To promote the history of Oxford County in South-Western Ontario
Hello Everyone,
This guest post is provided by the Middlesex Centre Archives.
They will be holding an online auction beginning on Saturday, February 4, 2023. Bidding will end on Thursday, February 9, 2023.
To view the items visit www.filsonauction.com
For information about the event contact the Middlesex Centre Archives.
Hello Everyone,
This guest post is provided by the St. Marys Station Gallery.
The St. Marys Station Gallery latest exhibit:
12 Hours That Saved A Country – The 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights
will be on display from Friday, November 25th to Saturday, December 31st, 2022
Opening Reception will take place on Saturday, November 26th at 1pm.
This excerpt from the Gallery’s Curator, Cameron Porteous, appeared in the St. Marys Independent on Wednesday, November 28th, 2022:
“This exhibition at the St. Marys Station Gallery is a collection of 14 renderings that document, in the timeline, the invasion of Canada on October 13, 1812. The renderings and stories attempt to question the myths and official documents that exist describing this event.
For the 2012 bi-centennial of the War of 1812, I set out to create renderings honouring the “Battle of Queenston Heights”. For over 30 years I lived on what was the battlefield in the village of Queenston and had studied the documents and diaries written by the soldiers who fought and witnessed the battle. It became quite clear to me that much of the history we read and is portrayed has been romanticized. These documents uncovered mutiny, sabotage, failed organization and questionable leadership on both sides. In other words, the army that makes the least amount of stupid decisions will most likely win the battle. Because most of the battle took place at night and in foul weather, it was important to walk the battlefield in the “timeline” with an attempt to see what it must have been like. So on October 13 at 4 a.m. I set out to document each important hour of the battle.”
St. Mary’s Station Gallery is located at 5 James St. N(VIA train station), St. Marys ON N4X 1B1
For further information about this event contact St. Marys Station Gallery at 416-523-8899, email stmarysstationgallery@gmail.com
Many thanks to Dr. Elaine Becker for providing the information in this post.
Your help is needed!
Dr. Elaine Becker is in the process of compiling another local history which is related to an important immigration scheme that ran from 1923 to 1936 – the story of Burnside Lodge over the years and the young men who became valued citizens in this area of Ontario should not be lost.
Small scale operations began in 1903 when The Salvation Army established the “Migration and Settlement Department”.
The principles of the department were:
The work that was carried on at Burnside Lodge in Woodstock, Ontario should not be confused with any of the programs, such as the Dr. Barnardo group which brought orphaned children to Canada. The young men who came to Woodstock came by their own choice and planning.
The Salvation Army Boy Farmers Scheme
The Boy Farmers program was only a small segment of The Salvation Army’s immigration scheme. The Army sponsored and oversaw the migration to Canada of more than 250,000 immigrants from England and other European countries.
Young men between the ages of 14 and 20 applied to the Salvation Army to come to Canada under this plan. If accepted for the training, they attended farm training at Hadleigh Farm in England and then were examined for their suitability to immigrate to Canada. Once accepted they were booked for transportation to Woodstock or to Smith Falls, Ontario. They were employed by local farmers and their situations were supervised by an officer from Burnside Lodge. They stayed at the lodge until everything was settled.
Burnside Lodge was located on the present site of the YMCA at 808 Dundas St, Woodstock ON
Some of you may remember the building on Dundas Street and have pictures or memories of the facility later used during the war for housing the Women from the training base at the fairgrounds.
We are working to compile some of the stories of the young men who immigrated to Canada to work on local farms. If you can help in any way with this story or if you know any of the families who share those roots or any of the farmers who engaged the young men when they arrived, please contact the Oxford historical Society by email at info@oxhs.ca, thank you.
Hello Everyone,
The Woodstock Museum, NHS is asking for your help in collecting stories and photos about life during this pandemic. The following quote and photograph are from the Museum’s Facebook page:
Send us your written accounts, artwork, photographs or video recordings about everyday life during the pandemic to museum@cityofwoodstock.ca with the subject “Writing COVID-19 History.” Future generations are depending on you to explain what social distancing was and why toilet paper was being hoarded in 2020!
Woodstock Sentinel Review published an article about the Museum on April 22, 2020, written by Kathleen Saylors. Here is the link to the Woodstock Sentinel Review article.
A further article and interview about the Museum’s request for submission can be found on the London CTV News site.
Submissions can be sent by email to museum@cityofwoodstock.ca with the subject: “Writing COVID-19 History.” For more information visit the Museum’s website or their Facebook page.
Hello Everyone,
As I’m sure by now all of you are aware that all non-essential businesses are closed and all public meetings are cancelled.
This includes all of the Society’s regularly scheduled meetings for April and May.
Therefore, until further notice the Oxford Historical Society has cancelled all of its events.
Please stay healthy and remember to practice the safe distancing. The City of Woodstock has provided a simple guideline for everyone to follow.
Hello Everyone,
As our fight against the COVID-19 Virus continues the Oxford Historical Society Resource Centre will remain closed until further notice.
We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.
We can be reached by email at info@oxhs.ca
Hello Everyone,
The Oxford Historical Society regularly scheduled public meeting on Wednesday, March 25 will NOT take place due to the COVID-19 Virus.
The presentation Memories From the Vault, featuring Megan Lockhart from the Oxford County Archives, will now take place on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at the Woodstock Museum, NHS.
Memories From the Vault program is an interactive event in which Oxford County shares aspects of their archival collection (photos, newspapers articles, scrapbooks, artifacts etc.) with the participants, who in turn share some of their memories with the Archives. A great way to learn more about our history!
Hello Everyone,
Here are some upcoming events happening at the Norwich & District Museum.
They are offering a Lunch & Learn session on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, from 11am-1pm, featuring Jeff Tribe. Jeff Tribe will talk about the use of drone photography in marijuana farming. Jeff Tribe went from newspaper fella to video communication and ended up at a cannabis factory. In this Lunch & Learn event he will talk about his experiences, give an overview of the cannabis market, and delight everyone with his story. 
For more information about this event go to N&DM’s Facebook page. This event will take place at the Norwich & District Museum.
The NDHS’s AGM will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 from 7-9pm at the Norwich & District Museum. Matthew Lloyd, Curator of the Norwich & District Museum, will be presenting on Greek Archaeology. More information about this event can be found on the N&DM’s Facebook page.
If you wish to attend either event contact the Norwich & District Museum at 519-863-3101 or email Norwich & District Museum.
Please come and visit the Oxford Historical Society booth at this year’s Rec & Leisure Fair.
The fair takes place on Sunday, March 1, 2020 at the Cowan Sports Complex from 2-4:30. Admission is free!
Hello Everyone,
Here’s some information that will be of interest to some of our members.
The Canadian MacKay Committee is petitioning Canada Post to dedicate a stamp in 2022, commemorating the 150th anniversary of George Leslie MacKay arriving in Taiwan (then Formosa). Leslie MacKay was born in Embro, Ontario in 1844 and was one of Oxford County’s most influential citizens. There is a statue of him, pictured on the right, which can be seen on the lawn of Oxford County’s courthouse here in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.
The Canadian MacKay Committee has provided the header picture of the MacKay family. Text from their site is below in italics. Afterwards is a link to their site.
“On March 9, 1872 Canada first set foot in Asia, in the person of Rev. George Leslie Mackay (1844-1901), a man who founded the first Canadian overseas mission and is now a national hero in Taiwan.
“Mackay of Formosa” was the most famous missionary of his generation, noted for his unusual yet successful methods. He established the first hospital, first modern school, first school for women, and first museum in Taiwan. He is remembered there in school textbooks, on a 2001 stamp, in statues, a museum, commemorative days, and Mackay Memorial Hospital.
It is a surprise to people from Taiwan to learn that Mackay is unknown in Canada today. Commemorating him on a stamp for the 150th anniversary of Canada’s engagement in Asia would be a small step to reviving this forgotten history.”
If you wish to read more about this petition, click on this link, Commemorate George Leslie MacKay on a Canadian stamp!, and then follow the prompts.