NEWS RELEASE
OMAH HISTORY COMMITTEE
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Our surveys have told us that the attendees at the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) History Speaker Series wanted to learn about Orillia’s industrial past. Our speaker, John Smith, of the Orillia Heritage Centre, delivered in spades on that to a large audience on Zoom recently.
Did you ever wonder what went on in the factory at the corner of West and Colborne streets? John explained that it all started with William Tudhope, who arrived with his family in 1831 and lived on Line 10 in Oro Township. He trained as a blacksmith and then opened his own shop. Eventually, he expanded to Orillia, moving his blacksmithing business to Andrew Street, and this morphed into the Tudhope Carriage Company.
As a result, Orillia had the largest carriage maker in the British Commonwealth. With the advent of the automobile, the Tudhopes became pioneers in the motor industry, beginning with the motor buggy.
John explained that cheap hydroelectric power generated by the Ragged Rapids dam, a network of rail lines and favourable taxes encouraged other industries to spring up, making Orillia the most industrialized town north of Toronto. And the rest, as they say, is history.
William Tudhope and his family were visionaries who put Orillia on the map, marketing their products from coast to coast, and they were key to making the town an industrial hub. Canada Wood Specialities, Canada Electric Castings, Tudhope Anderson Company, Fahralloy Canada Ltd., Dorr-Oliver-Long are some of these industries. Many people who grew up in Orillia had ancestors who were gainfully employed by these industries.
The Orillia Heritage Centre is comprised of a group of individuals who are dedicated to ensuring that the history of Orillia’s industrial heritage is preserved. While John served as president of the Orillia Heritage Centre the collection grew to more than 500 locally produced pieces.
The Orillia Heritage Centre were recipients of the Orillia Regional Arts and Heritage Award in the category Heritage: Restoration, Renovation and Publication. It is easy to see why. The team are currently completing the restoration of the sole surviving example of a 1914 Fisher that was manufactured in the Tudhope plant. They welcome your support for this and other initiatives.
If you missed John’s excellent talk, click on the link to view OMAH’s YouTube recording of the talk. Here is the link: youtu.be/QpUgJyBUI5o.
The OMAH History Committee is grateful for your support. We will be taking a break for November and December. We continue to work hard to bring you great speakers for 2025. Our committee is a group of volunteers who are passionate about preserving our local history. If you are interested in joining the History Committee, please contact OMAH history co-ordinator Hannah Arndt via email at [email protected].
Have an enjoyable and safe holiday season. We will see you in January.
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