The following is a condensed history of the early years of the town of Palmerston, it is not the intention of this article to be heavy on details. This author is not an expert on research and will do the best he can to be accurate, If inaccuracies are found please contact the author at ( aniren40@hotmail.com ).
Which came first the town or the railroad? In its original concept the railroad was to run from Guelph to Harriston and would not have gone through Palmerston. Listowel needed to be linked to the railroad and it was decided to bend the route toward Listowel, it was also decided that a yard with maintenance shops would be needed. Where did the name Palmerston come from? There was not a town called Palmerston at the time. When the railroads were planning their routes it was common practice for towns or communities to provide bonuses to the railroads to encourage them to lay the track through or close to their towns, this could increase the prosperity of the area. When the railroad decided to build a junction and maintenance sheds between Guelph, Harriston and Listowel this also included a station. One of the active supporters of bonuses to the railroad was John McDermott, Reeve of Wallace and because of this support the railways decided to let McDermot name the station. He named it PALMERSTON In honour of Henry John Temple the future third Viscount Palmerston. The date 1870. As soon as the railroad decided where it would build people started buying property around it for busines’s and homes, a town was comming into existence although not yet officially.
