THE HISTORY OF THE GUELPH FARMERS' MARKET

The Magical History Tour of Market Square

Stand outside the Gordon Street entrance of the Farmers' Market. Walk north, veering right under the railway bridge and onto Wilson, turn right at Carden Street, proceed past City Hall and turn right onto Wyndham; walk down Wyndham, under the railway bridge and past the Armories. Turn right at Farquhar Street, then right again on Fountain Street. Go north. The Armories will be on your right, partially hidden by a big stone wall. Enter the Farmers' Market.

Enlarged Portion of Map of the Town of Guelf, Upper Canada, Founded by the Canada Company 1827 (Original Map Courtesy of Guelph Museums)

You have just walked Market Square - the first area cleared by the settlers in 1827, the year Guelph began. You have also visited all the locations of the Guelph Farmers' Market over the past 180 years because although the market has had several homes, ever since Guelph's inception, it has always been located somewhere in this block.

The walk around Market Square is a trip through time which holds a microcosm of the history of Guelph, Ontario and indeed agriculture in Ontario.

The Market was Guelph's First Building

When John Galt planned Guelph, he wanted an "instant city" with a market for locally grown produce. His motivation - drive up prices for the farmland that the Canada Company had for sale. In the 1827 original plan for Guelph, the only building actually designated on the plan is the Market House.

1870 - This early Picture of the market shows the outdoor market which at the time would have been held around what is now City Hall. This was a thriving market featuring monthly cattle auctions, a semi-annual horse auction and a grain and hay market. Market vendors selling produce and meat to the townspeople had stalls inside the Town Hall in the basement and on the ground floor. (Photo courtesy of Guelph Public Library Archives)

Guelph's first Market House was erected in the summer of 1827. It was quick and dirty - a cottage roof, twelve sets of double posts of squared timber - but open for business.

The Growth of the Market

This building didn't last, and actually neither did the market. However, without a farmers' market, the merchants and tradesmen who had built up businesses in Market Square (the area now encompassed by Wilson, Carden, Wyndham, Farquhar and Gordon Streets), found attracting customers a tough sell. In 1851, they began lobbying for a building which would house a farmers' market, town hall, police and fire station. It took five years of intense political fighting, but in 1856, Guelph laid the cornerstone for an imposing stone Market House - Town Hall. This is our present city hall. The market was

Wood Market - This picture shows the outdoor wood market where townfolk bought their firewood. (Photo courtesy of Guelph Public Library Archives)

By 1860, the new Market square had become a major hub of agricultural commerce. There were monthly cattle auctions on Wednesdays, a semi-annual horse auction and quarterly livestock fairs.

By 1874, the market needed more room, and a large stone addition was made to the rear of the main building. The outdoor market remained on the Wilson Street end of the Market Square and featured a wood market where townfolk could buy firewood, plus a hay and grain market, as well as a livestock weigh-in for farmers.

The Royal Winter Fair had its beginnings on Market Square

In 1889, Guelph was chosen as the permanent site for the Provincial Winter Fair. It was immensely successful, and buildings were built around Market Square to house the Fair. Notable among the buildings were the Fair's main building on the corner of Wyndham and Farquhar Streets which became the Armories; a large ediface facing Carden Street which later became Memorial Gardens; and the Horse Barns which now houses the Guelph Farmers' Market.

Old City Market Building - October 27, 1964 (Photo courtesy of Guelph Public Library Archives)