A History of the City of Welland

- Volumes 1 through 3

Prior to 1829, the community that is the present day City of Welland simply did not exist. For the most part, there was only an uninhabited wilderness where the city stands today.

In late 1997, Aqueduct, Merrittsville and Welland, A History of the City of Welland, The Beginning Years, was published by retired pharmacist, William H. Lewis. This initial volume traced the origins of Welland within the context of the exploration and development of the Niagara Peninsula and the Welland Canals, and concluded with the formal incorporation of the Village of Welland on July 25, 1858.

Volume 2 in the series, The Continuing Years, was released in 2000 and carried the story of Welland through the remainder of the 1800s. The origin and development of the community's early industries, transportation, commerce, churches and municipal services in detailed and carried to modern times. Many anecdotal events - some humorous, some tragic - are woven into the narratives.

The recently released volume, The 20th Century, the concluding work in the trilogy, is perhaps more people-related than the preceding volumes. The story of the transformation of Welland from a small, agricultural country town into a major industrial manufacturing city is related in detail. Other chapters deal with the establishment of Welland's wide diversity of ethnic peoples, as well as the impact of prohibition and the Great Depression on the community. The horrible tragedies of the First and Second World Wars as they affected Welland and its citizens are told and an Honour Roll, listing those from the Welland area who gave their lives in the two conflicts, as well as the Korean War, is included. An account of the construction of the Fourth Welland Canal and the effect on the community's cityscape is a major chapter in Volume 3.

Aqueduct, Merrittsville and Welland, A History of the City of Welland, Volume 3, The 20th Century will be a valued addition to a reader's collection of works on the history of Welland, and to a library's holdings on the early history of the urban development of Ontario communities.

Aqueduct, Merrittsville and Welland, A History of the City of Welland, Volume 3,The 20th Century 225 pages, 110 illustrations, two appendices, sources, acknowledgements Soft cover, 6" x 9"

To order one or more volumes, please contact:

W. H. Lewis
25 Home Street
Welland, ON L3C 2E8
Canada
E-mail: blewis@becon.org
Telephone: 905-732-6453

Also available at the Welland Historical Museum, 140 King Street , Welland, or at selected Welland pharmacies.