Guelph was incorporated as a town in 1855 and the first mayor elected was John Smith.
Despite optimism, the population growth was very slow until the Grand Trunk Railway reached it from Toronto, en route to Sarnia, in 1856; the town was also served soon thereafter by the Great Western Railway branch from Harrisburg.
 In 1856, the village became a town.
Two years later, the population was estimated at 4,500, up from 2,000 in 1853.
The first city hall, now called the Old City Hall (Guelph), was built in 1856 of Guelph stone; the building contained a market house, offices and an assembly hall.
Modifications were made in 1870, 1875 and 1961.
The new Guelph City Hall opened in 2009 beside the older building, which was declared a National Historic Site in 1984.
The national document refers to the historic building as being "in the Italian Renaissance Revival style".

Two very successful major grist mills operated in Guelph for many years in the 1800s.
The first was Allan's Mill, first established in 1830 on the Speed River and significantly expanded to include a distillery by the next owners, the Allan family, in the 1850s.
This business was extensively damaged by fire in 1876 and ceased operation as a mill; the site was later used by manufacturing companies. (
In 2019, the current John Sleeman reinstated the Spring Mill Distillery on the site which also includes a condominium apartment complex.)

The more recent business, known as the Goldie Mill, was also on the Speed; it was built in 1866 by James Goldie, replacing an earlier mill known as the Wellington Mill and later as the People's Mill.
The limestone Goldie structure was damaged by fire in 1953 and a part of it was removed in 1969; the remaining part still stands today, as ruins that were being repaired in 2020, in Goldie Mill Park at Cardigan Street and London Road East.

The board of the Guelph General Hospital was incorporated in 1861, with James Massie as the chairman.
The building was completed in 1875, at the cost of $9,869, and opened on August 16, 1875, with 2 beds, a small infectious room and a dispensary.

The Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church on Norfolk St., called the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since December 8, 2014, was built between 1876 and 1888.

By 1869, the community's manufacturing companies were served by both the Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Western Railway.
The first section of the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway, between Guelph and Elora, opened in 1870; the line would eventually run as far as Southampton, Ontario, with stations in communities such as Palmerston, Harriston, Listowel and Wingham.
The company was not very successful, and never did reach Owen Sound as planned, partly because of stiff competition from the Northern Railway of Canada as well as the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway.
By the mid 1870s, the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway was in financial trouble; it eventually became part of the Grand Trunk system, and later, the Canadian National Railway.

By January 1871, some residents of the town had access to gas, provided by the Guelph Gas Company via pipes, initially to about 100 homes.
Electricity would not become commonly available until the early 1900s, from the Guelph Light and Heat Commission.

An 1877 plan to start the Guelph Street Railway, using horse-drawn vehicles to deliver freight and passengers within Guelph, never came to fruition.

A poor house with a farm, The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, opened in December 1877 in a rural area near Guelph; many orphans from Guelph were admitted.
The building still stands, as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
Guelph was incorporated as a town in 1855 and the first mayor elected was John Smith. Despite optimism, the population growth was very slow until the Grand Trunk Railway reached it from Toronto, en route to Sarnia, in 1856; the town was also served soon thereafter by the Great Western Railway branch from Harrisburg.  In 1856, the village became a town. Two years later, the population was estimated at 4,500, up from 2,000 in 1853. The first city hall, now called the Old City Hall (Guelph), was built in 1856 of Guelph stone; the building contained a market house, offices and an assembly hall. Modifications were made in 1870, 1875 and 1961. The new Guelph City Hall opened in 2009 beside the older building, which was declared a National Historic Site in 1984. The national document refers to the historic building as being "in the Italian Renaissance Revival style".
Two very successful major grist mills operated in Guelph for many years in the 1800s. The first was Allan's Mill, first established in 1830 on the Speed River and significantly expanded to include a distillery by the next owners, the Allan family, in the 1850s. This business was extensively damaged by fire in 1876 and ceased operation as a mill; the site was later used by manufacturing companies. (In 2019, the current John Sleeman reinstated the Spring Mill Distillery on the site which also includes a condominium apartment complex.)
The more recent business, known as the Goldie Mill, was also on the Speed; it was built in 1866 by James Goldie, replacing an earlier mill known as the Wellington Mill and later as the People's Mill. The limestone Goldie structure was damaged by fire in 1953 and a part of it was removed in 1969; the remaining part still stands today, as ruins that were being repaired in 2020, in Goldie Mill Park at Cardigan Street and London Road East.
The board of the Guelph General Hospital was incorporated in 1861, with James Massie as the chairman. The building was completed in 1875, at the cost of $9,869, and opened on August 16, 1875, with 2 beds, a small infectious room and a dispensary.
The Gothic Revival style Roman Catholic church on Norfolk St., called the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate since December 8, 2014, was built between 1876 and 1888.
By 1869, the community's manufacturing companies were served by both the Grand Trunk Railway and the Great Western Railway. The first section of the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway, between Guelph and Elora, opened in 1870; the line would eventually run as far as Southampton, Ontario, with stations in communities such as Palmerston, Harriston, Listowel and Wingham. The company was not very successful, and never did reach Owen Sound as planned, partly because of stiff competition from the Northern Railway of Canada as well as the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway. By the mid 1870s, the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway was in financial trouble; it eventually became part of the Grand Trunk system, and later, the Canadian National Railway.
By January 1871, some residents of the town had access to gas, provided by the Guelph Gas Company via pipes, initially to about 100 homes. Electricity would not become commonly available until the early 1900s, from the Guelph Light and Heat Commission.
An 1877 plan to start the Guelph Street Railway, using horse-drawn vehicles to deliver freight and passengers within Guelph, never came to fruition.
A poor house with a farm, The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, opened in December 1877 in a rural area near Guelph; many orphans from Guelph were admitted. The building still stands, as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
Guelph