menu_open Columnists
John Rhodes

John Rhodes

Sarnia Observer

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

RHODES: Dr. Van Velsor saw the potential of the Erie & Huron Railway

RHODES: Dr. Van Velsor saw the potential of the Erie & Huron Railway

The largest construction project ever undertaken in 19 th -century Kent County would be the creation of the Erie & Huron Railway and the...

previous day 10

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Pharmacies once crowded King Street

RHODES: Pharmacies once crowded King Street

There was a point (1900) when all of Chatham’s pharmacies were located on King Street; there was a reason for that.

24.01.2025 5

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Three hotels and a butcher shop

RHODES: Three hotels and a butcher shop

The photo I have included with this story is, admittedly, not the best reproduction quality; it is, nonetheless, a unique picture with a great story...

14.01.2025 5

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: The vision of Harry Westman

It is funny how seemingly unsignificant developments can end up benefiting thousands of a town’s residents, but that is the case with what was known...

10.01.2025 10

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: ‘Some were just shot down and left’

In the mid-1990s I published a book titled When Chatham Was Woods.   In the script, I had the pioneers speaking directly to the modern-day reader...

03.01.2025 2

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Cargo vessels once common on the Thames River in Chatham

Originally, before the creation of the roads and the railways, any cargo or passengers coming to Chatham would do so via sailing craft that would...

24.12.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Lamont’s Block arose from a Chatham fire

The Great Pork Row Fire of October 1868 became a classic case of instant urban renewal.   The fire was mainly confined to the south side of King...

19.12.2024 7

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Peter McKerral operated hotels in 19th-century Chatham

In my most recent book, Boards & Bricks, I featured a chapter on the history of Chatham’s hotels and there have been, good grief, lots of them.  ...

12.12.2024 4

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: A piece of stoneware sold at least 150 years ago in Chatham

On several occasions my friend, Carlie Creed, has helped me with information regarding stoneware crocks of which local relics, on rarities, emerge....

04.12.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: How a corner of King and Sixth streets has changed

On occasion, I like to do “then and now” columns where I show you the same scene, several decades apart.   For this column I have chosen to focus...

28.11.2024 3

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Ernest Moore an early worker for Kent’s interurban railway

In the late 1980s I wrote a book titled Come Walking and Leave Early which was a general history of the Chatham Wallaceburg and Lake Erie Electric...

22.11.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: An ancient window sign

On Saturday, Nov. 2, I was in Chatham, at the Sons of Kent Brewery, to introduce my new book Boards & Bricks, which is a history of Chatham...

15.11.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: John Waddell served as sheriff, joined wife’s family business

In a recent column I told you about Nancy Eberts-Waddell and her children.   In this column I would like to tell you about her husband, John...

08.11.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Nancy Eberts-Waddell built Rosebank home with husband

My friend, Andrew Stewart, recently sent me a wonderful photo of Nancy Eberts-Waddell and six of her children.   The photo certainly tells a...

01.11.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Viewing Chatham’s core area from the sky, circa 1930

The photograph included is a wonderful depiction of what the King Street core area looked like circa 1930.   I suspect the photo to have been...

18.10.2024 5

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: No shortage of places to buy a vehicle in 1920s and ‘30s Chatham

I was asked a question a few days ago which was quite a simple one: When did they start putting radios in automobiles?   I did some checking and as...

11.10.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: The old Presbyterian church

Until a few years ago the oldest church building in Chatham, and certainly one of the two or three oldest structures in the city, was the...

27.09.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: The last of the independent grocers

Each week I receive several flyers in the mailbox at my front door.   Now largely derelict, the main function of the receptacle was displaced by a...

19.09.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Dry goods merchant Thomas McCrossan prospered

Dry goods stores were common in 19th century Chatham.   King Street and the core area streets were host to several of them.   Most of what they...

13.09.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Chain stores once common on King Street

Chain stores were once commonly found on Chatham’s King Street.   Among the earliest of these (circa 1900) was the Northway Company which was, in...

23.08.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: James Monroe Jones fashioned pistols for future king

In the past I have written about Dr. Sophia Bethena Jones, but in this column I would like to tell you about her and her father.   James Monroe “...

15.08.2024 5

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Barfoot Block built by town’s postmaster

The photo I have included with this story was created circa 1908 and depicts the intersection of King and Fifth streets, looking west from the...

09.08.2024 1

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes

RHODES: Hydro linemen take height in 1920s Chatham

I really do not think the photo I have included with this story would be very popular in this age of on-the-job safety measures.   These linemen...

11.07.2024 2

Sarnia Observer

John Rhodes