Ingersoll Ontario

Oxford Local History Day – Saturday, April 22, 2023!

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Hello Everyone,

This guest post is provided by Oxford County Library:

Oxford County Library is proud to host the 3rd annual Oxford Local History Day!

Join us at Ingersoll Library on Saturday, April 22nd from 11AM – 3PM

Discover engaging presentations that will bring to light the story of Oxford.

Visitors to Oxford Local History Day will experience collections, exhibits & featured stories from archives, museums & heritage groups from around Oxford County. 

Experience an Exhibit with History Experts:  

Oxford County Library will feature: The Stone Houses of Zorra project – delve into the stories behind rural edifices of Oxford.

Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum, Oxford Historical Society, Beachville Museum, Oxford Ancestors, Ingersoll Pipe Band, Heroes of Zorra, Plattsville & District Heritage, Zorra Heritage Committee, Tavistock & District Historical Society

Snap a ‘Step Back in Time Selfie’ in the Ingersoll Historical Photo Booth.   

Grab a prop, smile & transport yourself to the streets of 1900s Ingersoll, courtesy of our green screen photo booth.  Bring the family!

Take in a Presentation:

11AM: The Lost Architecture of Ingersoll:
Join Ingersoll Museum curator, Scott Gillies, as he explores the buildings which once graced our neighborhoods and are now lost to the mists of time!

NOON: A Community 10,000 Years in the Making:
Join UWO Associate History Professor, Cody Groat as he delves into:  “The lands that we know as Oxford County have been occupied for over 10,000 years. This presentation will give a brief history of Indigenous settlement to the present day, as well as cultural change over time.”

1PM: Heroes Past but Always Present:
130 years after five Zorra farmers won the Tug-of-War World Championship at the Chicago World Fair, the small community of Embro still remembers them. This is the story of Zorra’s “Men of Might that Feared the Lord”.  Presented by the Zorra Heritage Committee

1:30PM: Bob Hayward: Farm to Fame:
Zorra Township native Bob Hayward, became a Canadian hero and international celebrity by driving the hydroplane, Miss Supertest III, to the pinnacle of powerboat racing. Presented by the Zorra Heritage Committee

2PM: The Oxford Militia in the War of 1812:
Join local historian, Bob Rennie, as he explores how the citizens of Oxford County had many significant decisions to make during the War of 1812 & the profound impact it had on their lives.

For more event information visit Oxford County Library at Oxford Local History Day 2023
or call 519 485-2505.

Oxford County.  We’ve made history!

Ingersoll Library: Black History Month Event!

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Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Ingersoll Library:

Curious about the new Underground Railroad Sculpture in Ingersoll?
Join us at Ingersoll Library Saturday, February 18, 2023 from 1-3PM

Meet local artist Duane Kumala-Thomas and discover the vision behind an Ingersoll art installation recognizing significant dates in town history.

Join local historian, Heather Rennalls and explorer her knowledge of Ingersoll’s Black history.

Ingersoll Town Councillor, Khadijah Haliru, will speak about her story from Nigeria to Brampton to Ingersoll.

Special Guests including: Town Councillor, Mike Bowman, Oxford Caribbean Canadian Association and more.


“Using the familiar theme of the underground railroad as a focal point, the sculpture aims to represent Ingersoll’s involvement in accepting, aiding and growing amongst a new and increasing black population in the 1800’s and beyond. The visual of train tracks breaking through the soil and springing up into the Ingersoll air will present viewers with the emphatic feeling of a journey to this place, where travellers came up for air, settled and planted new roots”.

Duane Kumala-Thomas

Feel free to spread the word about this special event via social media or by printing and displaying the attached posts: Ingersoll Library Event Duane Kumala-Thomas

The Ingersoll Library can be reached at:
The Town Centre, 130 Oxford Street Ingersoll ON N5C 2V5
Email: ingersolllibrary@ocl.net
Phone: 519-485-2505

King Henry Five – In Ingersoll’s Centennial Park!

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Hello Everyone,

Information for this post is provided by Scott Gillies, from the Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum:

Driftwood Theatre is returning to Ingersoll this Saturday night with their performance of HENRY V.

Show begins at 7:30pm in Centennial Park. Bring your own blankets, bug spray and lawn chairs. Pay what you can afford admission.

For more information, call the Ingersoll Museum at 519-485-5510.

Scott Gillies, Curator
Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum
290 Harris Street, Ingersoll ON
519-485-5510
Twitter: @IngersollMuse1     Facebook: IngersollCheeseMuseum

DOORS OPEN INGERSOLL: Saturday, June 18, 2022 between 10am-4pm

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Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum,
Photo courtesy of TurnipSeed Travel

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from Scott Gillies, Curator of the Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum:

DOORS OPEN RETURNS TO OXFORD COUNTY WITH IN-PERSON TOURS

Ever wanted to explore parts of Oxford County – the dairy capital of Canada –  that are not always open to the public? Here is your chance.

After what has seemed like far more than two years, Doors Open Oxford is returning to in-person visits; this year in the Town of Ingersoll.

Eighteen different stops are on the tour taking place Saturday June 18th, between 10:00am and 4:00pm. 

Begin your exploration by starting at the Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum, located at 290 Harris Street, just 1 kilometre north of the 401 at Exit 218. Here you will receive a printed map and guide of all the stops along the way,  as well as vouchers for BIA Bucks you can redeem at downtown merchants. After visiting this award-winning museum, head through Centennial Park and the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre. Other stops include First Baptist Church, a virtual tour of the wonderful historic homes on Oxford Street, and a stop at Oxford Square to witness all the changes they are making to the former St. James Anglican Church.

From here it’s a short jaunt to the Ingersoll Kiwanis Farmers’ Market, the Ingersoll Town Hall and the site of the first curling club in town which is now home to Anderson’s Appliances. Your next stop is Trinity United Church, once described as the most impressive Methodist Church in the Niagara Conference. Since its first formation in the 19th century this structure has undergone numerous alterations.

A short drive through some of the older neighbourhoods in Ingersoll will bring you to the Ingersoll & District Curling Club – the one place in town you can throw rocks inside their house! Meanwhile the Ingersoll Pipe Band have plans for musically entertaining you while you visit their armoury. 

While you are downtown spending those BIA Bucks, be sure to check out the slide show of historical photographs of Ingersoll on the big screen tv in Dewan Park. Try to answer all the questions on the scavenger hunt while you are shopping too. Then It’s off to the theatre – Ingersoll Theatre of Performing Arts. Come see how they have transformed the old movie theatre into a stage for plays, concerts and performances. A short walk will take you to St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. In that same area are some wonderful antique shops you can explore too.

Cross the river and head to Fusion Youth Centre, the former Sacred Heart Separate School that is now the site of dynamic interactive programming for youth. Check out their new recording studio and take a picture in front of their green screen. Thanks to modern technology you will be transported back in time and onto an historic image of Ingersoll!

Whip out your phone and log on for the virtual tour of Sacred Heart Church before leaving the parking lot. Around the corner are the Ingersoll Sports Hall of Fame in the Arena, as well as the Ingersoll Fire Hall and Kiwanis Safety Village. Your final destination (for the day) will be a quiet contemplative walk through the Ingersoll Rural Cemetery and the 1920s mausoleum which will be open for visitation.

For more information and to find photos of the Doors Open Ingersoll sites, visit https://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/pages/events/oxford-ingersoll 

Additional information is available by contacting the Cheese Museum at 519-485-5510.

Scott Gillies
Curator
Ingersoll Cheese & Agricultural Museum
290 Harris Street, Ingersoll
519-485-5510
http://www.ingersoll.ca/cheesemuseum
Twitter: @IngersollMuse1     Facebook: IngersollCheeseMuseum

Doors Open INGERSOLL – Saturday June 18 10:00am to 4:00pm

We want to see you  in ’22

Oxford Historical Society Public Meeting Tonight: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 6:15pm

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Ella Shelton in Canada’s Olympic Jersey 2022

Hello Everyone,

The Oxford Historical Society is honoured to have one of Team Canada’s Hockey Gold Medallists from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, Ella Shelton, as our next speaker. Ella is from Oxford County and grew up on a farm near Ingersoll. Her love of hockey began at a very young age and her dream of playing for Canada came true in 2020.

Please join us tonight at 6:15pm at the Woodstock Museum, NHS to hear Ella Shelton speak about her experiences growing up in a small town and how her love of hockey led her to an Olympic gold medal.

Ella’s talk will begin promptly at 6:30pm so please be on time. Society business will follow her presentation.

This is free event and all are welcome to attend. As this is an in-person event all Covid-19 protocols will be followed.