Treasures of Minto
Don “Tuffy” MacDougall served “B” Troop of the 100th Light, Anti-Aircraft Battery out of
Guelph from March 1941 through “Cease Fire” May 8 1945 into September of 1945. The
100th was part of the 4th Canadian Infantry Division. Tuffy’s military story is mostly about
times with people away from the war and with those he served. He spoke less about combat
details. Those who knew Tuffy said he was about people and his experiences around them.
The Norgan is a restored movie theatre located in downtown Palmerston. It features newly released films, special events, and concerts. It is also home to Palmerston’s Big Film Fest, a monthly film screening featured on the Toronto International Film Festival’s Film Circuit.
In 1871, the grand Western Railway line through Palmerston was completed. Although the railway helped the local economy, the expansion of the rail yard through Queen Street posed a serious threat to pedestrians. To ensure public safety, the Railway Commission of Canada ordered the town to close Queen Street and in 1911 the Grand Trunk built a 700' steel pedestrian bridge over the yard. The yard closed, and in 1998 the town purchased the site.
The sole remaining pedestrian railway bridge in Ontario, the Palmerston Railway Pedestrian Bridge was originally built in 1912 to allow schoolchildren safe passage over the railway tracks. Now it serves as a symbol of Palmerston’s railway heritage and as the signature feature of the Lions Heritage Park. The Pedestrian Bridge turned one hundred years old in 2012.
Located on the top floor of the Harriston Library, the John Webb Room is the Harriston Historical Society’s largest collection of historical documents and artifacts.