Sarnia History

10/14/2026

Sarnia, Ontario born Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, in 1975.

09/23/2026

Community Call for Historic Photos
Do You Have a Piece of This Home’s History?

As part of “Restoring a Landmark. Preserving Compassion.”, we are hoping our community can help us uncover more of the history, photographs and memories connected to our beautiful Victorian Resource Centre.

The few historic photographs we currently have were generously shared with us by Ron Gordon and the Gordon family. In 1953, Lewis and Laurette Gordon purchased the home, and The Gordon Foundation later generously donated the property to St. Joseph’s Hospice in 2006.

These photographs have given us a wonderful glimpse into the home’s past, but we believe there may be many more memories tucked away in photo albums and collections throughout our community.

If you have an old photograph of this home, we would love to see it. Perhaps the house appears in a family photograph, a neighbourhood picture, or somewhere in the background of a special memory.
You do not need to give us your original photograph. We would be happy to scan or make a copy and return the original to you.

And it’s not only photographs we are looking for. If you or your family have a story, memory or special connection to this home, we would love to hear from you.

As we restore this historic landmark, we also want to preserve the stories, memories and history that have made this house part of our community for generations.

If you have a photograph or story to share, please contact St. Joseph’s Hospice at 519-337-0537 ext. 215 - Maria Muscedere, Director of Fund Development and Community Relations.

Help us piece together the history of a home that has become a place of care, comfort and compassion for our community.

07/12/2026

The Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia in 1958. credit: archives of ontario

07/08/2026

07/05/2026

George Snyder and Fay Chang learn a new dance at the Y Teen Dance. September 1964.

07/05/2026

The SCITS boys hockey team, 1928. Back: John Kelso, Lyle McKay, Mr. Asbury (Principal), William Williams, Norman Reid

Front: Walter Claxton, Isaac Woods, Wilbert Clark, Gordon Patterson, William Twaits

07/05/2026

Two boys stand outside a train. One is holding up a sign that says “Unit 82 Sarnia Ontario”. There are two people stepping off of the train on the right. Students from Winnipeg are visiting Sarnia and London under the federal-provincial Centennial travel program. July 7, 1965.

06/26/2026

05/05/2026

Sharing this with permission from the original poster. Thank you so much for allowing this on our page, what a wonderful story. Fred N Joanie Smids

100 years ago today, May 4, 1926, at 8 pm, my grandparents, Isaac and Anna Esser, stepped off the C.N.R. train in Petrolia. Travelling by ship from The Netherlands, they transferred to a train in Quebec City and arrived with Catrina 3 1/2, Anna 2 1/2, George 1 1/2, and 3 month old baby Lena. Upon arrival, they were covered with soot and cinders from the lengthy train ride. Spring was in full bloom in Holland, so my grandmother was disappointed that it was intermittently raining and snowing in her new homeland. The station master explained in sign language to my grandfather (who didn’t speak English) that the sponsor office was closed for the day. He directed them to a local hotel; Grandpa was certain that they couldn’t stay there as he had only $30 in his pocket. The tired, hungry, cold family stood in front of the hotel while Grandpa went in search of the YMCA. When he found everything closed, he returned to find that his family was gone. A tall man, Mr. Fletcher, owner of the Fletcher Hotel, waved Grandpa into his hotel where he saw his family waiting. They were offered a table laden with food. Following this, they all had a much welcomed hot bath, and then were given a room that had beds for everyone. In the morning, breakfast was waiting for them. When it was time to leave, Grandpa fearfully opened his wallet, and Mr. Fletcher took out a ten dollar bill and gave four dollars back. My Grandfather never forgot his kindness and he and Mr. Fletcher became lifelong friends. The following year, in December of 1927, my mom was the first of six more children born to them in Canada. Ironically, during WW 2, young George left his adopted country as a Canadian soldier and sadly was killed and buried in the country of his birth.
My Grandparents never regretted leaving The Netherlands for Canada, were fiercely proud of their adopted land, quickly adapted, learned English, and were honoured to be called Canadian. Grandpa often called southwestern Ontario, “the nicest corner of God’s green earth.”

04/03/2026

Boys choosing sides for hockey on Sarnia Bay, Ontario on December 29, 1908. credit: library & archives of canada