Hart House was opened in 1919 at the University of Toronto, Ontario. It was a gift to the University by the Massey Foundation. Built by two Canadian architects, Sproatt and Rolph, it had a dining-hall for undergraduates, a faculty club, club rooms for graduate members, a music room, a chapel, a library, a room for debates, a completely equipped little theatre, a sketch room and various offices plus a running track, rooms for boxing, fencing and wrestling, a swimming pool, a billiard room, photographic dark rooms, a rifle range, common-rooms and guest rooms. Hart House was essentially a club for men. (Taken from: Wallace, W. Stewart. "A History of the University of Toronto." Toronto: The University of Toronto Press, 1927.) The Theatre in Hart House was in the basement. Vincent Massey and his wife saw the area before a theatre was built and made the suggestion. The theatre was fully equipped with 500 seats, a green room, a dressing room and property and costume rooms. In 1919 the Theatre presented five plays, four matinees lyriques and a number of lectures on the productions of the Hart House Theatre and, in general, the art of the little theatre. At first the Theatre was operated outside of the University Community. Undergraduates were not in the productions unless they were extremely proficient in their skills. Instead the University relied on more experienced men and women. Students were able to buy tickets at special rates to see the productions. Not only were plays put on in the theatre but it was also used for special lectures, musicals by the music club and productions by other colleges. There were a number of different directors throughout the years who were sympathetic to the students and involved the undergraduates as much as possible in the mechanics of the productions. During the 1920's and 1930's the Hart House Theatre was the leader in Canadian little theatre. In 1930 Hart House Theatre was expanded. The ground beneath the second storey was excavated to provide room for a rehearsal hall, additional rooms and a storage room for the 3 000 costumes that belonged to the theatre. Starting in the 1930's and into the years of World War II the Theatre became used by students and their own productions than it had been previously. A number of well-known Canadian personalities, such as Johnny Wayne, Frank Shuster and Andrew Allan received their start at the Theatre. (Taken from: Montagnes, Ian. The Story of Hart House. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1969.)
In 1792, the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham were officially created in a proclamation made by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. The proclamation divided Upper Canada in 19 Counties for representation purposes. The United Counties are bounded by Lake Ontario in the south, Hastings County in the east, Ontario County in the west and Peterborough and Victoria Counties in the north.
The Village of Hastings was incorporated in 1875. It is on the Trent Canal system partially in Northumberland County and partially in Peterborough County. In its early history lumber from the northern part of Peterborough passed through Hastings locks on its way to Lake Ontario. It originally had a foundry, a cotton factory, flouring and grist mills as well as a stone Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. (Taken from: The Illustrated Historical Atlas of Northumberland and Durham Counties, Ontario. Belleville: Mika Silk Screening Limited, 1972.)
In 1903 it was decided by the people of the village of Havelock, Ontario, that the construction of a hydro power supply plant was necessary and possible. The chosen site was located at Burnt Dam, six miles north of Havelock, in Belmont Township. It was estimated that the financial outlay to undertake this project would be $8,000. To raise the money, steps were taken to form a joint stock company to be known as the Havelock Electric Light and Power Company Ltd. Very quickly all of the stocks were sold and a generating building was constructed on the chosen site. From 1903 to 1920 the Havelock Electric Light and Power Company Ltd. supplied electricity to users in Havelock at a flat rate of $2.00 per month. In March, 1920, a contract was made with Ontario Hydro and power in the village was then supplied by the Havelock Hydro Commission. (Taken from: Hunter, Harold R. Havelock Through the Years. Belleville: Mika Publishing Company, 1990.)
Thomas Alexander Stewart Hay was born in Peterborough on August 14, 1849, the son of Thomas Hay of Seggieden, Scotland, and Anna Maria Stewart. Anna Maria was the daughter of Thomas A. and Frances Stewart, pioneer settlers in Douro Township. Hay married Elise Roux, of Montreal, June 27, 1881. Hay was a civil engineer by profession. He learned a great deal from his uncle, George Stewart, who was also an engineer. Hay was a charter member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers. He was a Mason and he accomplished much in his career, working for the Midland Railway, the Trent Canal (where he assisted in the design of the Peterborough lift lock) and the City of Peterborough, as a City Engineer. In this capacity, he designed the Smith Street (now Parkhill Road) bridge at Inverlea, and aided in parkland development in the city. Hay was the first President of the Peterborough Historical Society, the active curator of its museum, and the author of "A Short History of Peterborough," an appendix in E.S. Dunlop's edited version of Frances Stewarts' letter "Our Forest Home." Hay died on March 28, 1917, leaving his wife and two daughters Frances Isabel and Helen.
The Canadian Copying House was operated by Ford & Coleman, Ameliasburgh, Ontario. The general office was located in Belleville, Ontario.
The Canadian Canoe Museum is a unique national heritage centre that explores the canoe’s enduring significance to the peoples of Canada, through an exceptional collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. We’re an engaging, family-friendly museum with more than 100 canoes and kayaks on display. Visitors will enjoy interactive, hands-on galleries, a scavenger hunt, model canoe building and puppet theatre for children. Through inclusive, memorable and engaging exhibits and programs we share the art, culture, heritage and spirit of paddled watercraft with our communities.
Founded on a collection of the late Professor Kirk Wipper, and established in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1997, the museum’s holdings now number more than 600 canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. Together they span the country from coast to coast to coast and represent many of the major watercraft traditions of Canada.
The museum’s artifacts range from the great dugouts of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest to the singular bark canoes of the Beothuk of Newfoundland; from the skin-on-frame kayaks of northern peoples from Baffin Island in the east to the Mackenzie River Delta in the northwest to the all-wood and canvas-covered craft manufactured by companies with names like Herald, Peterborough, Chestnut, Lakefield and Canadian. Over the years paddled watercraft from as far away as Paraguay and the Amazon have helped the Museum expand its reach and scope to include International examples.
The University Women's Club of Peterborough adopted a new name on 26 February 1991 and became the Canadian Federation of University Women Peterborough Club. At that time they adopted a new constitution. The University Women's Club of Peterborough was founded in March 1937 as a member club of the Canadian Federation of University Women. The International Federation of University Women was founded in Europe in the Spring of 1919. On their return to Canada, delegates to that meeting from University Women's Clubs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and other Canadian cities met again in August 1919 to create the Canadian Federation of University Women, with Mrs. Margaret Stovel McWilliams of the Winnipeg Club as President. The Canadian organization's aims were to promote the highest standards of education at all levels, to encourage participation in public affairs in the political, economical and cultural fields, and to safeguard and improve the economic, legal and professional status of women in Canada and the World. The International Federation of University Women aims to promote understanding among women of different cultures. There are Member Federations of the IFUW throughout the world and member Clubs of CFUW in all parts of Canada.
The goal and court house building committee of Amherst, Hamilton Township, Newcastle District, was established on April 10, 1828. Its purpose was to make arrangements for procuring material and the construction of a new gaol and court house. Members of the committee included Walter Boswell, Zaccheus Burnham, Robert Henry, David Smart, James G. Bethune, Thomas Ward, and Elias Jones. The chosen site for the gaol and court house was Amherst, located near Cobourg, also in Hamilton Township. The end result was a large stone building which cost approximately 6000 pounds. In 1837, Cobourg became a police village, and the village of Amherst was amalgamated and became part of Cobourg. (Taken from: Spilsbury, John R. "Cobourg: early days and modern times." Cobourg: The Cobourg Book Company, 1981.)
Founded in 1920 by a group of University of Toronto faculty members, Canadian Forum first began publication in October of that year. With particular emphasis on Canadian art and poetry, Canadian Forum provides a medium for public opinion on art, literature, politics, theology and science.
The Canadian Horticulturalist and Beekeeper was a periodical published by the Horticultural Publishing Company in Peterborough, Ontario. The Canadian Horticulturalist was published as early as 1881. In May of 1913 the title was changed to The Canadian Horticulturalist and Beekeeper after the Canadian Bee Journal was purchased and incorporated into the Canadian Horticulturalist. These periodicals were the official publications for the Canadian Horticultural Societies and the Ontario Bee Keeper's Associations. In 1914 it became the official publication for the New Brunswick Bee Keeper's Association. At a later date the periodical appeared to come out in three different editions--the Floral Edition, the Fruit Edition and the Beekeeping Edition--which were inserted into special sections into the "Horticulturalist". It was published once a month. The managing director was H. Bronson Cowan. In 1918 A.B.A. Cutting B.S.A. was described as a former editor and in 1921 an W.A.W. was editor. In 1918 there were two co-editors who seemed to have a little bit of difficulty getting the magazine out to its subscribers since the co-editors were in France during World War I. The magazine contained articles and illustrations pertinent to horticulture and beekeeping. It also contained advertisements for nurseries, suppliers, greenhouses, farm machinery and tools. In the later issues there were advertisements for cars.
Organized at Trent University, Canadian Images was developed as a film festival after the visit of Gerry Pratley of the Ontario Film Institute to a fourth year Trent seminar. 1978 was the first year the festival took place and every single screen at Trent was used and some screens at the commercial film theatres in the City of Peterborough were used as well. Artists such as Budge Crawley, Michael Snow and Joyce Weiland attended in the first year. Films, displays and seminars were held throughout the festival. Trent students helped visitors and delegates to the festival. Orm Mitchell and John Wadland were the force behind the first festival of which 8 500 people attended. In the next two years 20 000 people came from all over Canada to view the work of Canadian artists. In its fourth year a board of directors was established with Susan Ditta, a Trent graduate, as the Executive Director. Unfortunately Canadian Images started to operate under a deficit and after the unlawful screening of the uncut "A Message From Our Sponsor" the festival went downhill. The screening of "A Message From Our Sponsor" resulted in a court case between the Ontario Film Censorship Board, acting under the Ontario Theatres Act, and Susan Ditta and Ian McLachlan, festival chairman and English professor. They were found guilty after considerable expense to the University. In 1985 the Festival was shut down. (Taken from: Cole, A.O.C. "Trent the Making of a University, 1957-1987." 1992.)
In 1859, the Crown Lands Department in Canada advertised a block of land for sale in the District of Haliburton. The purpose for the sale of the land was to promote rapid settlement of the newly created townships in the District through private enterprise. The townships included in the sale were Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Gilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre, Clyde, and Langford. In 1861, the land was purchased by a group of English gentlemen, headed by the Honourable Mr. Justice T.C. Haliburton, and the Canada Land and Emigration Company Limited was formed under the laws of Great Britain in 1862. The purpose of the Company was to sell land to settlers, and in return, the Company built roads, conducted surveys, and built saw and grist mills. From 1863 to 1870, a large number of emigrants came to settle in the region. In 1869, Messrs. Boyd, Smith & Company, lumbermen from Port Hope, obtained the timber rights on the Company's lands in the townships of Dudley, Gilford, and Havelock. The lumber business caused an economic boom in the region. By 1871, the Company had sold 16,650 acres to settlers and a number of town lots to various purchasers. In 1872, the Company built a road between the villages of Kenneway and Haliburton. Also, the Company contributed greatly to the cost of the connection of a telegraph line to Haliburton. In 1877, the Company contributed to the construction of the Victoria Railroad Company line from Kinmount to Haliburton with the hopes of increasing settlement in the Townships. This did not happen. By 1883, the Province of Ontario had begun to open up neighbouring townships with offers of free land grants. The Company was unable to cope with this competition. As a result, the Company decided to offer for sale its complete holdings and undertakings in Canada. The Company was purchased by W.H. Lockhart Gordon and James Irwin on April 11, 1883. It should be noted that Mr. Irwin had previously been involved in lumbering in the area, beginning in 1877, and had entered into partnership with Mr. Boyd, who was already involved in the timber industry at that time. On April 10, 1889, Letters of Patent were issued by the Province of Ontario incorporating the new Canadian Land and Immigration Company of Haliburton Limited. From 1890 to 1897 little activity took place. Sales of land and timber cutting right had practically ceased. In 1895, Mr. Irwin declared bankrupcty and the bank (most likely the Canadian Bank of Commerce) took possesion of his rights and interest in Haliburton, which included Irwin's shares in the new Company. During the 1920's the Company sold the entire township of Bruton to the Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission and proceeds from the sale allowed the Company to buy back from the bank the timber cutting rights previously licensed to Irwin. During the depression, lumbering activities ceased once again, but as more roads were constructed, the region began to develop as a tourist and vacation area, and land sales began to increase. At the outbreak of World War II, lumbering activities intensified, and carried on into the post-war years. By the end of 1946, all of the land originally purchased by the Company had been sold. The Canadian Land and Immigration wound up its affairs, surrendered its charter, and ceased to exist. (Taken from a history of the Canandian Land and Emigration Co. Limited located in 77-024/14/12, and Cummings, H.R. "Early Days in Haliburton." Ontario: Department of Lands and Forests, 1963.)
The Canadian Red Cross was established by Surgeon-Major George Sterling Ryerson. He participated in the North-West Rebellion of 1885 and used a red cross to protect his horse-drawn ambulance. The Red Cross Society was founded by Henri Dunant in Geneva, Switzerland in an effort to gain neutral status for medical personnel during war time in order to help the wounded. The Society spread throughout the world and it was formally established in Canada by Major Ryerson in 1896. In 1909 the Canadian Red Cross was incorporated by the federal government. It has been active in setting up outpost hospitals in remote parts of the country. It offers a wide range of services in addition to the national blood transfusion service. (Taken from: "The Canadian Encyclopedia." Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 1985.)
Cape Croker Indian Reserve is located near Georgian Bay on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. The town of Cape Croker is a native reserve and is home to the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. The Chippewas of Nawash refer to themselves as Anishnabe. Artifactual evidence suggests that aboriginal people have used the area of Cape Croker for over 2000 years, and oral history records that the waters around Cape Croker were a healing and burial site for Ojibwa from a much larger area. The Chippewas surrendered most of their lands in the treaty of 1857 with the promise from the Canadian government that their sacred burial grounds would be protected. In 2000, the bands of Saugeen and Nawash signed a fishing agreement with the Ontario government which allowed them to fish commercially in the Cape Croker area.
The Honourable Robert Hamilton (1826-1891) was a factor of the Hudson's Bay Company who was stationed at Fort Edmonton. He married Ann (Annie) Seaborn (Seabourne) Miles (born in 1838 at Rupert's House d. 1863). Annie's mother was Elizabeth (Betsy) Sinclair (b. ca. 1805 and d. 1878) and her father was Robert Seaborn Miles Sr. (1795-1870). Like Robert Hamilton, Robert Miles Sr. was a Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. One of Robert and Annie's sons, Robert Miles Hamilton (1864-1939), married Alice May Barker and resided at "Auburn" in Peterborough, Ontario. Alice's father was the Honourable Samuel Barker, a Conservative Member of Parliament and a barrister. Alice and Robert Hamilton's children were Miles Beresford Hamilton, Robert Barker Hamilton, Alice Seabourne Hamilton, and S.R. Hamilton (male). Both Beresford and Robert Barker Hamilton served overseas during World War I. Alice Seabourne Hamilton married Charles Norman Geale.
Edward Armour Peck, whose papers are also included in this fonds, was the natural father of Arthur Henry Peck and the adoptive father of Charles Norman Geale. Edward Armour Peck was married to Kitty Revel.
Richard Birdsall Rogers was born at Ashburnham in 1857. He was the son of Robert David Rogers and Elizabeth Birdsall and a grandson of Richard Birdsall. He lived in Ashburnham until 1916 and then moved to "Beechwood Farm" in Douro Township. He was a land surveyor and was appointed Superintending Engineer of the Trent Valley Canal in about 1884. During his time in this office, he built the Peterborough-Lakefield Division and the Simcoe-Balsam Lake Division of the Trent Canal including the Hydraulic Lift Locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield, besides many dams and other works on this canal. Richard married Clara Mina Calcutt of Peterborough in 1881. They had seven children. Their daughter, Leah, married Herbert Geale, the brother of Charles Norman. Two of Richard and Mina's sons, Heber and Harry, served overseas in World War I.
Gordon Mackay & Company was a retail/wholesale dry goods business operating throughout Canada. It was established in 1853, by two Scotsmen, John Gordon and John Mackay, who formed a partnership for the wholesale distribution of dry-goods in the City of Hamilton, Canada West. The company was called Gordon & Mackay. In 1859, the Company moved to Toronto, first locating at Wellington Street East, and then at the corner of Bay and Front Streets. In 1899, the Company was incorporated as Gordon Mackay Co. Limited. The great fire of 1904 in Toronto destroyed the Gordon Mackay warehouse. The first retail store was acquired in 1911, and over the next 50 years other stores were added. The more notable retail stores developed include Smith's of Windsor and the Walker Stores chain of department stores. By the early 1960's Gordon Mckay & Company had converted all of its wholesale business to retail.
The Grafton Woman's Missionary Society was a group established at the Methodist Church in Grafton. The Auxiliary members belonged to Grafton's Church of England in Brighton, Ontario, which is in the Bay of Quinte Conference.
The Gummed Address Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States was a mail order company for a number of different objects such as Magic Lanterns, Magic Kits as well as games, tricks and home amusements, rubber stamps and ink, song books, gummed address labels, watches and cameras. The Gummed Address Company resided at 126 South Eighth Street in Pennsylvania and George R. Allen was the manager in 1892.
Some members of the Hay and Dunlop families are descendants of Thomas Alexander Stewart (1786-1847) and Frances Stewart (1794-1872), Irish immigrants who arrived in Cobourg, Ontario from Ireland in 1822 and settled the following year in Douro Township near the present city of Peterborough.
The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was built to provide a main trunk line throughout the entire length of the Province of Canada. Under the sponsorship of Sir Francis Hincks, the Grand Trunk Railway was formally incorporated in 1852 to build a railway line from Toronto to Montreal. The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada East was also incorporated to build a line from Quebec City to Trois Pistoles, Quebec. The GTR also purchased the newly completed St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad in 1853. Much of the financing for the Railway was to come from investors in England, and as a result, much of the construction of the new lines was done by English construction firms. The "Trunk-Line" from Montreal to Toronto opened in 1856. The railway expanded quickly, existing small railway companies were purchased, and new lines were added, some of which were destined for the United States. By 1867, the GTR was the largest railway system in the world with 2 055 km of track. By the 1880's the company had over 700 locomotives, 578 cars, 60 post-office cars, 131 baggage cars, 18 000 freight cars and 49 snow plows. The high cost of construction, absentee management (Head Office in England), and failure to generate anticipated levels of traffic left the GTR debt ridden and unable to upgrade its equipment. In October 1919, the federal government took over the GTR after a disasterous attempt to create a transcontinental railway with the creation of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The GTR and the GTPR were placed under the management of the Canadian National Railways on January 30, 1923. ( Taken from: "The Canadian Encyclopedia." Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers Ltd., 1985.)
Heritage Peterborough was first organized May 11, 1984 in the Board Room of Peterborough and Kawartha Tourist and Convention Bureau. The Peterborough and Kawartha Tourist and Convention Bureau, the Peterborough Historical Society and the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee joined together to form Heritage Peterborough out of a concern due to the lack of interest and publicity for Peterborough's heritage. Their aim was to encourage wide interest, research and awareness of 150 years of historical growth of the city and county. They did this through developing projects that would advertise Peterborough City and County to tourists and citizens. Projects such as a "lure piece" or glossy brochure with a map and small write-ups on various historical sites; calendars, placemats and walking and driving tours were developed to aid in the advertising. Funding for the projects came from the New Horizons programme, Health and Welfare Canada and the Peterborough City and County councils.
The West Island Naturalists' Club was formed in 1972. In 1974 the name was changed to the Catharine Traill Naturalists' Club in honour of one of Canada's first botanists and naturalists. The club is supported by the staff of John Abbott College and Macdonald College of McGill University. The Club intended to draw members from the Robert Baldwin, Vaudreuil and Soulange Counties but has many national and a few international members including the British Museum, which keeps Club newsletters on file. Membership has often exceeded two hundred persons. The objective of the club is to encourage conservation and foster understanding of everything in local environment and surrounding areas. This is achieved through series of lectures and field trips based on a variety of subjects found in the natural environment. The Club first dealt with its own region, but, as its membership grew it was able to help lobby for other regions.
Cavan Township is located in the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham which were established in 1798 by a Proclamation given by John Graves Simcoe. It is bounded on the north by the Township of Emily in Victoria County, on the west by Manvers Township, on the south by Hope Township and on the east by South Monaghan and part of Peterborough Township. It is named after a county in Northern Ireland by early settlers to the area. John Deyell from County Monaghan, Ireland was one of the first settlers to Cavan Township in 1816.