Wellington County Historical Society

Members of the Wellington County Historical Society board, elected at the annual general meeting on June 6, 2016. Standing in the back back row left to right are:  Evelyn Robson, Willa Wick, Cynthia Rabstein, Judy Howard, Beverly Henderson & Ian Easterbrook. Seated in the front row left to right:  Kathy Bouma – Treasurer, Ron Hattle – President, Helen Aitken – Recording Secretary.

Winners of the 2016 Writing Competition were:

1st place - Janice Hindley
2nd place – Royden McCoag
3rd place - Jeannette Altwegg
Honorable Mention – Elisabeth Easterbrook

Junior Division

1st Place – Jonah Doupe
2nd Place – Joshua Doupe

The guest speaker at the AGM was Marilynn Crow – author of “Evolution of the Family Farm – To The Seventh Generation".

Marilynn Crow launched her book "To the Seventh Generation: Evolution of the Family Farm in Canada 1823-2015" in an event at the Puslinch Library on March 19, 2016. WCHS President Ron Hattle, along with Ian Easterbrook, were on hand on behalf of the Society. Lynn presented many complimentary copies of her book, giving credit to the WCHS for our sponsorship. Marilynn Crow will be the guest speaker at the Society's AGM on Monday, June 6, 2016 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

The Wellington County Historical Society presents "The Heritage of Halton and Wellington Counties after the War of 1812" on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., Aboyne Hall, Wellington County Museum and Archives, 0536 Wellington Road 18 between Fergus and Elora. Historian and author John McDonald will look at the development of this part of Southern Ontario after the War of 1812 focusing on Wellington and Halton Counties. This colour PowerPoint presentation utilizes several vintage and contemporary photographs of the area with an emphasis on the origin of place names.

The Guelph Historical Society presents "True Stories of Love and Loss: The Rural Diary Archive Website" with Dr. Catharine Wilson, professor in rural history at the University of Guelph, March 1, 2016 at 7:30 p.m., St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 161 Norfolk Street, Guelph. View Event Flyer (JPG)

The topic of the WCHS 2016 Annual Writing Contest is “How I Came to Live In Wellington County”. Closing date: 15th April 2016. Send your entry to “2016 Writing Contest”, Wellington County Historical Society, P.O. Box 5, Fergus, Ontario, Canada N1M 2W7 or email Willa Wick, willawick@wightman.ca.

At the Centre Wellington District High School graduation ceremonies on October 16, 2015 the David Beattie History Award was presented to student Heather Hattle. Congratulations Heather!

My Story, My Tattoo exhibit at Wellington County Musuem features incredible photographs, videos and audio of Wellington County residents, their tattoos and the stories behind them.

Opening reception
Saturday, January 16 at 6:30 pm at Wellington County Museum and Archives
www.wellington.ca/Museum

Join us on Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 2:00 pm for Remembering the Fallen: A Tribute to Soldiers Remembered on the Rockwood Cenotaph with speaker Gordon Carothers, Aboyne Hall at Wellington County Museum and Archives.

The Town of Erin Heritage Committee is holding a World War I Open House and Information evening on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Local journalist Phil Gravelle will give a presentation about what it was like to live in Erin during the war years, and will be speaking about how WWI affected life in Erin, using newspaper articles from the era. Members of the public are invited to display memorable items, and informally share their family stories related to the war.

The event will be held in the Council Chambers at the Town Office, 5684 Trafalgar Road, just south of Hillsburgh. For more information contact Jamie Cheyne, jamiecheyne01@gmail.com, or Town Councillor Jeff Duncan, jeff.duncan@erin.ca.

The Duke of Wellington paid a visit to the Wellington County Council Chambers in Guelph on June 25, 2015. His mission was to deliver a commemorative coin to Council in honour of the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the District of Wellington.

The coin’s imprint, bearing a likeness to the original Duke, was created by the South Wellington Coin Club in collaboration with the WCHS. Gary Bryant, in fine regalia, dressed the part and delivered a short speech. Additional coins are available for purchase from the WC Museum and Archives gift shop. Thanks to WCHS long-‐time member Leone Hinds for her enthusiasm for this anniversary, her contributions of stories for the Journal, and her ongoing support of Wellington County history.