by Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer

He was the man who helped open Sarnia up to the outside world. Henry Glass, the municipality’s third Mayor, took over as Head of Council at a time when the community was extremely isolated.

The year was 1858 and Sarnia had to rely on slow steamships to connect it to Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and Buffalo. Those wanting to travel anywhere by land had to negotiate southern Ontario’s deplorable roads system. A trip to London, by way of example, typically took 18 hours to complete.

Railroads had little interest in coming to Sarnia, which was a sleepy community of 800 people with five churches, two taverns and about a dozen stores.

But partially at the urging of Mayor Glass and his Council, the Great Western Railroad agreed to extend a line from London to Sarnia that year. The move made it easier to get goods and people to markets in other parts of Canada and, as a result, Sarnia’s growth was assured. Indeed, by 1861 its population had ballooned to 2,091.

Born in Scotland in 1799, Henry Glass came to Canada at an early age, settling in Lanark County. He came to Sarnia in 1847 and soon developed a reputation as an honest individual and a successful mercantile businessman. An 1866 copy of The Observer commented on the “general uprightness of his conduct and his straight-forward, off-handed tact and promptitude as a businessman”.

Shortly after he became Mayor, Council voted to extend Wellington Street to the riverfront.

Mayor Glass was ahead of his time on the environmental front, presiding over a Council that began planting shade trees on Town streets. Councillors were so committed to the program, minutes of a Council meeting show, that they passed a motion asking God to protect the new trees.

His Council also rejuvenated a demoralized Sarnia Fire Department by spending $800.00 to buy a new fire engine. The old engine, according to the June 3, 1858, edition of The Observer, was “worse than useless”. The situation was so bad that the Town couldn’t find enough volunteers to fight some fires. Many volunteers were staying home because they felt it was useless to try to battle a blaze without proper equipment.

In addition to his service on Town Council, he was twice elected Warden of Lambton County.

He was also County Registrar and served as an Officer with the local Militia.

He died February 11, 1866, at age 67.