George Coltart
George Coltart retired as the superintendent of Waterloo Park in 1951
after working at the park for twenty-eight years. He was in his late
seventies at the time and had spent his entire career making the park
beautiful with lily ponds, rock gardens and award-winning flowerbeds.
Coltart, a native of England, took the top post in 1927 after initially working for the Waterloo Park Board between 1917 and 1923. He is remembered for the artistry of his flowerbeds, and his skill in nurturing young seedlings in the park’s greenhouses. During his term as superintendent, seventeen maple trees were planted to honour the Waterloo men who had died in the First World War. During the 1920s, there was a toboggan slide, and three ice rinks were made on Silver Lake for hockey and recreational skating.
In 1930, a brochure advertised the park as being a place for picnics, boating, tennis, and dancing and “banqueting” in the park pavilion. A 1945 newspaper article illustrates some of the issues of the day for Coltart. The problem in the mid-40s was the “rowdy young people” who were spoiling the band concerts in the park. Representatives from the Waterloo Musical Society complained about “honking of horns, running motors . . . motorcyclists tearing down the driveway . . . when the band concert is in progress.”
Coltart also served his community as the president of the Waterloo Horticultural Society from 1918 until 1921 and then again for a year in 1930. In the intervening years, 1921 to 1929 he served as director, and then again from 1932 until 1939.
George Coltart immigrated to Canada in 1912 and married Charlotte Jack. The couple had a son named James and a daughter Agnes. Like many of the early park superintendents, the Coltart family lived in the historic Eby house on the park premises. In 1968, the Eby house became a potters’ studio. Coltart died a few short months after retiring.
Photo courtesy of the Waterloo Public Library
George Coltart (Waterloo 150 Profile)
Description
- Creator
- Gallagher, Beth, Author
- Media Type
- Text
- Image
- Description
- To celebrate Waterloo's 150th anniversary, the Waterloo Public Library published a book called "Profiles from the Past, Faces of the Future." This book featured 150 profiles of people who helped make Waterloo what it is today. This is the digitized profile for George Coltart.
- Notes
- Please visit the Waterloo Public Library to enquire about physical copies of "Profiles from the Past, Faces of the Future."
The Waterloo 150 project was funded by a grant from the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation. Beth Gallagher wrote the profiles with the assistance of many research volunteers. Information for the profiles was gathered from a variety of sources from the community and the Ellis Little Local History Room. Notable sources include the Ellis Little Papers, newspaper clippings, local magazines and books. - Place of Publication
- Waterloo, Ontario
- Date of Publication
- 2007
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Coltart, George ; Jack, Charlotte ; Coltart, James ; Coltart, Agnes
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.4668 Longitude: -80.51639
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- Copyright Statement
- Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Contact
- Waterloo Public LibraryEmail:askus@wpl.ca
Website:
Agency street/mail address:35 Albert Street, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 5E2
- Full Text
