On this page members of the Maitland and District Historical Society are sharing their research into a variety of aspects of the history of our locality. New stories will be added as they become available.
Use search to find stories about the person, place, topic or keyword you are interested in.
John Gillies, mayor and MP
John Gillies was for two years the Mayor of West Maitland and became for 20 years a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, known best for his promotion of the interests of Maitland.
Dr R J Pierce, loved nineteenth century medico
Robert Pierce was a Dublin-born doctor who practised medicine In the Hunter Valley for several years. After his death a fountain was erected in High St in his memory.
‘The Cut’ that severed the Horseshoe Bend meander in 1893
‘The Cut’ to sever the Horseshoe Bend meander in 1893 began as a man-made project but a flood completed the job. The project was welcomed in West Maitland but not by everybody downstream.
Maitland, circa 1830
By 1830 the convict farming settlement of Wallis Plains had become a small town. Development was beginning in East Maitland and Morpeth as well, and the Hunter Valley had been opened up for commercial farming.
A village on the river: Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend, an old inner suburb of Maitland, has changed greatly over the 200 years of its existence.