BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Glencoe& District Historical Society - ECPv6.16.5.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Glencoe& District Historical Society
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Toronto
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260607
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260608
DTSTAMP:20260612T102724Z
CREATED:20260318T215545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260612T102724Z
UID:4005-1780790400-1780876799@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
SUMMARY:A Review of "Salome Bey & Lawrence Hill: Stories of Excellence" with Denise Pelley
DESCRIPTION:By Mary Simpson \nI was privileged to be in the historic African Methodist Episcopal Church at Fanshawe Pioneer Village last Sunday\, Jun 7\, 2026\, 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. \nNot 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. \nNote the butterfly on the ceiling. It was drawn in to the beauty of the music and fluttered above her for some time.\n \nThen came the Fugitive Slave Chapel Preservation Project—a group of dedicated community members who saw what was at stake. They understood that losing this building meant losing tangible evidence of London’s connection to the Underground Railroad\, to Black self-determination\, to a history that many of us never learned in school. After years of work\, fundraising\, and careful restoration\, the chapel was relocated to Fanshawe Pioneer Village in 2022\, where it was fully restored by June 2023. \n  \nWalking into that building now\, you can see the care that went into bringing it home. The wide-plank hand-hewn horizontal wainscoting that lines the walls speaks of an original open floor plan—a space where community could gather. The accordion lath visible in the corner near the front door tells you something about construction techniques that were common in the mid-1800s. The basement hatch door\, the timber frame\, the cedar siding painted in heritage colours—all of it speaks to authenticity\, to respect\, to refusal to let this building become a museum piece or a relic. It is a living space for gathering\, learning\, and listening. \n  \nDenise Pelley is a musician\, educator\, and storyteller of remarkable depth. She is\, quite simply\, one of the finest artists working in our larger community. She told the stories of Salome Bey and Lawrence Hill—two Black Canadians whose contributions to art\, literature\, and culture deserve to be known far more widely than they are. \n  \nSalome Bey: pioneering blues singer\, songwriter\, performer. “Canada’s First Lady of Blues\,” they called her. Born in Newark\, New Jersey\, the Grammy-nominated singer\, composer\, and actress made Toronto her home in 1964. Bey profoundly shaped Canada’s music and theatre scenes by mentoring young artists and writing critically acclaimed cabaret shows like Indigo.  Living in Toronto in the late 1970s\, I knew the name well but didn’t know much about her.  She was made an honorary member of the Order of Canada in 2005 and was later honoured with a commemorative stamp by Canada Post. Denise says that: “Three of the songs I sang during the Salome presentation were one’s that she recorded. … I’m sure her interpretation showed the deep meaning those songs had.  Actually still have.” \n\n\n\n\n\nThen Denise told us about Lawrence Hill\, (Dan Hill’s brother) the celebrated author of *The Book of Negroes*—a novel that brought the experience of Black Loyalists and freedom seekers into the consciousness of readers across the country. Both artists\, in their own ways\, carried forward the work of bearing witness\, of speaking truth\, of insisting that their stories and the stories of their people matter. \n  \nThe acoustics in the little church are amazing.  She sang\, she spoke\, she invited us into their worlds. And Stephen Holowitz\, accompanied her.  The acoustics in that church honoured  the voices that had filled it nearly two hundred years ago. Beautiful gospel and blues.  It was moving to experience  art\, music\, and historical reflection in a space saved precisely because people understood that it was sacred ground. \n  \nThe Glencoe & District Historical Society contributed $1\,500 toward the preservation of this church.  Lorne Munroe understood that heritage is not something that belongs only to the past. He made the motion and a few of us wondered why we needed to support a London project.  But we passed the motion.  Seeing that church in active use\, full of community members engaged with story and song\, made that investment feel like so much more than money.  \n  \nSeptember 27\, 2026\, the sixth edition focuses on Rose Fortune\, Loyalist and Canada’s first female police officer\, and hockey player\, Herb Carnegie.  Tickets to this 2:00 p.m. performance include admission to the Heritage Village\, which is open from 10:00am – 4:00pm. \nAbout the Location\n Fanshawe Pioneer Village is located within Fanshawe Conservation Area.\n Enter at 1424 Clarke Road (Veterans Memorial Parkway & Clarke Road intersection). \nMore details coming soon—check back here for updates!
URL:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/pelley/
LOCATION:Fanshawe Pioneer Village\, 1424 Clarke Road\, London\, Ontario\, N5V 5B9\, Canada
ORGANIZER;CN="Fanshawe Pioneer Village":MAILTO:info@fanshawepioneervillage.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260612
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260613
DTSTAMP:20260615T013704Z
CREATED:20260203T012854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T013704Z
UID:3899-1781222400-1781308799@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
SUMMARY:June 12 - Review of Daytripping in North Middlesex
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, June 12\, 2026 was a gift — one of those days when you set out to explore and come home knowing you’ve made connections that will last. The Heritage Day in North Middlesex brought together some of the most vibrant archivists\, artists\, and community builders in this region. As a member of the Glencoe and District Historical Society\, I was proud to take part. I also wore my Google Guide hat all day\, uploading photos to each of these cultural spaces on Google Maps so that future visitors can find them more easily. \nAilsa Craig is roughly an hour from the Glencoe area\, so the day required planning. I began in Parkhill at the Parkhill Artisan Collective\, housed in the town’s historic Carnegie Library building on Main Street — a beautiful structure with wood floors\, high ceilings\, and the kind of central staircase that makes you feel like something important is happening inside. It is. I was warmly welcomed by Rebecca Bender and Ruth Cook\, and found a collective in full celebratory mode: local artists displaying and selling their work\, baking for sale\, and the whole space humming with community energy. I came away with a beautiful handcrafted wooden cutting board — one of many pieces by local makers on display. This is exactly what a heritage building should be doing on a Friday in June.   \nA short walk away\, I visited the Parkhill Library\, currently housed inside the municipal services building. The staff were wonderfully helpful\, and made a valiant attempt at printing the County of Middlesex Road Map — a beloved resource for daytrippers that identifies every road in the county. It didn’t quite work on their small printer\, but they found what remaining copies they had. I want to put in a word here on behalf of anyone who loves driving the back roads of Middlesex: please\, County\, keep printing that map and promote it. \nFrom Parkhill I drove to Ailsa Craig\, a town that turned out to be quietly astonishing in its commitment to heritage and the arts. My first stop was the Ailsa Craig Arts Centre\, tucked behind Ye Olde Towne Hall — a maker space full of light and purpose. I had the pleasure of meeting my husband’s cousin Jan Bender\, who is a member\, as well as a new member who recently moved from Nova Scotia and threw herself into the life of this intergenerational creative space. The special exhibit that day featured a collaboration between the ACAC writers’ group and the Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild\, London — original poems interpreted in textile. It was quietly stunning. \nI stopped briefly at the Crown and Fox Pub on Main Street\, which was preparing for its opening the very next day. We wished them well. Then I visited the Ailsa Craig Library — a welcoming\, accessible space — before discovering the Auld Barn\, a beautiful woodshop and gallery where I purchased another piece of wooden artwork. \nThe historical heart of the day came when I visited the Donald Hughes Annex Museum and the Marg and Leroy Walker Research Room\, two buildings operated by the North Middlesex Historical Society that speak to an extraordinary level of local commitment. The Annex\, in the village’s former Baptist Church\, holds more than 10\,000 artifacts and serves as the society’s central hub. The Walker Research Room\, in the former Trinity Anglican Church\, contains thousands of historical documents\, photographs\, and scrapbooks. I met active members of the historical society and three of the five students they have hired for the summer — all busy and enthusiastic in their first week. The society has recently acquired a third building\, the Masons Hall on Main Street. Ailsa Craig is blessed with serious historians\, generous donors\, and a heritage infrastructure that many larger communities would envy. \nMy final stop was the Presbyterian Heritage Centre in Carlisle\, where Ian Mason welcomed me warmly. I had missed the three mini organ concerts held earlier in the day — but I did get to play the organ myself. That was a moment I won’t soon forget\, and you can read more about this remarkable instrument below. \nThe day ended beautifully at the New Moon Community Homestead on New Ontario Road\, Ailsa Craig\, for their monthly Farm Gate Friday celebration. It was everything the event promised: farm-fresh food\, live music\, local vendors\, and a genuine sense of community. The Ailsa Craig Arts Centre collective was there. Kenny the interpreter from Fanshawe Village was there. A new collective growing flax and hoping to produce linen was there. Four of the ten farms involved with Ivey Business School’s regenerative agriculture project were represented. \n \nThe New Moon farmers have rotated their enormous vegetable garden into a new section of the farm — gorgeous broccoli and kale with no visible insect pressure\, which feels like proof of something. My husband Ross Snider joined me at the end of the day and we drove home in the dusk well fed and full of good feeling. \nKudos to everyone who organized and hosted this day. Let’s keep collaborating. \nHere is a Google Map with our points of interested marked.  Click the top right square: “View Larger Map“.  Click here for an itinerary to print: June 12th Itinerary  \n \n  \nNorth Middlesex Barn Quilt Trail\nThe North Middlesex Barn Quilt Trail highlights the region’s agricultural heritage and community storytelling through public art.  Go to  https://barnquilttrails.ca/trails/north-middlesex/  and printable map   or  this one \nThe Heritage Trail – North Middlesex\nAn interactive heritage map for North Middlesex and surrounding Middlesex municipalities:\nhttps://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/374be4d414af4e9d881abde57158e2cb \n  \nThe Presbyterian Heritage Centre\n19 Falkirk Street\, Carlisle\, ON N0M 1P0  Carlisle United Church \nWebsite – http://pcheritagecentre.ca/  \nA dedicated volunteer group has transformed space within an historic United Church into a new Heritage Centre\, providing a permanent home for a significant national collection of Presbyterian artifacts after it was required to leave its former location in Toronto. \nCarlisle United Church continues to worship in the lower hall. \nThis project reflects years of commitment and care and offers visitors insight into faith history\, congregational life\, and the evolution of rural Presbyterian communities. \nHost: Ian Mason\, (647) 494-4559\,   pcheritagecentre [at] gmail.com    \nCARLISLE CEMETERY TOURS \nCarlisle United Church Cemetery is one of the primary and historic cemeteries of North Middlesex.  The earliest gravestone dates to 1854.  It is maintained as an active cemetery. \nMary Simpson plays the tracker organ in the Presbyterian Heritage Centre in Carlisle\, North Middlesx\nA Note on the Organ at the Presbyterian Heritage Centre\nThe organ at the Presbyterian Heritage Centre is one of the last eight remaining pipe organs produced by the Edward Lye and Sons Company of Toronto before the firm was reorganized by the founders’ grandsons as the Lye Organ Co. It is a small two-manual\, eight-rank tracker pipe organ\, installed in Dorchester Presbyterian Church in 1930. It was virtually a twin to a 1919 instrument installed in the same church before Church Union in 1925 caused that earlier organ to be relocated to Dorchester United Church. The 1930 organ was rescued in January 2025\, restored over nine months\, and installed in the Heritage Centre in November 2025. By the first week of December it was fully operable and tuned — a tribute to its two organbuilders. \nThe recital on June 12 was performed by Ryan Baxter\, a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music\, where he studies solo piano performance and also takes courses in Indigenous studies through the Memegwaanh Indigenous Learning Honour program. Ryan holds multiple diplomas in piano\, organ\, and piano pedagogy\, and has been awarded both a SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. He serves as Music Director and Organist at Rowntree Memorial United Church in London. His program included works by Bach\, Mendelssohn\, Lefébure-Wely\, Rheinberger\, Healey Willan\, Ernest Tomlinson\, and Denis Bédard — a beautifully considered selection for the instrument and the occasion. \n\nThe Marg & Leroy Walker Research Room\n158 Church Street\, Ailsa Craig\, ON \nThe former Trinity Anglican Church houses the Marg & Leroy Walker Research Room. The Research Room contains all of the Historical Society’s archives\, including thousands of historical documents\, photographs\, and scrapbooks documenting the people and places of North Middlesex. \nHosted by North Middlesex Historical Society northmiddlesexhs@gmail.com  \n  \nDonald Hughes Annex Museum\n159 George Street\, Ailsa Craig\, ON \nOpen 10 – 5:00 p.m.  \nWebsite –  \nLocated in what was once the village’s Baptist church\, the Donald Hughes Annex Museum serves as a central hub for Ailsa Craig’s local history. The building now functions as a gallery and collections space. \nWith more than 10\,000 artifacts\, the exhibits feature an eclectic mix of local—and occasionally not-so-local—objects. There is always something new being brought out for display. \nHosted by North Middlesex Historical Society northmiddlesexhs@gmail.com  \n\nAilsa Craig Arts Centre (ACAC)\n160D Main Street\, Ailsa Craig\, ON N0M 1A0   (Located at the back of Ye Olde Towne Hall) \n Regular Hours: Tuesday\, Thursdays & Saturdays 1 – 4 pm \nWebsite: https://ailsacraigartscentre.wildapricot.org \nThe Ailsa Craig Arts Centre is a membership based\, intergenerational learning centre where people can explore and further their creative potential.  Every six weeks we have a new exhibit featuring artists from the community and surrounding area. On June 12 we are especially pleased to present a collaboration between our writers’ group and the “Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild\, London” where original poems have been interpreted by textile artists. \nWe host drop-in groups such as cardmaking\, knitting\, and crocheting; special interest art-based groups such as watercolour; a writer’s group\, a book club\, and several youth programs. A wide range of classes are scheduled year round.  \nThe ACAC is a legacy project by the Ailsa Craig Quilt and Fibre Festival and completely volunteer run.   ailsacraigartscentre@gmail.com \n\nParkhill Artisan Collective \n233 Parkhill Main St\, Parkhill\, ON N0M 2K0 \nOpen 10 – 4 p.m. \nWebsite – https://www.parkhillgallery.ca/about-us  \nWe are a membership based art centre located at the Parkhill Carnegie Gallery.  We  offer a showcase for local artisans\, a teaching area for workshops/classes and a group meeting space for local groups in the area of North Middlesex\, Ontario.   \nThis beautiful building with its central steps\, the wood floors and trim\,  and high ceilings make a great setting for concerts\, special events and displaying works of art. \nOne aspect of our mandate is to preserve this building for arts and cultural purposes; another is to offer opportunities for emerging artists.  \nWebsite – https://www.parkhillgallery.ca/about-us  \nHost: Rebecca Bender  (519) 870-1974    carnegiegalleryparkhill@gmail.com \n  \n\nJune 12th at the New Moon Community Homestead\nNew Moon Community Homestead \n27093 New Ontario Road\, Ailsa Craig\, ON N0M 1A0 \nOpen 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.  \nWebsite – https://newmooncommunityhomestead.ca/  \nOn the  second Friday of each month from June to September there is an evening filled with delicious farm-fresh dinners\, live music\, and an array of amazing local vendors. The store will be open\, so after enjoying your meal\, you can grab fresh groceries and make it a one-stop shop for all things tasty.  \n  \nAdditional Stops & Points of Interest\n\n\n\nWalking Tours of Ailsa Craig and Parkhill\n\nDownload the maps here.  \n\n\nThe Church at Nairn Cemetery\n26459 Bear Creek Road\, Ailsa Craig\, ON N0M 1A0\nFirst Nairn Cemetery\n4430 Mill Crescent\, Ailsa Craig\, ON N0M 1A0\nCarlisle United Church Cemetery\n1432 Centre Road\, Carlisle\, ON L0R 1H1\nSiddallville Cemetery Cairn\n12439 Siddall Road (#12341)\, Exeter\, ON N0M 1P0\nWest Cemetery\n3793 W Corner Dr\, Ailsa Craig\, ON N0M 1A0\n\n\n\n\nParkhill Library\n\n\n\n\n229 B Parkhill Main St\, Parkhill\, ON N0M 2K0\nOpen Friday\, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. \nWebsite: https://library.middlesex.ca/locations  Search for Parkhill
URL:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/june12/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/fa0fd8ca-0882-4599-9f56-02aeb3fd1f3d.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Glencoe & District Historical Society":MAILTO:contactus@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260618T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260618T193000
DTSTAMP:20260615T014440Z
CREATED:20260128T221338Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260615T014440Z
UID:3871-1781805600-1781811000@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
SUMMARY:Jun 18   Vanished Villages - where did they go?
DESCRIPTION:Vanished Villages in our district – a post mortem \nTime: 6:00 p.m. \nLocation: Glencoe Public Library\n \nWhile Newbury continues to thrive\, many once-bustling nearby settlements in west Middlesex have quietly disappeared from the map. What happened to places like Strathburn\, Kilmartin\, Ekfrid Station\, Pratt Siding\, and Cashmere—and why did Newbury and Glencoe endure while they did not? \nIn this illustrated and engaging talk\, local historian Jennifer Grainger explores the rise and fall of these vanished villages. Drawing on maps\, photographs\, land records\, and archaeological clues\, she traces where these communities were located\, how historians and genealogists research them today\, and what—if anything—remains on the landscape. \nThis presentation will appeal to anyone interested in: \n\nLocal and regional history\nGenealogy and place-based research\nTransportation\, railways\, and economic change\nHeritage preservation and memory\n\nAbout the Speaker\nJennifer Grainger holds an MA in Archaeology and a Master of Library & Information Science. A former president of the London & Middlesex Historical Society and Architectural Conservancy Ontario London Region\, she continues to champion local history and heritage buildings through her long-running blog Jenny’s London & Southwestern Ontario and numerous publications. She lives in London\, Ontario\, and manages internet sales for Attic Books. \nSelected Publications\n\nVanished Villages of Middlesex (Natural Heritage Books\, 2002)\nVanished Villages of Elgin (Dundurn\, 2008)\nEarly London (Biblioasis\, 2016)\nLondon Free Press: From the Vault – Up to 1950\nLondon Free Press: From the Vault – 1950–1975\n\n🔎 Why do some places vanish while others endure?\nJoin us to explore how geography\, transportation\, industry\, and timing shaped the fate of Middlesex County’s lost communities—and what their stories still tell us today.\n \n  \nVillage of Newbury
URL:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/vanishedvillages/
LOCATION:Glencoe Public Library\, 123 McKellar St.\, Glencoe\, Ontario\, N0L 1M0\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_4505.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Glencoe & District Historical Society":MAILTO:contactus@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260620T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260620T120000
DTSTAMP:20260605T174550Z
CREATED:20260525T161737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T174550Z
UID:4331-1781949600-1781956800@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
SUMMARY:June 20 - Built Heritage Project-Evan Abma
DESCRIPTION:ctu \nOver the past several years\, Evan has undertaken an ambitious research project mapping historic farmhouses across Lambton County. Using a wide range of sources—including historical land registers\, tax assessments\, farm directories\, topographic maps\, census records\, satellite imagery\, concession maps\, and digital tools such as Google MyMaps—he has documented approximately 1\,700 historic farmhouses still standing\, down from about 2\,000 in 2009. \nThe Facebook Group: Lost Lambton\, Found!  \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \n  \nWhat are the implications here in SW Middlesex?  \n Over the years\, Glencoe & District Historical Society members have been actively documenting heritage architecture\, historic farms\, cemeteries\, and rural landscapes across Southwest Middlesex. We are eager to learn how historical land records\, assessments\, directories\, and census data can be layered with modern tools such as Google MyMaps to create living\, shareable records of our rural heritage. This presentation may help spark ideas for how we can apply similar methods locally\, building on the work already underway in our community. \n  \n  \nBackground \nEvan’s work began after he noticed that many historic homes featured in an online article about Warwick Township were no longer standing. What started as a small tracking project quickly expanded to all of Lambton County\, revealing uneven patterns of preservation—some areas retaining many historic homes\, while others have seen rapid decline. \nThese farmhouses represent more than buildings. They embody the aspirations of early rural settlers\, marking a transition from log cabins to substantial homes that reflected permanence\, prosperity\, and connection to the land. Their loss\, Evan argues\, erodes not only housing stock but also our tangible link to rural history. \nThe presentation will be followed by time for conversation\, questions\, and informal discussion over lunch. \nThis event will be of interest to: \n\nLocal historians and genealogists\nFarmers and rural landowners\nHeritage advocates and planners\nAnyone interested in rural history\, landscape change\, and preservation\n\nAll are welcome.\n Please join us for learning\, conversation\, and community around the shared task of understanding—and caring for—our rural heritage.
URL:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/built-heritage-project-evan-abma/
LOCATION:The Archives\, 178 McKellar Street\, Glencoe (Southwest Middlesex)\, Ontario\, N0L 1M0\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Built-Heritage-Project-4.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Glencoe & District Historical Society":MAILTO:contactus@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260628T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260628T163000
DTSTAMP:20251210T225037Z
CREATED:20251210T224239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T225037Z
UID:3685-1782658800-1782664200@glencoehistoricalsociety.ca
SUMMARY:June 28 - Annual St. Mary’s Service 
DESCRIPTION:June 28\, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. – Annual St. Mary’s Service \nLocation: St. Mary’s Anglican Church (Napier)\n 1418 Melwood Drive\, Strathroy\, ON N7G 3H5 \nJoin us for our Annual St. Mary’s Service at one of Middlesex County’s most treasured historic landmarks\, lovingly preserved since the 1840s. \nBuilt of local walnut—generously donated by Captain Christopher Beer\, who even postponed building his own home to support the church—St. Mary’s stands as a testament to dedication\, sacrifice\, and community vision. Although regular services ended in 1920\, the tradition of gathering here has continued for over a century. \nThanks to the devoted care of local families\, especially the Toohill family\, St. Mary’s remains a place of peace\, memory\, and continuity for all who visit. \nWe invite you to join us on June 28th at 3 p.m. for a meaningful service of remembrance\, reflection\, and celebration of our shared heritage. \nAll are welcome. Bring family\, friends\, and any who cherish local history. \n  \n \n\nHistory of St. Mary’s Anglican Church – Napier\, ON\nThe following history is an excerpt from an old service bulletin and the author is unknown.   \nThis church has been standing straight\, fine and true for over one hundred and eighty years.  It stands as a testament to the faith of those who built it\, those who came to regular services\, and to those who worked over the years to keep their church alive and active.  But it is a symbol\, not primarily of their strength and perseverance\, but of the presence of God in their midst. \nThe first settler in this general area was Captain John Charlton in 1825.  In 1829\, Richard\, Thomas\, and Christopher Moyle and their families and Captain Christopher Beer established residences along the river in the Napier area.  In 1831\, Lieutenant Charles Preston and his family came from Cornwall in Upper Canada.  Preston had been granted 100 acres when he commuted his pension for land.  They settled on this property where St. Mary’s Church stands. \nThe first church services were held in Captain Christopher Beer’s house.  Captain Beer’s rank gave him the privilege of conducting the first church services and first burials in the community.  After the congregation became too large\, they moved to the home of Captain Johnson.  When the congregation became too large for his house\, a school was built on this property in 1839 and used for church services.  The log school was built on one acre of land donated by Charles Preston for a church and a cemetery.  Preston also gave three acres of land for a rectory.   \nIn 1841\, the residents of the community sent a petition to the Bishop of Toronto requesting permission and assistance to build a church. The petitioners declared themselves to be generally poor and unable to pay for a frame church to be built but the increase in the congregation was such that the school was no longer large enough. Captain Beer had prepared some walnut lumber to use in building a new house.  However\, when the news came that a church could be built\, he donated this lumber to the church and postponed construction of his own home.  This gift\, which represented a considerable sacrifice\, was well used; the walnut was worked into pews\, wainscotting and the chancel.  It still stands here as a memorial to a man who loved his church and community. \nIn 1860\, the church and cemetery were consecrated by the Right Reverend Benjamin Cronyn\, the Bishop of Huron and the church officially received the name “St. Mary”.  In Ireland\, the Cronyn’s had attended St. Mary’s Church Kilkenny.  This name linked the new land with the old. \nThe last regular weekly service was held on January 29\, 1920 and annual services were initiated in the early 1930’s.  We must be grateful to the residents of this area and especially to the Toohill family for their loving care of St. Mary’s Church.  It is thanks to them that this oldest church building in Middlesex County still exists.  \n\nRod Brooks\, the music leader for St. Mary’s annual service\n 
URL:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/stmarys/
LOCATION:St. Mary’s Anglican Church Napier\, 1418 Melwood Drive\, Strathroy\, ON\, N7G 3H5.\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-St.-Marys-Napier.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR