Thorold Historical Museum

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Thorold Historical Museum

The Thorold Museum is dedicated to preserving and displaying Thorold's unique community history. South, Thorold.

Archives are available by appointment Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm at 2 Carleton St. Our collection is viewable online and though satellite displays

06/02/2026

🚲 June 3 is World Bicycle Day — and the City of Thorold has a cycling story worth celebrating!

On World Bicycle Day, we’re celebrating the long tradition of two‑wheeled travel that helped shape our community.

In the late 1800s, bicycles weren’t just recreation — they were revolutionary. They offered freedom, mobility, and independence at a time when roads were rough and cars didn’t exist. And right here in our region, riders proudly pedaled the famous Cannonball Bicycle — a sturdy, Canadian‑made machine known for its durability and smooth ride.

The Cannon Ball bicycle, designed and built in Thorold in the late 1800s by jeweller and inventor Thomas Jones, stands as one of the most distinctive artifacts of local innovation.The Cannon Ball bicycle is a remarkable example of Thorold’s inventive spirit.

Created by Thomas Jones in the 1890s, the first models were handcrafted from metal tubing, with only 12–14 units produced around 1896. In 1897, Jones introduced an improved model made largely of wood, making it lighter and easier to ride. Production challenges limited output to perhaps 30–40 bicycles total over two years, making the Cannon Ball exceptionally rare today. Only two known examples survive, one of which the Thorold Museum now displays thanks to the generosity of collector Ron Miller. This bicycle is not only a technological curiosity — it is a symbol of Thorold’s creativity, craftsmanship, and early participation in Canada’s cycling boom.

Today, Thorold continues that tradition with:

the Welland Canal Parkway Trail

the Thorold Tunnel cycling route

connections to the Greater Niagara Circle Route

On June 3, we celebrate not just bicycles — but the spirit of movement, exploration, and community that cycling has always brought to Thorold.

Here’s to the riders of the past… and everyone still pedaling today. 🚲💛

05/31/2026

Here we find a real estate listing for Thorold which expired on May 31, 1975. Thorold’s housing market has transformed dramatically since the mid‑1970s. As you can see, the asking price for the home is listed at $21,900. While detailed local data from 1975 isn’t published online, national price‑index records show that Canadian home values have risen several hundred percent since the 1970s — and Thorold has followed that same long‑term upward curve. Fast‑forward to today, and Thorold’s market reflects that growth. National Residential Property Price Index tools confirm that Canadian home prices have climbed steadily for decades, with major acceleration from the 1990s onward. If your family bought a home in Thorold in the 1970s, it has likely appreciated several times over —

05/29/2026

On May 30, 1946, Canadian merchant seamen launched a large‑scale strike demanding safer working conditions, better pay, improved treatment aboard ships and recognition of their unions.

This was part of a post‑WWII wave of labour unrest across Canada, as workers who had endured wartime restrictions pushed for better rights.

The Welland Canal is one of the most important inland shipping routes in Canada. A strike by Great Lakes seamen slowed or halted cargo movement, disrupted industries dependent on canal shipping and affected Thorold’s mills, factories, and warehouses that relied on marine freight. The strike was economically significant to City of Thorold.

The 1946 Canadian Seamen’s Strike ended through a mix of government intervention, union pressure, and public backlash — but not with a clean victory for the sailors.

The strike ended with the CSU forced back to work, but the real blow came afterward. The government and shipowners backed a rival union, the SIU (Seafarers’ International Union). The SIU replaced the CSU on most Great Lakes and coastal ships and by the early 1950s, the CSU had collapsed entirely. So although the strike ended in 1946, its long‑term outcome was the dismantling of the original union.

05/27/2026

On May 27, 1813, American forces launched a large‑scale amphibious assault on Fort George, the key British stronghold at the mouth of the Niagara River. The attack involved coordinated naval bombardment and landings supported by U.S. troops. After intense fighting, the British garrison was forced to abandon the fort and retreat westward. This victory gave the United States temporary control of the Niagara region and opened the interior of Upper Canada to further American advances.

This date is widely recognized in War of 1812 histories as one of the most significant early American successes on the Canadian front. British forces retreated west, regrouping in areas that included present‑day Thorold and surrounding townships. American troops pushed deeper into the peninsula, occupying communities and attempting to secure supply routes. The instability created by the loss of Fort George contributed to the conditions that led to later engagements

05/25/2026

The United States has recently urged allies—including Canada—to assist with securing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route disrupted by Iranian attacks on commercial shipping. The U.S. request included naval vessels, minesweepers, and broader military support to keep the passage open. The U.S. also sought to build a multinational naval coalition—referred to in internal documents as the “Maritime Freedom Construct”—to coordinate efforts to reopen the strait. Canada has not committed to direct naval involvement. Instead, Canada has expressed conditional willingness to contribute in non‑combat or support roles.

On May 25, 1950 we saw US submarine chasers in the flight locks at Thorold. Canada and the United States have one of the closest naval partnerships in the world, built over more than a century of cooperation. What makes it stand out is how deeply integrated the two countries’ maritime forces have become—operationally and strategically.

Even before formal alliances, the two countries shared the world’s longest undefended border, which shaped a tradition of maritime coordination. The Rush–Bagot Agreement of 1817 limited naval armaments on the Great Lakes, reducing tensions and setting the stage for peaceful cooperation. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the two navies coordinated on navigation safety, hydrography, and search‑and‑rescue.

By the Second World War, cooperation became far more structured. The Battle of the Atlantic forced Canada and the U.S. to work as a single operational system. Canadian and American ships escorted merchant vessels together against German U‑boats. Both navies helped secure the critical North Atlantic corridor with Greenland–Iceland–UK (GIUK) gap patrols. Canada’s navy expanded rapidly with U.S. support, and both countries standardized equipment and procedures.

The Cold War transformed cooperation into formal, institutionalized integration. Both countries became founding members of NATO in 1949, aligning naval strategy in the North Atlantic. Canada became a specialist in Anti Submarine Warfare, working closely with the U.S. Navy to track Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic and Arctic. By the 1980s, Canadian and U.S. naval forces were interoperable to a considerable degree.

05/23/2026

The Thorold Post and Niagara District Intelligencer, first debuted on May 24, 1875. This launch brought long‑needed stability to Thorold’s newspaper landscape after decades of short‑lived publications.

Before this, Thorold had seen a series of newspapers come and go—some lasting only months. The arrival of the Thorold Post changed that pattern. It was established by the McCay brothers of Oakville after advertisements were placed in Toronto newspapers seeking someone to meet a “long‑felt want” for a reliable local paper. William H. Bone soon became publisher, and in 1885 the paper was purchased by John Henry Thompson, whose family ran it for the next 70 years.

The paper’s first issue carried the slogan “Born to live,” which proved true: it continued publication (with only one brief interruption) until 1955. The newspaper landscape has changed over time and ushering in ThoroldToday.

05/21/2026

The City of Thorold first introduced parking meters on May 21, 1951. The cost to park your vehicle for one hour was a nickel.

The earliest known patent for a parking‑time device was filed in 1928 by Roger W. Babson, though he never manufactured his design. The breakthrough came when Carl C. Magee, a newspaperman and chair of Oklahoma City’s traffic committee, sought a practical solution to the city’s worsening congestion. Magee collaborated with engineering professors Holger George Thuesen and Gerald A. Hale, who developed the first working meter—nicknamed the Black Maria—in 1935.

On July 16, 1935, the world’s first installed parking meter, Park‑O‑Meter No. 1, appeared on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue in Oklahoma City. It also charged a nickel for an hour of parking and used a simple mechanical system: inserting a coin raised a flag indicating paid time, and the flag dropped when time expired.

05/19/2026

The first stone for Maplehurst, home of the Keefer family who were leading citizens in the community, was laid May 20, 1885. Nearly a year later the building was near completion and it stands as one of the most important residences connected to the development of the Welland Canal.

The 9,000 square foot Richardsonian Romanesque residence was built by Hugh Keefer and located on a high elevation overlooking the second canal, in a dramatic setting with commanding views. The principle public viewscapes from the south and southeast enhance the City’s urban heritage. The exterior facades of the south, east and west, including the verandah are important areas of the exterior, as is the stone wall along the south boundary of the property.

Hugh Keefer built Vancouver’s first sewer system and also owned granite and sandstone quarries as well as a brickyard in Vancouver.

05/17/2026

On May 17, 1868 Horace Elgin Dodge, co‑founder of the Dodge Brothers Company, was born in Niles, Michigan. He and his brother John later became major suppliers of engines, transmissions, and axles to early automakers, including Ford. In 1914, Horace and John launched the Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company, producing their first all‑steel‑body automobile. Horace’s engineering leadership helped establish Dodge’s reputation for durability and innovation, including the first all‑steel car body.

From our own collection we see a steel canister painted red designed as a promotional item for Dodge vehicles along with having an alternative use to act as a storage container for loose coins. The "Switch to Dodge - Save Money" campaign was a direct appeal to buyers during the 1930s economic downturn. The banks were frequently designed in a "barrel" shape, often produced in tin or cardboard, and given to children or prospective customers as an incentive to save money for a new vehicle.

05/15/2026

This photograph captures the first burial on May 15, 1973 in the new Lakeview Cemetery. The original Lakeview Cemetery dates back to 1886, with the new section added as the community grew and the grounds expanded to meet future needs.

Address

2 Carleton Street S
Thorold, ON
L2V1Z5

Telephone

+19059844435

Website

http://www.thoroldmuseum.ca/

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