Beachville District Historical Society Presentation – Tuesday, February 13 at 7pm!

Beachville District Museum

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Beachville District Historical Society (BDHS):

Speaker Series: Zorra Farmer to Canadian Icon – The Bob Hayward Journey

Hear the story of this Embro-area farmer and mechanical genius. He was a pathfinder in racecar development and later became a national hero when piloting one of the world’s fastest raceboats, Miss Supertest III. 

He fuelled national pride by defeating the best the U.S. had, winning the international Harmsworth trophy three years in a row and giving Canadians a boost during concerns about a lagging economy, unemployment and U.S. influence.  

When: Tuesday, February 13th at 7pm
Where: Beachville District Museum, 584371 Beachville Rd, Beachville ON N0J 1A0 (west end of the village)

For more information contact the Beachville District Museum, or by phone at 519-423-6497

This is a free event and all are welcome!


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Ontario Ancestors Present – Stone Houses of Zorra – Monday, January 8th at 7pm!

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Oxford Branch of Ontario Ancestors:

Please join us at our next virtual meeting on Monday, January 8th at 7:00 pm where Vicki Brenner of the Oxford County Library will present “Stone Houses of Zorra”. There will be a short business meeting and Annual General Meeting prior to Vicki’s presentation. 

Please visit our website at https://oxford.ogs.on.ca and click on the link “Register Here” for the zoom meeting.  The meeting is free and we welcome everyone.

Liz Buchanan
Oxford Branch Publicity Coordinator
Ontario Ancestors

From the Oxford County Library:The Stone Houses of Zorra Project is an effort to document pioneer field stone farm houses in Zorra Township, Oxford County.  Gathering information from published local history books, newspapers, land records and present day owner interviews, this work hopes to consolidate the chronicles of stone houses in one place.  With new photography, combined with historical imagery, a visual path to the past is established.  These stone structures are a part of our cultural heritage and the rural Oxford County landscape.


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Tour of Beachville District Museum – Wednesday, January 3 at 7pm!

Beachville District Museum

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Zorra Heritage Committee:

This is an invitation to join the Zorra Heritage Committee (ZHC) on a tour of the Beachville District Museum tomorrow evening – Wednesday January 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

ZHC is a group of people interested in the history of Zorra Township who, among other activities, have been touring memory institutions in the area that have holdings relevant to Zorra history. ZHC has already toured museums and archives in St. Marys, Stratford, London, Woodstock, Oxford County Library (via Ingersoll). Now they are keen to have Sidney Hicks, Interim Curator of the Beachville District Museum lead a tour of ZHC’s “home” (“home” because the museum is funded jointly by the Township of Zorra and the Township of South-West Oxford and, so, is the museum for Zorra Township).

Zorra Heritage Committee is a committee of the Beachville District Historical Society and anybody interested in Zorra history is welcome to become a member – simply notify either Sidney Hicks or myself (Sam Coghlan, Secretary of ZHC) and take out a membership in the Society – https://beachvilledistrictmuseum.com/membership/bdm-membership

Sam Coghlan,
Secretary ZHC
(519) 475-4097
sam@oxford.net


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Irene Crawford’s Newest Publication – By The Seat of His Pants!

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post:

Irene Crawford, the author of Ever Vigilant: The History of the Woodstock Police Department and of Captain Andrew Drew, has a new publication!

By The Seat of His Pants – The Captain Tom (Tommy) William Story!

This book tells the story of Tommy Williams, Sweaburg Ontario’s decorated pilot. He was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, holds a Guinness World Record as the Oldest Licensed Pilot and was a WWI Pilot!

This book can be purchased for $25.00 by contacting South Gate Centre at 519-539-9817, or email gcrawfrd@execulink.com or venajoy@hotmail.com.


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca

Discover Our Local History!

Hello Everyone,

Please see this guest post from the Thamesford Lion’s Club:

Join us for special event as we welcome Dr. Peter Timmons from the University of Western Ontario, for his talk: “The Wheaton Site: Learning from a Mid-19th Century Travern on the Governor’s Road”

The presentation will take place at the Thamesford Library on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 7pm in the Beaty room. All are welcome to attend this free talk. For more information contact the Thamesford Lions Club


If you would like your event or article published (relating to Oxford County ON or South-Western ON), on the Society’s blog please email us at info@oxhs.ca