Yoshio Shimizu, a prisoner in Glencoe during WWII

Yoshio Shimuzu: “You have to remember that we had been driven from our homes by racial prejudice in British Columbia, reviled and despised by the bulk of the population, and here in the farmlands of southwestern Ontario, we were welcomed as equals and saviours by the farming population.”
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Barn Quilt Trail Movement: A Journey Across North America

By Mary Simpson and Denise Corneil. Featured in the Middlesex Banner.

The Barn Quilt Trail Movement, which started in Ohio, USA, has blossomed into a colorful journey across North America, thanks to the vision and dedication of individuals like Donna Sue Groves, now deceased. Inspired by her love for quilts and barns, Groves initiated the movement in 2001 when she painted the first quilt square on her family’s barn in Adams County, Ohio.

In Canada, the movement found roots in Temiskaming, Ontario, in 2007. Bev Maille, Marg Villneff, and Eleanor Katana spearheaded a project to paint 200 quilt squares, adorning barns and historic landmarks across the region in time for the International Plowing Match 2009. This initiative not only added vibrant colors to the landscape but also attracted tourists and boosted economic development.

Wardsville, Middlesex County, Ontario, joined the trail in 2009 when Denise Corneil’s mother, Eileen, returned from the U.S. with a barn quilt brochure. Denise, along with a team of volunteers, stitched a story quilt commemorating Wardsville’s founders, Mr. and Mrs. George Ward, for the village’s 2010 Bicentennial celebration. This project revitalized the community and became a testament to the power of preserving local heritage.

The movement continued to flourish in Ontario. With support from the Sand Plains Community Development Fund, over 100 quilts were created, each telling stories of settlement, community building, and rural life. Barn quilt trails spread up and down the roads of Middlesex, Elgin, Oxford, Norfolk, and Brant Counties in 2011. 

Here in Middlesex, women living along Longwoods Road and the community of Chippewa of the Thames, worked side by side to plan two trails explaining how the War of 1812-1814 affected the lives of women, children, and families.  The winter of 1813 was particularly bad.  

Trail of Tears- Family. Located in the community of Chippewa of the Thames

The result was the Trail of Tears Barn Quilt Trail, a collection showcased on Chippewa of the Thames locations, and a trail stretching along Longwoods Road from Delaware to Thameville – plus two beautiful quilts and many new and enduring friendships.  These trails and many more trails across Canada are curated at barnquilttrails.ca.  

In 2013, all major barn quilt trails in Ontario were curated on one website, barnquilttrails.ca, supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This initiative aimed to provide guidance and encouragement to communities starting their own barn quilt projects, ensuring the movement’s sustainability and growth.  This website continues to be curated by volunteers and now showcases barn quilts across Canada.

As barn quilt trails spread across Canada, the United States, and around the world, they became more than just colorful displays; they became a way for communities to share their stories and preserve their heritage. 

Today, as new projects like those in South Bruce and Osgoode Township emerge, the legacy of the Barn Quilt Trail Movement lives on. Denise Corneil, Wardsville, along with a dedicated team, remains committed to supporting and promoting these initiatives, ensuring that the colorful journey across North America continues to thrive for generations to come.

The Fabric Quilt: Honoring Mr. & Mrs. George Ward

Some community barn quilt projects start the planning process with a theme and a story quilt.  In 2009, Wardsville started up with the War of 1812 theme.  Eleanor Blain and Sue Ellis, seasoned quilt makers, devised a plan to engage people of all skill levels in the quilt-making process. 

With the assistance of local historian Ken Willis, who provided valuable insights into the Wards’ history, the quilt committee traced the Wards’ journey from establishing a settlement along Longwoods Road to enduring the trials of the Battle of the Longwoods and the ensuing accusations of treason. Thirty quilt blocks were meticulously selected to depict key moments in the Wards’ lives, ensuring that Mrs. Margaret Ward’s contributions were honored too. 

The quilt-making process was a labor of love, with countless hours spent selecting fabrics, cutting shapes, and stitching together each block. Ellis and Blain invited community members, both experienced quilters and novices, to lend their hands to the project. The quilt frame at Beattie Haven Retirement Home became a hub of activity as individuals gathered to contribute stitches to the communal creation.

The quilt telling the story of George and Margaret Ward being stitched at Beattie Manor retirement home.

When the George Ward Commemorative Quilt was unveiled at Wardsville United Church in May 2010, it elicited gasps of awe from the crowd. The quilt’s was entered into the Group category at the 2010 International Plowing Match Quilting Competition in Shedden,where it claimed second prize.

What is a Barn Quilt?

Barn quilts are eight-foot square (and larger) painted replicas of actual fabric quilt blocks installed on barns. Barn quilts draw attention to Canada’s disappearing rural landscapes, timber frame barns, and the family farm. Each barn quilt tells a story and draws attention to unmarked historical places.

They can be scattered through the county mounted on beautiful barns (like Huron County), or they can create a themed route, leading visitors from one site to the next.

Tourists are Interested in our local history

With the aging baby boomer cohort, there is a lot of interest in nostalgia and history.  There is a growing recognition that tourists are interested in our local history too.

The Canadian federal government is investing in rural and remote tourism.  The tourism industry is realizing what barn quilt enthusiasts always knew.  Statistics Canada shows that tourism provides billions of dollars in revenue and accounts for 10% of local jobs in rural (non-metro) areas.  A federal spokesperson said that “Tourism can diversify and strengthen the economic base and viability as well as safeguard local culture, language and heritage. Businesses benefit from increased income from direct sales of homegrown and locally made products.  Visitors want to participate in authentic Indigenous experiences, and 62% of Indigenous tourism businesses are in rural and remote areas.” 

Louise Long applies masking tape prior to painting. Three coats. (Photo by Dave Chidley)

And so the barn quilt movement continues to spread.  Go to barnquilttrails.ca to find the trails in Middlesex County and southwestern Ontario.  Embark on a journey through time and space. This isn’t just tourism; it’s a love letter to the land, a celebration of heritage, and a testament to the power of community. 

History of The Appin Cemetery

By Jim May

Presented to the Appin Memorial Day gathering August 1, 2000 by Jim May, whose family had a long association with Appin Cemetery. Jim’s first recollection of the cemetery was a phone call in the early 1950s: “Could my Dad come with his truck to help collect up stones for the cemetery gates?” This presentation tells the history of the Appin Cemetery, Appin, Ontario, Canada

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They Settled in Riverside – family history book

They Settled in Riverside – family history book

By Bob Gentleman and Kathy Evans. Review printed with kind permission from the Middlesex Banner.

In July of this year, family and friends gathered at Arrowwood Farm, a beautiful property in Riverside, just south of Melbourne, to celebrate the publishing of a book written by my uncle, Bob Gentleman. The farm that is now called Arrowwood Farm (6460 Riverside Drive) has sentimental value to our family, as it was once owned by the Gentlemans, purchased in 1870. 

Bob’s book, titled “They Settled in Riverside,” is largely a family history, documenting the arrival of our ancestors in the Riverside area and describing their family branches. But Bob also captures an era now decades past as he shares stories of early Riverside neighbours and of growing up in Melbourne in the 1930s. He recalls his paper route, the school, town merchants and businesses, the railroad, and the neighbours and friends who were important in his life.

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Rooted and Remembered book launch

Rooted and Remembered book launch

Tonight, August 23, 2024 is the book launch – Rooted and Remembered

Come meet story keeper, James Carruthers and local novelist CJ Frederick.  They will describe how they brought this special family history to the printed page.   

Topic: Lest We Forget Ellwyne Ballantyne.   

Time: Oct 23, 2024 07:00 PM America/Toronto

Join Zoom Meeting or come to the Archives.  Join the zoom call at 6:55 p.m. so we can settle in for a 7 pm. start. 

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CJ and James hope that Ellwyne’s story and his connection with the Carruthers clan touches people with its message of love, faith, and remembrance. It’s only through storytelling that those who carry memories, and decide to share them, make history come to life.

Author CJ Frederick signs book at Tartan Days, July 20, 2024.

Copies of “Rooted and Remembered” will be available to purchase. 
 
To read more about CJ Frederick visit https://www.cjfrederick.com or https://www.facebook.com/cjtellstales

MAKING HISTORY COME TO LIFE THROUGH STORYTELLING

Listen to CJ tell about how she became intrigued with this story and how she collaborated with James Carruthers, the grandson of Betsy Jane Carruthers, during the pandemic to write a ‘creative non-fiction’ book about this wonderful young man, Ellwyne.     Link to Interview starts at 9 minutes. 

 

CJ’s First Novel – her story:  Stories ripple all around us, if only we’re willing to hear them. In 2012, CJ first learned of Ellwyne Ballantyne and the astonishing relationship he forged with two strangers after reading a short newspaper article about the dedication of an unusual tree to a long-dead soldier from World War One. With obligations to work and family filling her time, she wasn’t yet ready to hear his story. It took a global pandemic, with the prospect of lockdowns and unexpected forced time at home, to open her ears, mind, and heart and be ready to explore the roots of Ellwyne’s story that took place more than a century before.

CJ grew up in the 1980s in a wood-framed farmhouse built by Scottish settlers, situated on a dead-end road that terminates near the winding Sydenham River. In 2000, this road was renamed from a numbered concession to Buttonwood Drive. The name reflects the stand of buttonwood trees gathered at the river’s edge, where they most comfortably grow.

In 2020, she began reflecting on the fallen soldier and his extraordinary buttonwood tree that grows near her childhood home. Her curiosity eventually led her to the doors of Carruthers clan descendants, where she begged to have a conversation about Ellwyne and his connection to the tree. Thinking it might have the makings of a short story, she began putting together the pieces of Ellwyne Ballantyne’s brief life. But, with each photograph, letter, and artifact shared, she became more engrossed in the tale of an orphan who had stepped foot on three continents and was taken in by strangers who came to love him as their own. At the outset, CJ did not anticipate that it would bloom into a novel, but as she learned more details about the characters and events, she believed that each nugget was fascinating and intriguing. 

 

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Napier Decoration Day Service

Napier Decoration Day Service

Please join us for the annual Decoration Day Service at St. Mary’s Anglican Church – Napier, Ontario on June 23, 2024 at 3 pm. 

 

St. Mary’s Anglican Church Napier – 1418 Melwood Drive, Strathroy, ON  N7G 3H5.

 


The following history is an excerpt from an old service bulletin and the author is unknown. 

This 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.

The 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.

The 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. 

In 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.

In 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.

The 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. 

Peter McArthur: Our Famous Canadian – 1866 – 1924

Peter McArthur: Our Famous Canadian – 1866 – 1924

Marie Williams, Glencoe: The huge crowd that packed into the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives on February 22 proved that the “Sage of Ekfrid” is as popular today as he was over 100 years ago. In addition to 30 viewing online, over 50 turned up in person.

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April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 in review

Report for the Glencoe & District Historical Society

Date & Venue: Wednesday, April 17th, 2024, at the Archives, 178 McKellar Street, Glencoe.

Attendance: A solid turnout of 30 members, with all executives present except President Ken Beecroft.

Opening: Vice President Mary Simpson initiated the meeting at 7:00 PM, welcoming members old and new.

Remembrance: A moment of silence was observed for the late Lorne Munro, a member for 20 years.

Business as Usual: The minutes from the previous year’s AGM were approved without issue, and discussions moved smoothly to current matters.

Financial Health: Treasurer Marilyn McCallum presented a detailed financial report and budget for the upcoming year, which were both accepted unanimously.

Membership Milestone: Harold Carruthers announced a record membership count, (over 80 members) reflecting the society’s ongoing relevance.

Engaging Programs: Program Director Mary Simpson introduced upcoming events, including a talk by local author C.J. Fredericks.

Election Excitement: Nominations for the new executive team were made and approved smoothly.

Dynamic Presentations: Members shared updates on various projects, showcasing the society’s diverse activities.

Wendy Simms Bestward reported on the Simpson Descendants genealogy work. 

Denise Corneil reported on the alliance formed by Glencoe & District Historical Society, Creative Communities, barnquilttrails.ca, the Chippewa of the Thames cultural group, and EXAR Studios to build a story telling app to enhance the Barn Quilt Trails, a grassroots arts movement.

Harold Carruthers noted the 100th anniversary of  the death of “The Sage of Ekfrid” Peter McArthur.  There will be an interesting event on Father’s Day, June 16th at 1:00 p.m.  

Norm McGill conducted a Show and Tell in which 8 people participated. 

Closing: The meeting concluded at 8:50 PM, setting the stage for the incoming executive team.

Looking Ahead: With new leadership in place, the society is poised for another productive year.

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Aug 21 The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87

Aug 21 The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87

August 21, 2024

7:00 p.m. 

The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87 

4087 Olde Drive, Glencoe, ON

7:00 p.m.  Arrive at 4087 Olde Drive, Glencoe, ON.  Bring your lawn chairs.  Stroll around the half-acre tractor collection.  

7:30 p.m.  Dave McEachren will tell us about local dealer history.  

8:00 p.m.  Explore the new museum.  

As a 10-year old boy, Dave witnessed a few fellow neighborhood farm boys displaying their collections of farm toys at the Glencoe Fair.  It was that day that he decided to stop “playing in the dirt” with his toys and start collecting them instead.  More than a few decades later the dream of opening his own museum to share his ever-growing John Deere collection has come to light.  

The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87 includes over 40 real tractors, thousands of farm toy models, and tens of thousands of pieces of memorabilia and sales-related literature.  There will be something of interest for everyone, from local dealer history to samples of equipment you may never knew existed.

 

 

The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87

The McEachren Collection @ Forty-87

 

 

Blood on the Snow – lecture about the Donnellys

Blood on the Snow – lecture about the Donnellys

Glenn’s talk on YouTube – give it a listen

Glenn Stott tells about 33 years of troubles that took place in Biddulph Township and Lucan Ontario region in Upper Canada from 1847 to 1880 and ended with the murder of five members of the Donnelly family.

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Lecture about the Donnellys: Blood on the Snow

Glenn Stott – Blood on the Snow: The Donnellys and the Biddulph Tragedy

December 16 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Register : https://www.historysymposium.com/glenn-stott

The talk will be a livestream on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeOdo89QhQQOSnROHKN3HoA.

The Donnellys are one of Southwestern Ontario’s most notorious families. This talk will be an overview of the 33 year troubles that took place in Biddulph Township and Lucan, Ontario region from 1847 to 1880 and ultimately ended with the murder of the five members of the Donnelly family.

 

The “Black” Donnellys were an Irish Catholic immigrant family who settled in Biddulph township, Canada West (later the province of Ontario), about 15 km northwest of London, in the 1840s. The family settled on a concession road which became known as the Roman Line due to its high concentration of Irish Catholic immigrants in the predominantly Protestant area. Many Irish Canadians arrived in the 19th-century, many fleeing the Great Famine of Ireland (1845-52). The Donnellys’ ongoing feuds with local residents culminated in an attack on the family’s homestead by a vigilante mob on 4 February 1880, leaving five of the family dead and their farm burned to the ground. No one was convicted of the murders, despite two trials and a reliable eyewitness

The Appin Cemetery Memorial

The Appin Cemetery Memorial

This year we remembered the people in The Appin Cemetery.

Time: 2:00 p.m. on July 28, 2024

Location: The Appin Cemetery, 22886 Thames Road (Concession 2, Lot 12)

Link to interactive G&DHS Cemetery Map.

[archiveorg history-of-appin-cemetery-jim-may-2000 width=560 height=384 frameborder=0 webkitallowfullscreen=true mozallowfullscreen=true]

Farmer, writer, radical, sage: Re-introducing Peter McArthur

Farmer, writer, radical, sage: Re-introducing Peter McArthur

February 22, 2024 – “Peter McArthur: Our Famous Canadian – 1866 – 1924” 

A large crowd attended the Glencoe and District Historical Society Archives to experience Peter McArthur, the “Sage of Ekfrid”. It would appear that McArthur is as popular today as he was over 100 years ago. In addition to 30 viewing online, over 50 turned up in person. Norm McGill welcomed guests before president Ken Beecroft made some announcements. Kosta Vaklev offered a reading by McArthur before historian Harold Carruthers described his lifelong interest in the farmer/author.

Joining from Ireland, guest speaker Stephanie McDonald, described McArthur’s life and works, focussing on the last 16 years of his life after he moved back to the home farm in Ekfrid Township. Another long- time McArthur enthusiast, Don Sinclair closed the afternoon event, speaking about his connection to McArthur through the home farm and, in particular, the demonstration woodlot where McArthur wrote about his unique appreciation for rural life and  nature.


In 1908, at the age of 42, Peter McArthur returned to his family farm in Ekfrid Township with his wife and five children after living and working in Toronto, New York and London, England. For the next 16 years he wrote weekly columns in The Globe, amusing and enlightening his readers about life on a rural Ontario farm. 

October 28, 2024 will mark the centenary of McArthur’s death at the age of 58 following an operation. The man dubbed the “Sage of Ekfrid”, who had the most famous farm in Canada, is now nearly forgotten. With wit and wisdom, McArthur interrogated questions that we’re still asking today – how to bridge the rural/urban divide, how to protect the natural environment, and how to spend our days and live a good life.

Stephanie McDonald grew up on a mixed farm in Ekfrid Township. She has worked as a newspaper reporter in the Canadian Arctic, and in communications, policy and administration roles in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Ottawa and now Dublin, Ireland. Stephanie has had articles published in various newspapers and magazines, mostly about farmers, farming, food security and the climate crisis.

Farmer, writer, radical: the Sage of Ekfrid

 

 

From Polar Bears to No Bears: A 15,000 Year History

Time: Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada).   

Link to his talk

Larry Cornelis will tell the story of the impacts and challenges faced by our local forests and landscapes over the last 15,000 years. This includes climate change at both ends of that time frame, the advancement of ecosystems north, indigenous land care and European colonization, extensive habitat loss and the extirpation of many native species across our region.

Larry just published a book, Trees, Forests and Nature, in Southwest Ontario, so we will also launch this gorgeous book that explains our own beautiful backyard here in the Great Lakes Region.


Larry was born in Sarnia Ontario but spent most of his years at the family farm north of Wallaceburg along the North Sydenham River where his love of nature developed. Larry is a certified Horticulturist, Conservationist and Naturalist. He has been involved with local nature and conservation organizations for 35 years including Lambton Wildlife, The Sydenham Field Naturalists, Ontario Nativescapes and Ontario Nature to name a few.

From Polar Bears to No Bears: A 15000 year history


More events are planned for the Pre-Contact History series

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The Fenians

The Feniens are Coming!

Wardsville Volunteer Infantry Company Formed as #6 Company on January 6, 1983

To find out the details, click here for a download of Ken’s Paper or read on:

After Confederation 1867, the Province of Ontario (Canada West) was under British governance. Due to fears of what would happen after the American Civil War (1861-1865), the British authorities formed volunteer militia companies in hundreds of communities across Ontario, including our own.

The British authorities were concerned about a secret society of Irish patriots who had emigrated from Ireland to the United States with the intent of ending British rule by taking Canada by force and exchanging it with Britain for Irish independence. This secret revolutionary organization was founded on St. Patrick’s Day in 1857, by James Stephens in Dublin, Ireland. It was called the Fenian Brotherhood.

It is fascinating to imagine local kitchen table discussions about the Irish “terrorists” . Only our ancestors didn’t just talk about local politics at the coffee shop. They obeyed orders, formed militias and showed up.

On 3 Jan 1863, Wardsville volunteers formed independent militia company No. 6 within the 26th Middlesex Battalion headquartered in London. It was commanded by James T. Ward.

So what happened?

In early 1866, with tensions very high and Fenian attacks were anticipated along the St. Clair River. The Wardsville company was dispatched on March 8th to the Sarnia area and the local men “went under canvass” in full readiness to meet the enemy — in March .

But the Fenians didn’t show up. Instead, the Fenians attempted to invade Canada at Campobello Island at the Maine, US / New Brunswick border. It was a complete disaster.

The British authorities relaxed, but the clever Fenians took heart and re-organized an invasion across the Niagara River. They captured the undefended town of Fort Erie and its railway and telegraph terminals. The revolutionaries arrested the Town Council, Customs and border officials before cutting outgoing telegraph lines so help could not be summoned.

The Fenians are Coming!

Presentation by Ken Willis 15 Jan 2020

June 21 Victory Garden Launched in Appin

Wonderful event held at the Appin Park. Forty people enjoyed the new community garden, congratulating the local team who have built the raised beds, set up a watering system, and nurtured the plants. Many thanks to our elected municipal leaders for taking the time to attend.

The highlight of the evening was listening to the stories regaled by Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English about the farmerettes, the teenagers that harvested Ontario crops from about 1942 – 1952.

Thank you Bonnie and Shirleyann. You have documented a wonderful part of agricultural history that otherwise would have been lost.

Learn more about the Farmerettes in Ontario:

Bonnie Sitter, “Farmerettes in Ontario” in Harrowsmith. February 2021.

And here’s some links to the buzz created by the release of Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes. (2019). by Shirleyan English and Bonnie Sitter

Bonnie Sitter, “Farmerettes: Get Out on the Farm” in The Rural Voice. June, 2018.

Bonnie Sitter, “Farmerettes in Ontario” in Harrowsmith. 2020.

Bonnie Sitter, “Farmerettes in Ontario” in Harrowsmith. February 2021.

AGM: Show & Tell. Celebrating 45 years.

7 p.m. Annual General Meeting.  

Join the Glencoe & District Historical Society and come to the meeting of the members to review the accomplishments of 2022 and make plans for the coming year.  Individual Memberships are $20 and family memberships are $25.  Tax Receipts will be issued by Membership Secretary Harold Carruthers.

Show and Tell!  Bring a family heirloom, artifact, or mysterious thing from the past to share with the group.  We’ll have some fun with this.

 

Existing members: this is your official notice to attend the annual general meeting to be held at the Archives, 178 McKellar Street, Glencoe, Ontario.  

Or attend via Zoom meeting.

Topic: Glencoe & District Historical Society Annual General Meeting 45 years!

Time: Apr 19, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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