051921/http://www.waynecook.com/awaterloo.html |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Galt was incorporated as a town on January 1, 1857,<ref name="ancestry1">
{{cite web |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~onwaterl/waterloo-history.htm |title=History of Waterloo County |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2014 |website=Ancestry |publisher=Ontario GenWeb  |access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref> with Morris C. Lutz elected as the first mayor. By 1858, a "Town Hall and Market House" had been built with an "Italianate", particularly Tuscan, influence. In later years, the building became the City Hall and was extensively modified.<ref name="waynecook1"/>  Throughout that entire period, it continued to grow based on a large industrial base.<ref name="cambridge1"/>

[[File:Kids fishing in Hespeler, Ontario, next to a streetcar stop.jpg|thumb|right|An interurban streetcar connected Hespeler to nearby Preston and Galt.]]

The railway reached Galt in 1879, increasing the opportunities of exporting local goods and importing others.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |date=13 February 2017 |title=Growing Galt makes a grand view |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/7127326-growing-galt-makes-a-grand-view/ | work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> The [[Credit Valley Railway]] planned to implement several lines running west and north from Toronto and in 1873, built freight and passenger buildings in Galt. By 1879, the company had installed a bridge crossing the river and in December completed a preliminary test run with a train; it was successful. The CVR venture was not long-lived, however, and in 1883, the line was taken over by the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]], which built a brick passenger building that still stands.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/8035119-flash-from-the-past-private-moment-goes-public-in-galt-rail-yard/ |title=Flash from the Past: Private moment goes public in Galt rail yard |date=January 5, 2018 |first=Rych |last=Mills |publisher=The Waterloo Region Record |access-date=December 1, 2021}}</ref>

The first hospital in Waterloo County opened in 1890 as Galt General Hospital. Additional buildings and facilities were added in the early 1900s. By 1918, the facility had an X-ray room, a 27-room nurses' residence, and also served as a nurses' training school.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |title=Flash from the Past: Hospitals' history of growth a Cambridge-Galt|url=https://www.therecord.com/living-story/9042867-flash-from-the-past-hospitals-history-of-growth-a-cambridge-galt-constant/ |work=Record |date=23 November 2018 |access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref>

A new streetcar system, the [[Galt, Preston and Hespeler electric railway]], (later called the Grand River Railway Company) also began to operate in 1894, connecting Preston and Galt. In 1911, the line reached Hespeler, Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to [[Brantford]]/[[Port Dover]].<ref name="CambridgeInfluence" /><ref name="Mills">{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |date=10 January 2017 |title=Flash From the Past: Preston Car and Coach goes up in smoke |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/7058983-flash-from-the-past-preston-car-and-coach-goes-up-in-smoke/| work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> The electric rail system ended passenger services in April 1955.

Galt was incorporated as a city in 1915<ref name="ancestry1"/> and continued to grow due to a large industrial base.<ref name="cambridge1"/>

In 1911, most of the population of Galt were Protestant: 4,240 Presbyterians, 1,930 Anglicans, and 2,122 Methodists. There were very few Roman Catholics.<ref name="uwaterloo1911">
{{cite web |url=http://waterlooregionww1.uwaterloo.ca/tag/1911/ |title=Waterloo Region 1911 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date =2015 |website=Waterloo Region WWI |publisher=University of Waterloo |access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref>

Not long after Galt had become part of Cambridge, in May 1974, flooding on the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] filled city streets with water to a depth of about {{convert|4|ft|m}}. In some areas of the downtown core, the depth was {{convert|17.4|ft|m}}, smashing windows and carrying goods along the streets. Approximately 75 businesses were affected, with virtually none covered by relevant insurance. The flood caused an estimated $5 million in damage.<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Ran |date=8 May 2014 |title=One Day in May event marks 1974 flood's 40th anniversary |url=https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/4506903-one-day-in-may-event-marks-1974-flood-s-40th-anniversary/ | work=Cambridge Times |location=Cambridge, Ontario |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Swayze |first=Kevin |date=14 May 2015 |title=May 1974: Cambridge flood damage runs into 'many millions' - Looters charged by police   |url=http://www.therecord.com/community-story/5628428--tbt-may-1974-cambridge-flood-damage-runs-into-many-millions-/ | work=Record |location=Kitchener, Ontario |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

The Dickson Hill Heritage Conservation District, located in West Galt, is composed of stately homes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref>[https://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/resources/Dickson-Hill-HCD-Plan.pdf Dickinson Hill HCD Plan] cambridge.ca</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://communityedition.ca/if-streets-could-talk-galt/ | title=If Streets Could Talk: Galt | date=October 4, 2017|website=communityedition.ca }}</ref>

===History of the Town of Preston===
{{Main|Preston, Ontario#History}}

[[File:Grand River Rwy car on Speed River bridge.jpg|thumb|An interurban streetcar connected Preston to neighbouring towns.]]

Preston was formed on land belonging to the German Company Tract, along the [[Speed River]], which was purchased earlier from the [[Iroquois Confederacy|Six Nations Indians]]. The name Preston is from the hometown of William Scollick, who was surveyor and a native of [[Preston, Lancashire]] in [[England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridge.ca/city_clerk/city_archives/historical_information_evolution_of_preston |title=Historical Information - Evolution of Preston |access-date=2010-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212040258/http://www.cambridge.ca/city_clerk/city_archives/historical_information_evolution_of_preston |archive-date=February 12, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In the 1800s a group of German-speaking Mennonites from Pennsylvania arrived in the area and purchased land. Among the first settlers to arrive in what was later to become Preston was John Erb, a Mennonite from Lancaster County, who arrived in 1805. He bought {{convert|7500|acre|km2}} including land at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers in what later became Preston.<ref name="waynecook1"/> and later built a sawmill in 1806 and a gristmill in 1807. This settlement became known as Cambridge Mills.

Even in the early 1800s, the area included homes, a store, an inn, small shops operated by artisans and craftsmen, mostly immigrants from Germany. The Erb sons had hired William Scollick for their development business and the latter completed a full survey in 1834; he also convinced the Erbs to rename the Cambridge Mills area Preston.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |date=9 May 2015 |title=Flash From the Past: Trailblazers nostalgia behind Preston's name
 |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/5607666-flash-from-the-past-traiblazer-s-nostalgia-behind-preston-s-name/ | work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> After Erb's death in 1832, a son sold off property on both sides of the Speed River. What eventually became Preston started as a large settlement on the north side.<ref name="cambridge1"/>

There were only 250 inhabitants in 1836, many from Pennsylvania, but the population had reached about 1600 by 1855, with some 70% originally from Germany. By then, the area had eight hotels and taverns.

The Canadian Gazetteer of 1846 indicates a population of about 600 inhabitants, two churches, a post office that receives mail each day, a steam grist mill, and tradesmen of various types. At the time, there was no significant industry.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=Smith's Canadian Gazetteer - Statistical and General Information Respecting All Parts of The Upper Province, or Canada West |url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. Rowsell |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/8 8]}}</ref>

The Preston post office opened in 1837 and the population continued to grow primarily because of immigration from Germany. Preston was incorporated as a village in 1853. The population declined in the late 1800s but by 1900, it had increased to 2,000 partly because of the new electric railway systems that started in 1894. In 1911, the line reached Hespeler, Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover.<ref name="CambridgeInfluence" /> This made visiting other communities and carrying of goods very convenient.<ref name="therecord.com">{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |date=10 January 2017 |title=Flash From the Past: Preston Car and Coach goes up in smoke 
 |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/7058983-flash-from-the-past-preston-car-and-coach-goes-up-in-smoke/| work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

Due to continued growth, by 1879 there were many industries such as a foundry, carriage manufacturer, potteries and a furniture company. This was also the year that the Cherry Flour Mills started, which would later become the Dover Flour Mills, a Preston company that still operates today.

By 1888, the Preston Springs Hotel, then called the Del Monte Hotel, was operating.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mills |first=Rych |date=6 March 2016 |title=Flash From the Past: Preston Car and Coach goes up in smoke |url=http://www.therecord.com/living-story/6378036-flash-from-the-past-preston-intersection-is-big-part-of-region-s-history/ | work=Record |location=Kitchener |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> Demolition of the building began in December 2020 for reasons of public safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/12/30/preston-springs-comes-down.html |title=Preston Springs comes down |date=30 December 2020 |publisher=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=31 December 2020 |quote=The building has been vacant for decades, and subject to trespassing and vandalism over the years.}}</ref> 
 
On September 30, 1899, Preston was incorporated as a town with a population of just under 11,000. The Great Road between Dundas and Berlin (Kitchener) as well as the railroad connections helped the community to continue growing into an important industrial centre. Products made here included flour, agricultural implements, furniture, stoves, shoes and textiles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/collections-and-research/place-names-in-waterloo-region/waterloo-township/preston/ |title=Preston - Previous Names: Cambridge Mills, East Preston |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2011 |website=Region Museum |publisher=Waterloo Region |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=February 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227143523/http://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/collections-and-research/place-names-in-waterloo-region/waterloo-township/preston/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Preston grew and continued to be a successful industrial area; expansion followed in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref name="cambridge1"/>

While most of the population of what became [[Waterloo County, Ontario]] was Protestant in 1911, Preston had a larger share of Roman Catholics, 844, while 862 were Lutherans, 707 Methodists, 704 Anglicans, and 525 Presbyterians.<ref name="uwaterloo1911"/>

===History of the Town of Hespeler===

{{Main|Hespeler, Ontario#History}}

The area that eventually came to be Hespeler was also on land (Block 2 measuring over {{convert|90000|acre|km2}} purchased in 1798 by Mennonites from Pennsylvania from the Six Nations Indians with the assistance of developer Richard Beasley. The first of settler, in 1809, was Abraham Clemens who had bought {{convert|515|acre|km2|1}} of land from Mr. Beasley on the Speed River. In 1810, Cornelius Pannabecker arrived and set up a blacksmithy a year or two later. Twenty years later, Joseph Oberholtzer purchased a much larger area of land that would become the early Hespeler. It was named Bergeytown in honour of his brother-in-law and the name became New Hope in about 1835.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/Local-History.aspx |title=History |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2011 |website=Cambridge |publisher=City of Cambridge |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>
 
Settler Jacob Hespeler arrived in 1845 and bought a {{convert|145|acre|km2}} tract on the Speed River. He built an industrial complex that was the beginning of Hespeler's future industrialization which would consist primarily of woollen and [[textile mill]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitcambridgeontario.com/About-Cambridge-Hespeler.htm |title=History, Hespeler |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2015 |website=City of Cambridge |access-date=22 March 2017 |archive-date=March 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323053227/http://www.visitcambridgeontario.com/About-Cambridge-Hespeler.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Records from 1846 indicate a population of only 100 inhabitants, a grist and a saw mill, a tannery, a tavern, one store, one pail factory, two blacksmiths, two tailors, two shoemakers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Wm. H. |date=1846 |title=Smith's Canadian Gazetteer - Statistical and General Information Respecting All Parts of the Upper Province, or Canada West |url=https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit |location=Toronto |publisher=H. & W. Rowsell |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithscanadianga00smit/page/136 136]}}</ref>

In 1858, Jacob Hespeler opened the Post Office and the settlement, previously called New Hope, was incorporated as the village of Hespeler.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001075/f2/e010780571_p3.pdf |title=SW-Ontario-Counties_e010780571|page=151|access-date=10 November 2018}}</ref>

The arrival of the railway in 1859 helped businesses to develop and prosper. By 1864, there was a large flour mill, cloth and wool manufacturing plants, a sawmill and a distillery all built of cut stone. There was also a large furniture factory and four churches.<ref>{{cite book | title = County of Waterloo Gazetteer and General Business Directory, For 1864 | publisher = Mitchell & Co. | year = 1864 | url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001075/f2/e010780571_p3.pdf | page = 150}}</ref>

Continued growth allowed Hespeler to be incorporated as a town in January 1901. Over the following years, the community continued growing slowly. By 1911 the electric railway system between Preston and Galt had reached Hespeler as well as Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover.<ref name="CambridgeInfluence" /><ref name="therecord.com"/>

Textile production mills were the primary industry in the early 1900s and continued to be successful until the late 1940s, when this industry began to decline. Other industries continued to boom and by 1969, Hespeler's population was 6,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cambridgeweb.net/historical/hespeler.html |title=Brief History of the Community of Hespeler |date=2009 |website=Cambridgeweb |publisher=Cambridge Web |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312051825/http://cambridgeweb.net/historical/hespeler.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===History of the Village of Blair===

[[File:Blair GTR station crowd 1898.jpg|thumb|Crowd gathered in front of the Blair [[Grand Trunk Railway]] station in 1898]]

The land (west of what is now Preston), including [[Carolinian forest]], that would eventually become Blair was purchased from the Six Nations, through land speculator Richard Beasley. It was settled in 1800 by Samuel D. Betzner, one of the Mennonites from Pennsylvania. The group later discovered that Beasley had gotten into financial trouble and that a lien was placed on the lands. To solve the problem, the group created the German Company that bought an additional 60,000 acres of land from Beasley, who used the proceeds to pay off the debt on the previous lands. This ensured a clear title for the Mennonite group.

The first school in what later became [[Waterloo County]] opened in 1802 near Blair, then known as Shinglebridge. The first teacher's name was Mr. Rittenhaus.<ref>{{cite book |date=1895 |title=A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and Other Townships of the County |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=htMOAAAAYAAJ&dq=1802+Blair+Waterloo+school+Rittenhaus++teacher&pg=PA25 |page=25 |publisher= Éditeur non identifié|isbn= |author-link= }}</ref><ref name="visitcambridgeontario.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.visitcambridgeontario.com/About-Cambridge-Blair.htm|title=The History of Blair, originally known as Shinglebridge|access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

By 1804, the first cemetery in Waterloo County had been founded. Also located in Blair, it is often referred to as the Old Blair Cemetery or the Old Blair Memorial Cemetery.<ref name="visitcambridgeontario.com"/> The first recorded burial was of an infant, the son of Mennonite settler John Bricker,<ref>{{cite web |title=Item 1989-1 48 - First death (1804) and burial in the Mennonite |url=https://archives.mhsc.ca/first-death-1804-and-burial-in-mennonite |publisher=Mennonite Archival Image Database |access-date=11 November 2018}}</ref> who died on March 10 of that year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thompson |first1=Catherine |title=Mennonite cemetery offers glimpse into Kitchener's earliest days |url=https://www.therecord.com/news-story/6257126-mennonite-cemetery-offers-glimpse-into-kitchener-s-earliest-days/ |access-date=11 November 2018 |publisher=Metroland Media Group Ltd. |date=31 January 2016}}</ref>

Joseph Bowman, a man called Wismer and John Bechtel were responsible for the early development of the community in an area laid out by Benjamin B. Bowman. They built a dam, then a sawmill and grist mill. In 1846, a large flour mill opened, which was called the Bowman Mill, Blair Mill and also the Carlisle Mill.<ref name="collectionscanada.gc.ca"/> In about 1876, a 15-horsepower hydroelectric system, the Sheave Tower, was built on Bowman Creek by Allan Bowman to help power the flour mill using a series of shafts and gears. This was a significant achievement in that era.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://waterlooinsider.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/sheave-tower-blair-ontario/ |title=Sheave Tower, Blair |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2011 |website=Waterloo Insider |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

Although the name Carlisle (or New Carlisle) was commonly used then, the name Blair was chosen for the first post office in 1858 because a village of Carlisle had already been established in Halton County. The new name honoured [[Adam Johnston Fergusson Blair]], the first judge of Wellington District and a militia colonel in the area. In addition to Carlisle, earlier names for the village had included Shinglebridge, because a bridge with a shingle roof crossed the Grand River in this area from 1853 to 1857.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/Local-History.aspx |title=History of Blair |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2011 |website=Cambridge |publisher=City of Cambridge |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref> It was also called Durham (or Durhamville) and Lambs' Bridge.

By 1864, the settlement was receiving mail daily, had a large school, a Mennonite meeting house, a large brick church and a population of 200. Railway service arrived in Blair in 1873<ref>{{cite book | title = County of Waterloo Gazetteer and General Business Directory, For 1864 | publisher = Mitchell & Co. | year = 1864 | url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/001075/f2/e010780571_p2.pdf}}</ref> when the [[Grand Trunk Railway]], having acquired the [[Great Western Railway]]'s defunct [[Preston and Berlin Railway]], rerouted it through Blair on its way to Galt, bypassing Preston, the railway's original destination.<ref name=RR>
{{cite news |url= https://s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/131959/5263e2486948fd1bf8132ac2e369bf2cd6416429/original/preston-berlin-ry-ucrs-rail-transit-march-1996-art-clowes.pdf?response-content-type=application/pdf&scheme=&X-Amz-Expires=7200&X-Amz-Date=20170315T035010Z&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJUKM2ICUMTYS6ISA/20170315/us-east-1/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=de088c8fc33d1f0e4f9afb48fec555ec8fef703d6d608e5bf6d8fc8f6b078a99 |first= Art |last= Clowes |title= Just A. Ferronut's Railway Archeology |publisher= [[Upper Canada Railway Society]] |newspaper= Rail & Transit |date= March 1996 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170316032643/https://s3.amazonaws.com/content.sitezoogle.com/u/131959/5263e2486948fd1bf8132ac2e369bf2cd6416429/original/preston-berlin-ry-ucrs-rail-transit-march-1996-art-clowes.pdf |archive-date= 16 March 2017 |access-date= 5 October 2020 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

Blair became part of Preston in 1969. Many historic buildings still stand in the village, including some from the early 1820s. This includes the Sheave Tower (restored in 1999) and the John Bechtel residence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/resources/Blair-Village-HCDP.pdf |title=Official Plan, Blair Village |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1999 |website=Cambridge |publisher=City of Cambridge |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

===Galt, Preston and Hespeler Electric Railway===
A new electric street railway system, the [[Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway]] (later called the Grand River Railway Company) began to operate in 1894, initially connecting Preston and Galt. In 1911, the line reached Hespeler, Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover.<ref name="CambridgeInfluence">{{cite web |url=http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |title=Cambridge and its Influence on Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit |date=19 January 2017 |website=Waterloo Region |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312053020/http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/2017/01/railway-history/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Mills"/> The electric rail system ended passenger services in April 1955. The light rail transit plan for the [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo]], decades later, would be reminiscent of the original Electric Railway.<ref name="CambridgeInfluence" />