The Bridges of Black Bridge Road

The Bridges of Black Bridge Road

The Bridges of Black Bridge Road 

(originally written in September 30th, 2004) - Blackbridge Road is thee oldest road in Hespeler, formerly called the Block Line. It will be wiped out and replaced with a large road to service the subdivision.

The Road until recently had two historic bridges on it . One,  the Black Bridge Railway Overpass Bridge, has been demolished in the last few weeks. The other bridge is the Black Bridge Road Bridge, a designated heritage structure, and the only steel bridge in Cambrige may also one day be removed. The reason is that this one way bridge cannot handle proposed future traffic volumes.

The City of Cambridge made the decision to remove this bridge and replace it with a level crossing. This has proven to be a financial fiasco for the taxpayers of the City of Cambridge.

1. The Developer of the Subdivision, Mattamy Homes should have payed for the bridge removal and level crossing installation.

2.A replacement bridge would have been far cheaper but would not fit the needs of the proposed subdivision.

3. The removal of the bridge has went way over budget as the company removing the bridge hit bedrock. Estimates to replace the bridge were $250,000. The final cost to put in the level crossing is already over $500,000.

4. Removal of the bridge has caused groundwater to surface causing  continous flooding in the area and contamination of the ground water.

GONE - Black Bridge Railway Overpass Bridge

The Night CP Rail Destroyed the Galt Preston & Hespeler Railway Station in Hespeler

The Night  CP Rail Destroyed the Galt Preston & Hespeler Railway Station in Hespeler

Nearing the End - The Hespeler Station located directly behind Ernies Hotel

The Galt, Preston & Hespeler Railway built a station in Hespeler in 1896. The interurban electric line carried passengers and freight til the service was ended in 1956.

To read an excellent history on the line you should purchase or go to your library and get Traction on the Grand by John Mills.

Here is a good photo below of the station in 1946.

GP&H Railway Station - 1946 Hespeler

The Historic Sites and Moments Board did a heritage assessment of the station in late 1989. Here is the LINK so everyone can read it. Unfortunately at that time and when I moved to the community in 1994, nobody in Hespeler or at the City of Cambridge had shown any interest in their railway history. In fact locals had set fire to the station.

In 1988, the CP Railway who owned the station applied to remove it. A CP rail crew came from out of town and leveled the building. If anyone walks behind Ernies parkinglot you will see where the station was. The roadbed of the of the former line stopped just over the tracks at the former American Standard plant. You can walk west towards Lens Mills on what was that railline.

Unexplained - The Alien on the Mill Pond Hespeler 2007

Unexplained - The Alien on the Mill Pond Hespeler 2007

What people saw on the side of the Mill Pond in Hespeler 2007 has never been explained. Two videos exist in this alien sighting.. The video above has never been shown to the public before and it is the clearest. The people who witnessed the event have moved out of the community. Watch the video and make your own decision.

Video of Float Plane, Fights in the Water and Other Action on Hespeler Mill Pond

Action on the Mill Pond Hespeler

Video of Float Plane, Fights in the Water and Other Action on Hespeler Mill Pond 

Before the hit series Bitten was filmed in Hespeler, there was an episode of the series Covert Affairs filmed here. The scene in Hespeler is great!!

Looking out our backyard we saw some long distance camera work being done shooting across the pond to the brand new dock that was built in two days for the scene. 

Ironically at the time on the other side of the pond we had a deliverance style dock to launch our canoes from. Interestingly I did a blog post on the dichotomy of the two docks and the next year there was a new floating dock put in for anyone to launch their canoes.

Back to the TV series shoot - The Covert Affairs scene had a float plane landing on the temporary dock, a fight in the Mill Pond and lots of action! Bonus part is you can see in one small segment the American Standard Plant before 75% of it was demolished.

Enjoy the video below.

Vera Causa Opera Returns to Cambridge and Waterloo Ontario with The Italian Girl in Algiers

Vera Causa Opera Returns to Cambridge and Waterloo Ontario with The Italian Girl in Algiers

Dylan Langan brings back his Vera Causa Opera Company to Cambridge, and Waterloo Ontario Canada.

On April 6th 2018 it will be The Italian Girl in Algiers will be presented at the Cambridge Centre for the Arts, 60 Dickson St, Cambridge, ON. On April 7th, 2018 it will be performed at Knox Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb St W, Waterloo, ON.

The Italian Girl in Algiers is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli. The music is characteristic of Rossini's style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic energy with elegant, pristine melodies!

The plot is introduced with an ominous opening in a lively overture. The Italian girl, Isabella, is searching for her lost lover, Lindoro, who has been enslaved by the Bey of Algiers. The ship she's on is shipwrecked in Algiers, and the Bey falls in love with her but is eventually outwitted as Lindoro and Isabella sail away together. Come see our show to find out more! The dialogue will be in english.

Tickets are only $15.00 in advance and are available at http://vcopera.ca

27 Hespeler Facebook Groups Reviewed!

27 Hespeler Facebook Groups Reviewed!

Well no one can say that the people who live in Hespeler do not have a place to voice their opinions or post your ads. Hespeler has an amazing amount of representation on Facebook. I will review 27 of the Hespeler Facebook pages/groups. I know there are more. Happy reading. It is in alphabetical order.

1.A Safer Hespeler - 156 members - Purpose -This group is about helping make our great village of Hespeler a little safer. Analysis - Great idea for a page especially during these times of car break ins. It is not the busiest page and sometimes the articles posted have nothing to do with Hespeler.

2. Hespeler Anything & Everything - 394 members - Purpose -You can post about anything and everything Hespeler related... We promise not to take offense or delete your posts. Analysis - This group was started up because the administrator saw so many neighbours banned from the This is My Hespeler FB group. I like it because it is free flowing but it would be better if there were more discussion and less ads. We can’t blame the group for that though. This is a common problem on a lot of the Hespeler FB groups.

3. Hespeler Brewing Company - 486 people like this page - Purpose - Sell beer that is named Hespeler. Analysis - Great idea and the beer tastes good!

4. Hespeler Buy & Sell - 261 members - Purpose - They don’t have to tell you. It is about posting your stuff for sale there. Analysis - I wish there was only one FB page in Hespeler everyone would post there stuff on. So many items/services for sale are cross posted on other FB Hespeler pages. What I like about it is it is clear the purpose of the site.

5. Hespeler Community - 1,734 members - Purpose - This is an open group for our community in both Hespeler and Silverheights area to post events, goings on, community issues and concerns, home items for sale, etc.  Analysis - Ads, Ads and more Ads. If you are starting to get same theme of many of the Hespeler FB pages you are right.

6. Hespeler Connexions - 21 members - Purpose - We are gathering together to make friends, have a laugh, and share our thoughts on a book we read as well as to support locally owned, operated Hespeler businesses. They meet the last Wednesday of every month usually in Hespeler. Analysis - Seems like a great idea to me!

7. Hespeler Heritage Centre - 1,141 like this page - Purpose - The Hespeler Heritage Centre is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of history and community in Hespeler.. Analysis - This is the place to go for people interested in Hespeler’s history. Even better stop in and visit them.

8. Hespeler Heavy Smokers Group - 21 members - Purpose - A place for the enthusiasts of smoked & barbecued flora and fauna.   Let's share recipes and tips and post some pics of the those smokey feasts. Analysis - Great idea love it!

9. Hespeler Hot Spots - 481 members. Purpose - Community page to share what's going on in Hespeler! Events, Sales, Activities, Grand Openings, and more. Analysis -  Ads, Ads and more Ads. A few different ones but similar to all the other pages.

10. Hespeler Mill Pond - 974 members - Purpose - All about the community living in homes the are that was once the Forbes Wetland. It has 17 administrators! Analysis -  People I know on it like the local discussions that take place. The group keeps growing. (update: changed their name from Mattamy Mill Pond to Hespeler Mill Pond, great!)

11. Hespeler Minor Hockey Association -  165 members - Purpose - The Hespeler Minor Hockey Association provides minor hockey for the Hespeler community in Cambridge. Analysis - Play hockey in Hespeler. A great organization. The page is not that great, but their website is.

12. Hespeler Minor Softball Association -  87 members - Purpose - The mission of HMSA is to promote and encourage good citizenship among the players of the Association. We strive to establish and promote an active interest in softball for ages 3 through to 18 regardless of ability . Analysis - Page is kept up to date and the baseball season is a short one and reasonable price.

13. Hespeler Model Aviators - 38 members - Purpose - RC Airplane and Helicopter club. MAAC and membership required  Analysis - Well I am not a member but a neat hobby. Website is good. Interested folks should check it out.

14. Hespeler Moms - 1,062 members - Purpose - This group is for MOMS in the Hespeler area. So we can share information, ask questions and become friends with our neighborhood! Analysis - Sorry no men allowed so no analysis.

15. Hespeler Moms' Social Club - 415 members - Purpose -  (HMSC) is a community group for moms who live in Hespeler and who want to connect with other moms and build friendships within their community. Analysis - Sorry no men allowed so no analysis.

16. Hespeler Optimist - 394 people follow the page - Purpose - To support the younger part of our community by being " Friend of Youth". Analysis - The page is kept current. A great organization that needs some more members!

17. Hespeler Riders - This group is semi dormant but would be neat to have a Hespeler motorcycle riders social club. Message the administrator to get it going.

18. Hespeler Rocks -  - 1,728 members - Purpose - Hespeler neighbours paint rocks and hide them around our community and when someone finds a painted rock they take a picture and post it in this group with the hashtag #HespelerRocks. Analysis - Total fun idea, love it!

19. Hespeler Village - 1,038 members - Purpose - Connected with Hespeler Village Neighbourhood Association originally. Maybe it still is. Analysis - A larger older group but still mainly ads. Not sure how many Village Well bar ads a person can handle! Lol.

20. Hespeler Village on the River - 2962 follow the page - Purpose - A page run by the Hespeler Business Improvement Association to promote the many shops, restaurants and services in a friendly village setting. Analysis - Everything you always wanted to know about the businesses in downtown Hespeler but were afraid to ask!

21. Hespeler Walking Group - 57 members - Purpose - A group of people who are interested in meeting to walk this great little village! Analysis - Great idea, join up!

22. My Hespeler Local Business - 160 members -  Purpose - Administrator - So I started this group so anyone that owns a small business can post about what they all about and also I hope that people will support and shop local hespeler has a lot to offer there is a lot of amazing stories on Queen Street. Analysis - This group is exactly what is says it is.

23. The Good, The Bad, The True Hespeler Community - 909 members - Purpose - This is an open forum to respectively discuss anything Hespeler!! Good or bad, enjoy. Analysis - A growing group. I love the fact there is lots of discussion without any heavy handed administrators banning people. From reading the posts there seems to be a lot of people joining the site that were banned from the This is My Hespeler group.

24. The Real Hespeler - 396 members - Purpose - This group is all about our favourite town Hespeler.  We chat about what is going on in town and our area but with a twist.  You don’t always have to be politically correct. Analysis - This group seems to be in decline. How many Suzy Sparkle N Shine Ads can there be. Posts are very sporadic.

25. This is My Hespeler - 4,898 members - Purpose - This group is dedicated posting photos & positive stories of all things Hespeler. Show us how amazing this town is! Analysis - The largest site about Hespeler. However there has been severe backlash from a number of people who have been banned for simply stating negative comments about Hespeler. So if you want to be critical of anything Hespeler this site is not for you. I would recommend groups #23 or #2 for more serious reflections of the current state of our community.

26. This is Our Hespeler - 1,147 members - Purpose - This Group is for anyone to post anything about their local businesses.  ALL home based, mompreneurs, downtown, or any other small business located in ALL of Hespeler is free to share any updates and goings on. Analysis - The posts on  this group definitely reflect the purpose of the group. It is very similar to all the other Hespeler sites where you can post your ads.

27. Victoria Park Ice Rink - Fisher Mills Rd. Hespeler -  356 members -  Purpose - Victoria Park Ice Rink is open to the community, is FREE and anyone can come out. Whether you are just learning to skate or you want to get a bunch of friends out for a hockey game! Analysis - They might have the longest name but their single focus makes for a good group.


In conclusion, there are a ton of sites posting ads about their businesses and services in Hespeler. Please support these businesses. Does Hespeler need 27 FB Groups/pages? No we need more! Lol

Thanks for reading

Paul Langan