GHS - March 2014
March 2014 #78
Our apologies for being a bit late with the newsletter but the driveway is covered with ice, the snow on the roof is hip-deep to a moose and the firewood is buried under last December’s ice storm. How’s your winter been? In reality, we forgot for a few days but here’s the latest heritage stuff for our area. The Society’s winter activities included the annual Christmas social in December at Orchard Court. There’s still a bit of room for carol singing improvement but the enthusiasm level was outstanding. The show-and-tell evening in February was the usual success, with the members showing their unusual items and stories of interest.
To quote an unnamed source, “Methuselah has taken a step.” Sometime in the first decade of this century, a request for designation of the Glanford Community Hall was made to the City of Hamilton. In the past few days, a private consultant visited our archives looking for information on the Hall. This is in preparation for a report to submit to the heritage planning section of the city to designate the property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. We can be hopeful that this may happen some time this year. The earliest photo at the top is from 1918 and the one below left, c 1950, shows the entrance to the park.
On the same theme, one wonders why an “old Hamilton” high school and a section of buildings in the downtown core have “jumped the queue” and will be designated very shortly.
At the opposite end, the paperwork for designation of the historic Book cemetery was completed years ago and appears to be “lost” in the bureaucratic system. One rumour was an ownership issue. That didn’t seem to be a hindrance with the Gore Park buildings. We prefer an 1815 headstone, thanks.
This month marks a “minor” milestone for one of the Society’s on-going projects. In March, 2010, the first headstone photos were taken at St. Paul’s and sent off to canadianheadstones.com. At that time, there were around 35,000 names from across the country on their website. This year, there are over 814,000 names. We have contributed 8,250 photos, 22,500 names from 42 cemeteries from Glanbrook, Ancaster, Saltfleet, Barton, Beverly and Haldimand. There are still a few dozen stones to be done in Glanbrook but the weather dictates when they’ll be completed. One of our favourites is from Christ Church Woodburn, the stone of John and Mary Bell from the 1890's.
Each year the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee holds an awards event to highlight the built heritage of our area. This year, the ceremony will be held on Monday, April 7, 2014, at the Ancaster Old Town Hall. Doors open at 6:30 with the formalities beginning at 7. A number of heritage properties will be recognized along with the people behind their preservation and restoration. Anyone with a heritage interest is most welcome to attend, especially if you haven’t seen the 1871 stone town hall up close.
In 1984, an inventory was completed of Glanbrook buildings believed to have been built before 1920. This record has been maintained over the years but a more thorough update is needed. There are about 450 listings which contain a description of the buildings, first settler and owner, current owner at the time and external photographs of the property. We’ll be looking for volunteers, generally in pairs, to confirm the information, take new photographs and record any major changes such as demolition. Here’s an example of one such record. Original addresses will be provided and the area will be divided into manageable sections. Requirements are transportation and a camera, plus a desire to help. This is part of a city-wide project over the next couple of years.
Upcoming Society Events:
Monday, March 17, 6 PM St. Pauls Glanford Anglican church, 2869 Upper James Street, Mount Hope. Annual pot-luck supper and annual meeting. Nominations are open for positions on the Board of Directors. Changes to the Society’s bylaw will be considered.
Monday, April 28, 7:30 PM Orchard Court, Binbrook. Guest Speaker Elaine Cougler, author of the novel “The Loyalist's Wife.”
Monday, May 26, 7:30 PM St. Pauls Glanford Anglican church, 2869 Upper James Street, Mount Hope. Format to be announced.
Monday, June 16, 7:00 PM Annual strawberry social, nominations for site accepted.