page_title: Cambridge, Ontario
section_title: History of the Town of Preston
hierarchical_section_title: Cambridge, Ontario / History / History of the Town of Preston
caption_attribution_description: English: Grand River Railway car on Speed River bridge, Preston. c.1910. Rumsey &amp; Co.
context_page_description: Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers. The city had a population of 129,920 as of the 2016 census.
  Cambridge was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of Galt, Preston, Hespeler, the settlement of Blair and a small portion of surrounding townships. The former Galt covers the largest portion of Cambridge, making up the southern half of the city, while Preston and Blair covers the western side. Hespeler makes up the most northeastern section of Cambridge. Historical information and records of each entity is well documented in the Cambridge City Archives.
context_section_description: Preston was formed on land belonging to the German Company Tract, along the Speed River, which was purchased earlier from the Six Nations Indians. The name Preston is from the hometown of William Scollick, who was surveyor and a native of Preston, Lancashire in England.
  In the 1800s a group of German-speaking Mennonites from Pennsylvania arrived in the area and purchased land. Among the first settlers to arrive in what was later to become Preston was John Erb, a Mennonite from Lancaster County, who arrived in 1805. He bought 7,500 acres (30 km²) including land at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers in what later became Preston.
  It was John Erb who bought the 7,500 acres (30 km²) of land and settled it in 1805. He later built a sawmill in 1806 and a gristmill in 1807. This settlement became known as Cambridge Mills.
  Even in the early 1800s, the area included homes, a store, an inn, small shops operated by artisans and craftsmen, mostly immigrants from Germany. The Erb sons had hired William Scollick for their development business and the latter completed a full survey in 1834; he also convinced the Erbs to rename the Cambridge Mills area Preston. After Erb's death in 1832, a son sold off property on both sides of the Speed River. What eventually became Preston started as a large settlement on the north side.
  There were only 250 inhabitants in 1836, many from Pennsylvania, but the population had reached about 1600 by 1855, with some 70% originally from Germany. By then, the area had eight hotels and taverns.
  The Canadian Gazetteer of 1846 indicates a population of about 600 inhabitants, two churches, a post office that receives mail each day, a steam grist mill, and tradesmen of various types. At the time, there was no significant industry.
  The Preston post office opened in 1837 and the population continued to grow primarily because of immigration from Germany. Preston was incorporated as a village in 1853. The population declined in the late 1800s but by 1900, it had increased to 2,000 partly because of the new electric railway systems that started in 1894. In 1911, the line reached Hespeler, Berlin (later called Kitchener) and Waterloo; by 1916 it had been extended to Brantford/Port Dover. This made visiting other communities and carrying of goods very convenient.
  Due to continued growth, by 1879 there were many industries such as a foundry, carriage manufacturer, potteries and a furniture company. This was also the year that the Cherry Flour Mills started, which would later become the Dover Flour Mills, a Preston company that still operates today.
  By 1888, the Preston Springs Hotel, then called the Del Monte Hotel and owned by Robert Walder, was operating. The building still stands (but is vacant). In the late 19th century, it featured five acres of grounds with gardens and lawns. The primary draw was the mineral baths in the hotel's basement, said to "cleanse" the body. The high sulphur content was believed to be useful for those with arthritis and rheumatism. A competing facility, the Suplphur Springs Hotel, next door, opened in the mid 1890s, and a nearby hotel, the North American (renamed the Kress Hotel in 1900), had opened in 1840. Walder sold the Del Monte in 1903; a later owner, A.R. Kauffman, renamed it Preston Springs, and the facility remained successful as a health spa until 1940. After the war, it closed for some years, eventually becoming a retirement and care facility, until closing in 1990, when the building was boarded up. In 2000, some exterior repairs were completed but work stopped when the cost became excessive. The owner in mid-2018 was Haastown Holdings Preston Inc. A news report in January 2020 detailed the history of the property and stated that because it was no longer safe, the City of Cambridge had issued an order for demolition. In June 2020 however, the City decided to refer the matter to a provincial tribunal that handles disputes on heritage properties. 
  On September 30, 1899, Preston was incorporated as a town with a population of just under 11,000. The Great Road between Dundas
caption: An interurban streetcar connected Preston to neighbouring towns.
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