past events 2024
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LOST HERITAGE
Over the decades, North Grenville has lost some of its most historic buildings, either through fire or demolition. A recent example was the loss of Leslie Hall on Clothier Street. In a public talk to the NG Historical Society on Wednesday evening, January 17, Society Historian, Dr. David Shanahan, spoke about some of this lost heritage in our community. The talk was illustrated by photographs and maps, showing the buildings as they were, and the way in which they formed an integral part of the community’s infrastructure and history. |
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: People, Places, and Communities in the Borderlands
Before the international boundary was arbitrarily drawn at the 49th parallel, the Plains Metis People and Nation called the borderlands of the Northern Great Plains home. A space where many Indigenous Nations competed, cooperated, and traded, this region was transformed as Canada and the United States forcibly redefined the political, social, and economic landscape. For the Plains Metis, their presence in these borderlands is largely erased after the 1885 Resistance.
This presentation challenged that erasure by using photographs taken by and of Metis individuals and families living in these borderlands in the post-1885 period. Drawing on material culture studies, this conversation will show how Metis individuals and families were able to remain in their communities as active participants in a rapidly modernizing North America.
Dr. Katie Pollock is the Curator of Central Ethnology at the Canadian Museum of History. Her current research draws on material heritage as primary source to highlight the critical role of Metis women and their artwork in the continuity of family and community on the Northern Great Plains.
Before the international boundary was arbitrarily drawn at the 49th parallel, the Plains Metis People and Nation called the borderlands of the Northern Great Plains home. A space where many Indigenous Nations competed, cooperated, and traded, this region was transformed as Canada and the United States forcibly redefined the political, social, and economic landscape. For the Plains Metis, their presence in these borderlands is largely erased after the 1885 Resistance.
This presentation challenged that erasure by using photographs taken by and of Metis individuals and families living in these borderlands in the post-1885 period. Drawing on material culture studies, this conversation will show how Metis individuals and families were able to remain in their communities as active participants in a rapidly modernizing North America.
Dr. Katie Pollock is the Curator of Central Ethnology at the Canadian Museum of History. Her current research draws on material heritage as primary source to highlight the critical role of Metis women and their artwork in the continuity of family and community on the Northern Great Plains.
THE BLUENOSE
Bluenose or The Bluenose, if you prefer, is probably Canada’s most famous schooner. Launched in 1921, she was designed by naval architect William James Roué as both a fishing vessel and a racing schooner. She won the Fisherman’s Cup, the championship of the fishing fleets of the northwest Atlantic, five times between 1921 then and 1938. . .and is still featured on the Canadian dime. “Designing Bluenose” will be based on work that Amanda Gould and Jeff Noakes have been doing towards a series of exhibitions on Roué and the collection of his materials that were donated to the Canadian Museum of History in 2015. The latest effort is an online exhibition that is scheduled to launch on October 22nd to mark the 100th anniversary of the first race won by Bluenose. Jeff will speak about Roué’s journey towards becoming a naval architect and designing Bluenose, and then Amanda will talk about the material aspects and conservation treatment of his original design plans for her.
Amanda Gould is a paper conservator at the National Museum of History and Director of Archives of the North Grenville Historical Society. Jeff Noakes, Ph.D., has been the Second World War historian at the Canadian War Museum since mid-2006, and is also the curator responsible for the William James Roué Collection at the Canadian Museum of History. He is the author or joint author of books, book chapters, exhibition catalogues, and articles on subjects related to the First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War, and the Arctic.
Bluenose or The Bluenose, if you prefer, is probably Canada’s most famous schooner. Launched in 1921, she was designed by naval architect William James Roué as both a fishing vessel and a racing schooner. She won the Fisherman’s Cup, the championship of the fishing fleets of the northwest Atlantic, five times between 1921 then and 1938. . .and is still featured on the Canadian dime. “Designing Bluenose” will be based on work that Amanda Gould and Jeff Noakes have been doing towards a series of exhibitions on Roué and the collection of his materials that were donated to the Canadian Museum of History in 2015. The latest effort is an online exhibition that is scheduled to launch on October 22nd to mark the 100th anniversary of the first race won by Bluenose. Jeff will speak about Roué’s journey towards becoming a naval architect and designing Bluenose, and then Amanda will talk about the material aspects and conservation treatment of his original design plans for her.
Amanda Gould is a paper conservator at the National Museum of History and Director of Archives of the North Grenville Historical Society. Jeff Noakes, Ph.D., has been the Second World War historian at the Canadian War Museum since mid-2006, and is also the curator responsible for the William James Roué Collection at the Canadian Museum of History. He is the author or joint author of books, book chapters, exhibition catalogues, and articles on subjects related to the First World War, the Second World War, the Cold War, and the Arctic.
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Captain Angus Walters of the Bluenose with the International Fisherman's Trophy (photo by W.R. MacAskill) reproduced from the Canadian Encyclopaedia
The image used with the kind permission of Nova Scotia Archives on the poster is a photograph of Bluenose also by photographer W.R. MacAskill and hand-coloured by Elva MacAskill. There are also two small details from the original plans by William James Roué at the bottom of the poster. |
TOUR OF BISHOPS MILLS
Local author and historian Tom Graham, along with local naturalist Dr. Fred Schueler, lead the audience on a tour of Bishop's Mills, site of the Great Fire of 1943. The presentation included accounts by local residents--including Mervin Robinson, the only living survivor of the event. The fire that destroyed six buildings, started in his house.
Local author and historian Tom Graham, along with local naturalist Dr. Fred Schueler, lead the audience on a tour of Bishop's Mills, site of the Great Fire of 1943. The presentation included accounts by local residents--including Mervin Robinson, the only living survivor of the event. The fire that destroyed six buildings, started in his house.
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HOME ECONOMICS
This talk examined the Chéticamp rug hooking cottage industry with an eye to placing it in context with other rug hooking cottage industries of the early 20th century, specifically Grenfell and Charlevoix. Aesthetics in rug hooking were created, shaped, and molded by commercial patterns, other textile traditions, and individual artistic vision. By examining these one can conclude the following: that the transmission and sharing of design ideas was free-flowing and mutual; that local vernacular traditions were dramatically altered to suit the tastes of the consumer; that the main consumer of rugs went from familiar and local to foreign; that the function of hooked rugs changed from utilitarian and necessary to a status symbol for the wealthy; and finally, that outsiders with formal schooling in the arts were brought in with their social and cultural capital to influence local traditions. This talk will explore the history of these cottage industries, as well as discuss their relationship to labour, gender and charity. A brief bio: Dr. Laura Sanchini is a folklorist, oral historian, and curator. She joined the Canadian Museum of History in 2015 as Curator of Craft, Design and Popular Culture, and since 2022 she is the Manager of Research for the History and Cultural Expression curatorial group. |