By Jennifer Grainger – On July 26, I attended the Willey Cemetery memorial service. This quiet graveyard at 5267 Gentleman Drive, just off Thames Road in the former Ekfrid Township, was busier that day than it had been in years, as it was officially dedicated as a United Empire Loyalist (UEL) Burial Ground. A War of 1812 veteran buried here was honoured at the same time. The event, sponsored by UELAC Western Ontario Branch and Glencoe & District Historical Society, reminds “Old Stock” Canadians who we are and why we’re here.
The Glencoe & District Historical Society mourns the loss of Ken Willis, our friend, longtime historian and museum keeper for Wardsville, Newbury, and the Township of Mosa.
For decades, Ken devoted himself to preserving the stories of his community. As Historian and Manager of the Wardsville Historical Museum, he gathered, catalogued, and cared for an extraordinary collection of photographs, documents, and artifacts housed in a historic building on Longwoods Road in Wardsville. Every item in that collection reflected Ken’s deep commitment to making sure the people and places of Wardsville would not be forgotten.
Ken was also an author, having written A History of Wardsville, Volumes 1 and 2 — works that stand as a lasting record of his research and his love for the village’s story.
Last year, Ken made a decision that speaks to his lifelong dedication: he arranged for the entire contents of the Wardsville Historical Museum to be transferred into the custodianship of the Glencoe & District Historical Society, ensuring that the collection he had spent a lifetime building would be preserved for future generations. True to form, Ken’s concern was not only for the artifacts themselves, but for the people of Wardsville — he wanted to be sure that the residents of the village he loved would continue to be looked after, and that their history would remain accessible to them.
The Society is honoured to now serve as steward of Ken’s collection, and we take seriously the responsibility he entrusted to us. His photographs, documents, and personal papers — many with carefully documented provenance — will help tell the story of Wardsville for years to come.
Ken Willis will be remembered as a dedicated historian, a careful keeper of memory, and a generous friend to everyone who shared his passion for local history. Our thoughts are with his family and all who knew him.
I am at a bit of a disadvantage writing about a man I never met. Those who remember him will each have their personal remembrances, that I know nothing about, but wish I did.
I have a hard time using the term “Grandfather” to describe this man. The name “Bill” comes easier and I will use it as I relate information about him. To a lot of people, Bill Edwards was “Stubbles from the Farm” in the person of “Claud Hopper” the central character in this farm based series.
June 20, 2026 at The Archives, Glencoe: The Glencoe & District Historical Society welcomed twenty attendees for a wonderful Saturday morning session featuring guest presenter Evan Abma. The workshop was organized by Denise Corneil, Secretary of the G&DHS, who is a passionate advocate for documenting our region’s historical structures before they’re lost.
Evan, Chair of the Sarnia Heritage Committee and a leading voice in documenting Ontario’s disappearing rural heritage, shared the remarkable project he has built mapping historic farmhouses across Lambton County. Working from the observation that many homes featured in an old article on Warwick Township had since vanished, Evan’s small tracking project grew into a county-wide documentation effort. He has now catalogued 2500 historic farmhouses built in 1921 or earlier, recording their architectural styles and histories.
I was privileged to be in the historic African Methodist Episcopal Church at Fanshawe Pioneer Village recently, listening to two accomplished artists bring two remarkable Black Canadian lives into the light. Denise Pelley, accompanied by Stephen Holowitz, held the fifth event in the Fanshawe Village series—and what an extraordinary homecoming it was.
Not long ago, the AME Church stood on Thames Street in London, largely forgotten. Built around 1848, it had served London’s Black community as a place of worship, gathering, and resistance—a sanctuary for people who had escaped slavery and found freedom in Canada West. The plaque that marks its history tells of John Brown’s rumored visit in 1858, when the church became a space where conversations about abolition and freedom took form. For over a century after the congregation moved to a larger brick church on Grey Street, the building was someone’s home. Its original purpose faded from public memory, buried under layers of wallpaper and time.
Presented by Steve Robson |Model created by Steve Robson
Overview
The Lego Village Project involves creating a mobile, movie-like set for photographing 1/64 scale model cars. The base of the project draws on various building designs from different towns and cities to create a fictional town. The end result is a compressed town showcasing a place with many elements of a working, living village.
How It Started
The project began with a single building structure, built simply to see how a Lego building would scale in appearance next to Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. The test worked out well. At that point, there was no real plan to create a full village. Over time, plans developed into a complete village layout, involving a number of drawings covering both the overall plan and individual building designs. The end result is a very functional-looking village.
July 9th LEGO event by Steve Robson at the Glencoe Library
Setting Up the Village
Setting up the village involved several key decisions.
The first major consideration was compressing the scale of both the buildings and the space between property lines. Building scale was determined by the size of the plates the Lego design team produces. A 5″ × 5″ plate in 1/64 scale measures out to 26.5 feet. A 10″ × 10″ plate measures out to 53 feet. This is based on the 1/64 scale standard of 1″ equalling 5.3 feet.
The smaller blocks used to create walls carry a rough cost factor of about $7.00 per square foot — approximately 10 cents per block — averaging out to 70 blocks per square foot. This is based on a standard 4-stud brick.
Building height is determined by the style of the structure and its interior ceiling height. Using the 1″ = 5.3′ ratio, divide the height of a real-world measurement (for example, an 8-foot ceiling) to find the correct exterior wall height. Doors, windows, and other details follow the same method and can be made to look properly proportioned at this scale.
Some building designs are reduced further in size to allow for a tighter layout. If every building were built to fully correct scale, the village would contain only a fraction of the elements included in the current layout.
The Compressed Design
The compressed design approach allows for a modular layout that can be set up in any configuration. One of the primary reasons for this building style is to use the structures as photographic props. The slight downscaling can be minimized with this purpose in mind — a wide-angle lens creates the appearance of a larger environment than actually exists, while the remaining space still provides a believable sense of a living space.
These designs can be built at various levels of detail. Fully detailed structures work well for complete display setups, while simpler versions — recreating just home and storefront facades — make excellent display backgrounds for a die-cast car collection on a shelf, reflecting the era of the vehicle being showcased.
Exploring the History of Small Towns
Through LEGO Scale Modelling
Presented by: Steve Robson and Paul Macdonald
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Glencoe Library
Colour
An important element is the use of colour in the design. A colour-coding system developed naturally during the build. Browns and greens were used in older building designs, while brighter colours go into newer structures. Combinations of these colours bridge the gap in between. Some business-themed models use colour patterns to create a corporate-looking feel.
A challenge can arise when materials run short during a build. If a strong colour theme is needed, purchase enough bricks to complete the design before starting. That said, budget is always a factor. Creative use of colour can fill out a design in interesting ways, adding a unique visual character that reflects your own vision for the scene.
Engineering the Structures
Engineering Lego structures is different from real-world construction. In effect, you are building with oversized blocks — similar in proportion to the concrete blocks used in parking lots and highway dividers. This affects the look of the finished model. Walls will be noticeably thicker, and small details will read as larger items at real-world scale. This is one of the things to accept when working with Lego as a building material.
For example, the top section of a house wall will be thicker than realistic in order to maintain structural strength. Roofs have been left off the buildings intentionally. This allows interior details to be seen and also provides a convenient pickup point when moving the buildings. The result is a slightly surreal, dream-like quality to the structures.
Keep in mind that although Lego is durable, it can break when dropped. These models should be handled like eggs — carefully.
Since these models need to travel, there is a balance to strike between detail and durability. There are limits to what can be achieved depending on the bricks being used, and some experimentation is required to find what works best for your build.
Reality vs. Illusion
One interesting question this project raises is: what is real, and what is fake?
Take a close-up photograph of the model village. The scene looks like a street, complete with cars and streetlights. At first glance, it reads as real. Only on closer inspection do the small details reveal the scale. At what point does the photo become “fake”? And yet, it isn’t truly fake — real physical objects are being used in a real scene.
This kind of setup is rooted in the practical special effects techniques of older films, and in some cases newer ones as well. It also opens a door to exploring the history of building design. An older version of a real town or city could be recreated to study its structure and character from a particular era — from a simple model to a complex and detailed layout.
Why Do This?
The last element worth considering is the reason to take on a project like this: it keeps the mind active.
Unlike AI, which is increasingly present in daily life, the process of sorting physical pieces, researching house designs, and studying architectural history creates a quiet space away from the world of technology. It can help in recreating memories of the past — either personal memories or general history from before your own time.
Building at a scale that must feel proportionally believable — using die-cast cars and trucks as reference — helps develop spatial thinking. Placing everything into a village setting helps in understanding how a working economy is structured: the business district versus the residential areas, the roadways, the flow of a community. The road of imagination is an important part of the planning process.
Hopefully, you end up with a design you are proud of.
— Steve Robson
About Steve Robson
Born in London, Ontario in 1961, Steve has spent a lifetime pursuing strong interests in photography and model building across multiple mediums. By combining these passions, he has found a unique way to recreate scenes full of personal memory and historical meaning — in three-dimensional, brick-built form. This project has transformed a long-held idea into reality, and Steve’s goal is simple: bring out the inner child in everyone as a great way to keep the mind active.
Organized by: Steve Robson & Paul Macdonald
Contact: Steve Robson, Creator | Courtney Joris, Glencoe Library
Napier: One of the first public buildings constructed in Napier was St. Mary’s Anglican Church. The land for the church, on a hill north of the village, was donated by Charles Preston. The exact construction date varies with the source, but the church was completed around 1843.
The oldest remaining church in Middlesex County, St. Mary’s Chapel of Ease holds an annual Decoration Day Service in June. It’s a day I try not to miss, since it’s an opportunity to enter a primitive pioneer building that’s usually closed.
As Video Curator, you will help us celebrate and preserve our local history through video. You’ll play a key role in building a digital legacy that future generations can learn from—while empowering others to share their own stories.
🕒 Time Commitment: Approx. 2 hours/week 💲 Compensation: Volunteer (unpaid) 📍 Reports to: Programming Circle, Glencoe & District Historical Society
Encourage storytelling as a cultural activity in the community
Show people how to record and share family stories
Edit Zoom presentations and other videos for clarity and flow
Promote the recording of stories for future generations
Build relationships with local storytellers, community groups, and regional heritage organizations
Skills & Qualities
Video editing (basic to intermediate skills preferred)
Comfortable with YouTube and/or video publishing tools
Friendly, curious, and community-minded
Strong interest in storytelling, oral history, and local heritage
Ability to work independently and collaboratively
Our Aim
To encourage our community to document our stories and work through video—and to make the Glencoe & District Historical Society’s presentations, events, and oral histories more accessible through YouTube.
Let’s Share Our Stories
To everyone: We have the tools to capture stories and share them online. Let’s give it a try. At the very least, please write on the back of the family photographs.
The Glencoe & District Historical Society is recording stories that help the younger generation understand how they got here… whose shoulders they are standing upon.
If you need some inspiration, check out YouTube. There are sad stories; happy stories, and wise stories. We are recording OUR stories. Stories told by our people, young and old.
Posted by Mary Simpson, Programming, May 2025. mary@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca. Please reach out to learn more and help direct this work.
On June 18, 2026, the Glencoe Public Library was filled to capacity as 45 community members gathered to hear local historian Jennifer Grainger explore the rise and fall of Middlesex County’s vanished villages. The event was presented in partnership between the Glencoe & District Historical Society and the Glencoe Public Library.
Drawing on maps, photographs, land records, and archaeological clues, Grainger traced where these once-thriving communities were located, how historians and genealogists research them today, and what—if anything—remains visible on the landscape now.
The G&DHS thanks the Glencoe Public Library and Courtney Joris for their partnership in bringing this event to the community, and extends its appreciation to Jennifer Grainger for sharing her research. Here is the piece Jenny wrote for the Middlesex Banner featuring Cashmere, Napier, and Kilmartin.
Ekfrid Mills, Aug 1910. Travelling East on Longwoods Rd, 1/4 mile East of Strathburn. Glencoe & District Historical Society Archives.
Ekfrid Mills circa 1910
Built in 1834 by Paten Atwood, the first flour mill in the Strathburn area was located just east of the Mosa-Ekfrid town line on the north side of Longwoods Road. The original flour mill was destroyed by fire and replaced in 1874 with a brick structure. The mill had several operators over the next twenty years including G.J. & J.B. Coulthard and Andrew Fleming. The mill ceased operations in 1920 and was dismantled in 1924.
Background: Prior to the establishment of sawmills the early settlers built dwellings out of hewn logs. These buildings were typically limited in size but effective in providing a shelter for family and livestock until better accommodations could be built. Prior to the 1830’s and well into the 1840’s buildings in Ekfrid and Mosa Townships were log structures; including houses, barns, schools, and inns.
In 1820 Anselm Foster petitioned for a grant for establishing a mill on Lot 23, however no further action was recorded. Adam Burwell had also expressed interest in a mill at this location.
My Memories Of Ekfrid Mills
I was born in 1907, so my memories are only as a child. I counted it an outing to go with my father with bags of grain with team and wagon to be ground into chop for live stock feed.
Mr. Fleming the operator at that time, would meet us at the porch and put the bags on a four wheel conveyor and push it on a track to where he wanted it, then put through while we waited.
The custom chopping was done on the main floor. The waiting period might be half an hour or two hours depending on how many customers were ahead. However the grinding capacity was quite comparable to the present day.
The grindstone was driven by a steam stationary engine of quite good size, high horse power that is. This was in the basement so to speak, with the level close to flood water, if my memory serves me right. This being pleasant and comfortable waiting area, especially in winter beside this steam heating plant. This plant was fueled by cord wood and the water of course came from the creek. (Newbigging creek it was called). Later years soft coal was used for fuel.
Mr. Fleming looked after the customers, and he usually had a boiler man looking after the engine. During the war 1914-1918 help was hard to get and many days Mr. Fleming looked after all; go down stairs fire the boiler then run upstairs and bag the chop. This become to tell on Mr. Fleming on his ageing years.
During the summer months he operated only two or three days a week. But after September when the farmers crop was getting threshed he naturally became busier. That is if the water supply in the creek was available as the dam was now getting out of repair. I think that he was hampered on this account once, to my memory.
On the second floor of this building were the flour mills or separators so to speak, many of them 5 to ten perhaps. This flour processing was done before my time and quite extensive I have been told.
Around 1918 or ’20 Mr Flemings health failed and the mill shut down.
Approximately 1920 give a year or two: the Campbell Bros. Of Melbourne were building a garage, [and] they had returned from the forces 1914-1918.
They purchased the old mill, and wrecking it to use much of the material for their new garage as it still is in Melbourne. Much of the brick was used and the boiler was used to heat the garage as well as two adjacent stores there. The flour equipment was sold to Dutton Flour Mills who up to quite recent made themselves quite famous milling pastry flour. Trade name SWANSDOWN. Many car loads were shipped. Dutton by this time had cheap hydro power.
When the highway (no2 or the former Longwoods road) was widened, it took in most of the property, of both the residence and mill also the horse shed in between used as shelter for the customers horses.
I think that I was told that when grinding first began that it was stone grinding, and by water power. Very little remains, or do I remember of the of the old dam of being much.
In my mind of all times I could not visualize what I was told of the greatness of this site.
Geo. W. McCallum, June 1982 ; From written documents provided by Geo. W. McCallum to the Glencoe & District Historical Society.
The First Mill: Patten Atwood and his wife Hannah (Brooks) had farmed in Dunwich Township, until about 1829 they crossed the river into Ekfrid.
In 1830 Paten Atwood acquired Lot 23 and by 1834 erected both a saw and grist mill. The mill was built on the west bank of Newbiggen Creek, which powered the mill. The original mill was certainly wooden, and likely a log structure considering the absence of a functional sawmill in the area. The details regarding where the millstones were acquired from, or how they were transported to the location are unknown. (The millstones used in the Napier mill took many teams of oxen to drag from Port Stanely to Napier in 1838. The roads at this time were very crude, and the local geography is laced with swamps, steep ravines, and winding gulleys.)
The establishment of the sawmill enabled residents to begin building framed wooden structures. Many existing homesteads along Longwoods Road would upgrade there dwellings, and the surrounding villages of Wardsville, Woodgreen, Strathburn, and Taits Corners emerged. Other local sawmills were built, however it was Atwood’s first mill that was critical in the initial development of the area.
The gristmill enabled local residents to grind wheat into flour in large volumes. Without a mill this is a very labour intensive activity that can only be done in small quantities. Whether both the sawmill and gristmill were housed in the same structure is unknown. It is possible that the function of the sawmill was outdoors.
In October 1839 Paten Atwood and his family decided to move to Illinois. In 1840 the ownership of the property and mills transferred to Andrew Coulthard. The Coulthard family added to the operations a carding and fulling mill (for preparing wool into thread).
“The first schools were of the most primitive construction – of log construction, with floor, roof and other features the same as the homes of the people…
The first schoolhouse in the township [Ekfrid] was built on the east half of Lot 6, on Duncan Mclean’s farm near the north corner of the farm, about 1834. About 1840 the first school in what is now S.S. No. 4 was opened in a log dwelling house on the west corner of Lot 12. Other log schoolhouses were located on the north corner of Lot 13; at or near the present site of Riverside School; and in the westerly part of the township, Lot 21 R1S.”
From The Township of Ekfrid 1821- 1941; published by the council of the township, 1949.
Fire and Rebuilding: Ekfrid Mills continued as an important and convenient operation on Longwoods Road. It was completely destroyed by fire in January 1874. The mill was rebuilt and operating by July. The new building was a brick structure built on the East bank of Newbiggen Creek, as shown in the photographs. The Ekfrid Mills became an iconic landmark.
From the photos of the brick building it appears that the original water power was derived from an undershot system. The water wheel would have been located under the door on the west wall, and the water would have passed under the wheel in a trough, causing it to spin in a counter-clockwise fashion. Sometime later the mill was converted to a wood burning boiler and the wheel was removed. Still later the boiler was heated using soft coal.
The brick building carried the name EKFRID MILLS on the western gable (partly visible in the photographs) but was generally known by the names of the operators: Coulthard Mill, Fleming Mill.
End of An Era: Andrew Fleming purchased in the mill in 1910, but it was usually open only three times per week. The mill ceased operations in 1920 and stood vacant until 1924 when it was purchased by Robert and Stewart Campbell. The Campbell brothers dismantled the mill and used the materials to rebuild their shop in Melbourne. Years later Campbell’s Garage (located on the north side of Longwoods Rd. near the main intersection) was destroyed by fire and the garage was rebuilt again. Although the building has since been used as a fire hall, library and residence, it is still often reffered to as Campbells Garage.
Morningstar Mill
Morningstar Mill: Although there are no remains of the Ekfrid Mills that we can visit today, we are fortunate that a very similar mill from the same era was restored to a functioning state and is open to the public as a museum. The Morningstar Mill gristmill in St. Catharines was built in 1872 by Robert Chappel. Around 1892 the interior of the mill was destroyed by fire but the stone building remained intact. New equipment was installed and the Morningstar Mill continued operation until 1933.
In 1992 the volunteer group “Friends of Morningstar Mill” was established and they began to restore and then operate the mill as an operating gristmill. At the start of the restoration project, much of the machinery and stones were as they had been left in 1933.
The Glencoe & District Historical Society is gathering photographs, stories, artifacts, and memories that help tell the story of our region through the objects preserved in our collection’s. Check back soon, or contact us if you have a story to share.
Written by Harold Carruthers, No. 282 Lorne Lodge Mason historian, July 2024.
If one were to trace the history of any one Lodge, it might be compared with that of trying to determine the very origin of humanity. I am talking about the meeting places of the members of the organization called Free Masonry. The history of our local chapter, Lorne Lodge No. 282 Glencoe, can be traced back to 1872 and ended this year 2024 when our Lodge went dark after 152 years.
Last meeting of #282 Lorne Lodge: back row L-R: Keith Dickie, Alex McLean, Ron Livingston, Harold Carruthers, Doug Reycraft. Front L-R: Bob Munroe, John Mitchell, Ryan Brubacher, Bev Whitlock, Jim May, Terry Plant. Missing: Allan Mayhew, Brad Walker, Chris Yates.
Meetings were held in some of the most historical buildings in the village of Glencoe, Middlesex County.
By Ian Mason, published in the Middlesex Banner, May 2026. Plan to do the North Middlesex Day Trip June 12, 2026 – link here
Nestled in the cemetery in the hamlet of Carlisle, 6 kms east of Ailsa Craig, is the Presbyterian Church Heritage Centre (PCHC). It contains the national collection of artefacts from various congregations of The Presbyterian Church in Canada from coast to coast. We are the only historic mainline denomination in Canada that preserves a collection of its artefacts. There are a few church museums throughout Canada, but they pertain to a specific church, rather than its denomination.
A common question is, “so what does the Presbyterian Church Heritage Centre collect? Bibles and crosses?”
Bibles, “yes”; crosses “mostly no.” More about that later.
In 2018, the National Presbyterian Museum in St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Toronto closed. The Museum was obliged to leave what had been our host church since 2002 when the church was sold to a developer which will eventually convert the church into condominiums, providing a small area for the congregation to continue to meet.
Curator Ian Mason began a 5-year search for a church which would be willing to host the collection of artefacts relevant to the history of The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). These items help to tell the stories of those who worshipped and served Jesus Christ within the context of the PCC. Prior to the formation of the United Church of Canada in 1925 – into which 2/3 of the Presbyterian Church amalgamated – the PCC was the largest Protestant denomination in Canada.
The Curator made a cold call to Carlisle United Church asking the congregation if they would be interested in hosting a collection of artefacts. And, he added, “if you are interested in hosting this collection, you would have to give up your sanctuary and move to the basement.”
He had his answer in 3 seconds, “yes, we would be willing to do that.”
Glencoe Archives – Amy, great great granddaughter of Mrs. John “Alberta” McFarlane of R.R. #4, Appin, arrived Tuesday with her great grandmother, Caroline Gough, and grandmother, Betty Ann Gough, to deliver the Bertie Fonds. Here is Amy, a fourth year Western student headed into Library and Archive Science, descibing the significance of these scrapbooks.
This generous donation reminds us how essential it is to care for our family archives. These homegrown collections deserve professional preservation, cataloguing, and digitization so that families, genealogists, and historians alike can continue to piece together the stories that define who we are.
L-R Back – Gerry Cross, Norm McGll, Ken Beecroft, Amy, Harold Carruthers, Marilyn McCallum. L-R Front: Caroline Gough, Betty Ann Carr. Read more →
Glencoe Transcript, October 30, 1890: The bones of another Mastodon have been found on the farm of T. Jones, at. While plowing on Wednesday, the head, upper jaw, three teeth and one rib of a mastodon were ounearthed. The rib is 4 ft in length and the teeth are 3 in wide and 6 in long.. The parties are still digging, and additional discoveries are expected.
A Bit of History about the Mosa Mastodon
… by Glennda (WATSON) Dupuis, 2024
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Watson, along with their two sons, Edward and James, came from Ompah, Ontario (in Frontenac County in eastern Ontario) in 1919. Andrew purchased a farm on the C.P.R. Road in Mosa Township (northerly half of Lot #8, Third Concession, Mosa Township) from Mr. George Innes.
Andrew and Elizabeth resided on this farm until Andrew’s death in 1947. James purchased the farm from his mother and resided there with his wife, Dora, until 1956, when they sold and moved into the town of Glencoe. Their children were Clara, Morley, and Glenn. I am Glenn’s daughter and James’ granddaughter.
In 1939, while plowing a drained bog on his farm, James unearthed two giant teeth which were later confirmed to be those of a mastodon. Each tooth weighed approximately 4.5 lbs (just over 2 kg) and measured approximately 7.5 inches by 4 inches.
Other bones were found on the site and were described by James as being “as far round as a football.” These were believed to be leg bones. Unfortunately, not being well versed in the preservation of fossils and not truly understanding what he had discovered, the process used to unearth these other bones resulted in them falling into pieces.
Brantford; On April 13, 2026, David Nelms and Mary Simpson travelled to Brantford, Ontario, to visit the Woodland Cultural Centre, located on the grounds of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School.
In their care was a small metal penny bank—simple in form, worn with age, and carrying with it the memory of a life.
The bank belonged to Jemima “Ina” Simpson Nelms, who passed away in the summer of 2025 at just over 100 years old. As a child growing up in rural Southwestern Ontario, Ina attended St. John’s Anglican Church in Glencoe. She received the penny tin through her Sunday School program known as “The Little Helpers.” She would save her pennies and drop them into the slot, believing—as she had been taught—that the money would help “the little Indian children.”
Printed on the surface are images of children from around the world, as they were depicted at the time, along with a short prayer: “God bless all the missionaries all over the world, and all the little helpers, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.” Strangely, the handsome North American Indigenous boy is standing aloof from the group. Jesus has his back to him and the child is not part of the group – he’s just watching.
The Little Helpers of the Sunday School. Penny bank sponsored by the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Anglican Church of Canada. The Indian child stands apart from the group of children talking to Jesus. Read more →
Glencoe & District Historical Society– Annual General Meeting for 2025 – 2026
President’s Report, Mary Simpson
Prepared for the AGM April 15, 2026– 7:00 p.m. Nineteen in attendance. The ARCHIVES, 178 McKellar St., Glencoe
Founded in 1978, the Glencoe & District Historical Society (G&DHS) was established to preserve and share the rich history of Southwestern Ontario, with a particular focus on the Glencoe area.
We are supported by a dedicated group of officers, directors, and managers—those remarkable volunteers who have taken on defined roles. Their commitment is the foundation of our work. General Manager Harold Carruthers and Vice President Norm McGill keep it all going, providing steady operational oversight, community presence, and mentorship to volunteers.
Mary Simpson’s report, Outgoing President
As I complete my two-year term as President, I do so with deep appreciation for the strength of this organization and the people who sustain it. I am pleased to be moving into the role of Past President, and to welcome Norm McGill as incoming President.
When I stepped into this role, I had a few simple hopes. I wanted the Historical Society to feel like a safe and welcoming place—where people could show up as themselves, and where we support each other in the work we care about. I wanted us to be inclusive, to open the door wider, and to recognize that everyone here has something valuable to contribute.
I also saw this Society as part of something bigger. Not just one organization, but part of a whole network of heritage work happening across our district—our museums, our libraries, our local historians, our community groups. Over the past couple of years, I think we’ve taken real steps toward connecting those dots, building relationships, and working more collaboratively.
At the heart of it, my goal has been to help us grow as a community-based organization—one that is rooted in the principles of community development. That means sharing leadership, supporting volunteers, encouraging initiative, and trusting people to step forward and take on meaningful roles. And we’ve seen that happen. Thank you, everyone—for your time, your energy, and your commitment to this community and its history.
This work doesn’t belong to any one person—it belongs to all of you. I’m very grateful for the chance to serve as President, and I’m looking forward to continuing in a supporting role as Past President. Norm, I know you’ll do a wonderful job, and I’m here to support you and the team however I can. – Mary Simpson
by Mary Simpson, Old River Farm, Mosa Township, Treaty 21.
Attending Mark French’s presentation at the Glencoe and District Historical Society (18 March 2026) felt like waking up to a responsibility I had never fully acknowledged. Mark, an Elder from Deshkan Ziibiing (Chippewas of the Thames First Nation) and husband of our G&DHS treasurer Diana Jedig, spoke about treaties not as dry legal relics but as living relationships.
As a farmer and settler whose family names – Simpson, Moorehouse, Pearce, McEachran, Stalker – are written into this land, his words left me moved. We begin meetings with a land acknowledgement, yet what follows? Learning about the treaties themselves, understanding how they were made in good faith, and recognizing the complex histories and losses Indigenous peoples have endured are our next steps. This piece is my attempt to articulate what I learned.
Mark French explains the significance of this wampum belt. March 18, 2026. Read more →
Date & Time: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 – 7:00 p.m. Location:The Archives, Glencoe Guest Speaker: Mark French Hosted by: Glencoe & District Historical Society
On March 9, 1819, representatives of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and the British Crown signed what became known as Treaty 21—the first of three written versions of the agreement now commonly called the Longwoods Treaty. This treaty set in motion a process that still shapes southwestern Ontario today.
The Longwoods Treaty covered land north of the Thames River, stretching from Strathroy and Komoka in the east to Oil Springs in the west, Bothwell in the south, and Watford in the north. While the second version (1820) repeated the same boundaries, the third version (1822) listed the land as 580,000 acres—a “rounding up” that continues to raise questions about accuracy and fairness.
Unlike earlier treaties, such as one that exchanged two million acres south of the Thames for a one-time payment of goods worth less than $5,000, Treaty 21 introduced the concept of an annuity. For the Longwoods Treaty, the Crown promised $2,400 annually, in perpetuity. While the payment is still made today, it goes into Canada’s consolidated revenue fund rather than directly to the First Nation.
Historical records also show that Indigenous leaders came to negotiations with their own vision for the future, including land for additional reserves, a blacksmith, and support for animal husbandry. Yet none of these provisions were written into the treaty.
Language and worldview also played a role in shaping outcomes. The treaty text, rooted in British legal nomenclature, could not be translated directly into Anishinaabemowin. The very concept of drawing lines on the ground to buy and sell land was foreign to the First Nations worldview, which saw the people as stewards of the land rather than owners.
As Mark French explained, Treaty 21 is more than a historical document—it is a window into the complex relationships, misunderstandings, and negotiations between Indigenous peoples and the Crown. It also raises questions about what was truly agreed to, and how responsibilities to the land continue to this day.
It’s been called the Indigenous Magna Carta and the Indigenous Bill of Rights. But what exactly does that mean? In this episode Falen and Leah dive into the history of the Royal Proclamation, a document that is often spoken about when discussing the history of Canada and Indigenous land rights. But what do we really know about it? link to podcast
Incudes detail from Rick Hill about wampum belts and the canoe analogy.
