Winter 2006 - Grey Roots

Out of the
Archives
Submitted by Amelia Ferguson, Assitant Archivist
Winter is upon us. As such, the Reading Room is quieter. All
the better to get lots of genealogy work done. There is a better chance that the popular microfilm reader / printer will be
available for you to print your ancestor’s vital registrations.
We are like an iceberg, a lot is going on beneath the surface;
business in the back is mounting! We have recently received
municipal transfers from the former township of Artemesia
and the Village of Flesherton. Thank you to the South Grey
Library for preparing the items for their trip to their new
home. We now have over 500 linear meters of municipal archival material. That would stretch the length of over five
football fields!
The Archives will also be hosting a couple of school groups
in December. Primary school children will be participating
in our Climb Your Family Tree program. With links to the
Grade 2 Ontario curriculum, children have an opportunity
to explore family traditions and family structure, create a
family tree craft, discover the hidden secrets of the Archives
Storage, and learn basic research sources.
Work also continues on the production of the fourth volume
of the Northern Terminus Journal, a publication celebrating
Black History in Grey County. A special launch will be held
at Grey Roots February 24, 2007, beginning at 1:00pm. The
afternoon will include musical entertainment, readings from
the Journal, and refreshments. This is a free event, and everyone is welcome to attend.
The list out for the speakers for next year’s Spring Lecture
Series. Every Tuesday afternoon, starting March 13, 2007
and continuing until April 10, 2007, enjoy a lecture by a local
expert.
The Foibles of St. Vincent Township (the Meaford
Tank Range) by Marjorie Davidson
By the Rivers of Babylon: The Architecture of the
Synagogue by Bob Greenberg
The March of Commerce: The Industrial-Commercial Architecture of Grey County by Bob
Greenberg
The Mythological History of Anishinabek by Basil
Johnston
Groundwater – The Vital Resource by Peter Russell
Lectures are free with regular admission to the facility. This,
of course means, members are admitted free of charge! Visit
www.greyroots.com/programs-events for lecture content
descriptions.
Grey Matter
A newsletter for enquiring minds
Issue #4, WINTER 2006
Wishing you all the best in this holiday season, and for the
coming new year. See you in the Reading Room!
102599 Grey Road 18, RR 4
Owen Sound, ON N4K 5N6
Inside this issue:
www.greyroots.com
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 1
Welcome...Page 2
Exhibit and Event Schedule...Page 2
A Shot in the Dark...Page 3
Exhibit Opening: The Meaford Tank Range Story...Page 4
Exhibit Opening: L’Chaim - To Life...Page 5
The Caligraph...Page 6
11/30/06 11:46:06 AM
Welcome
to Winter 2006
Voluteer Profile
Submitted by Karin Foster, Archivist
A
s the year ends here at Grey Roots we can look back
with pride at what we have accomplished in 2006,
what a truly amazing year it has been for us.
To all of our dedicated volunteers and members thank you
for your continued support and thank you for being part
of Grey Roots. To our newest members welcome and we
look forward to seeing you, and know that you will enjoy
the many benefits offered to our members.
With this latest issue of Grey Matter we are sad to announce
the passing of Heritage & Fundraising Committee member Doug Hubbell. Doug was an inspiration to all of us
that knew and worked with him. Doug for me was not
only a friend but a mentor and as we continue on with
the Heritage village site we see Doug’s work everywhere.
Doug’s list of project requirements is still on my desk,
and as they are long term in one sense it is like having my
standing orders from Doug that will see us through for a
number of years.
We are also saying goodbye to long term County Councillor
Delton Becker who is exiting the ring of politics. Mr. Becker
has served on Council for the past 26 years. Over his terms
he has always been a great supporter of the heritage and
culture of this Grey’t County. As such he has spent many a
years serving as a dedicated member, and also chair, of the
Heritage Committee. We would like to wish Mr. Becker all
the best and hope to see him continue his commitment to
heritage during his retirement.
The year is winding down but things are just heating up
here at Grey Roots Museum & Archives. Currently we have
two spectacular Grey Roots original exhibits: Home on the
EXHIBIT UPDATES
Open Hearts/Closed Doors
Until December 17, 2006
A Grey Roots Christmas
Until January 14, 2007
Sitting Pretty: A History of the Toilet
December 23, 2006 to February 7, 2007
Spinning Through Time: The Dorothy and Harry Kirk Collection
January 13, 2007 to April 22, 2007
Our History on Paper: The Grey County Archives
February 5, 2007 to May 18, 2007
From Slavery to Freedom: African Canadian in Grey County
February 20, 2007 to May 20, 2007
2
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 2
Range: The Meaford Tank Range Story and L’Chaim – To
Life: The Story of the Beth Ezekiel Synagogue. Countless
hours were spent creating these exhibits. Heartfelt thanks
go out to all the staff and volunteers that helped put these
incredible exhibits together. Staff from all departments:
Museum Collections, Heritage Interpretation, Media
Relations, Building Maintenance, and the Archives pulled
together to make these exhibits successful. It’s no small
feat creating an exhibit; the tremendous amount of work is
certainly visible when you see the impressive results.
Of course these two exhibits weren’t the only things on
the minds of staff this year. We hosted six weeks of solidly
booked Summer KidsCamp, featured exhibits from all over
Canada, played host to the Ontario Museum Association
Conference, educated over 1,700 school children from
all over the Twin Counties, attended special events such
as Renaissance Meaford, presented adult lectures, were
featured twice in the journal Ontario History, accessioned
over 50 new collections into the archival holdings, moved
six period buildings to their new home, helped to publish the third volume of the journal Northern Terminus,
opened two new exhibit galleries, accepted over 175
artefacts into our museum collection, helped to organize
events such as the Grey County Black History Event in
Durham, welcomed over 33,000 visitors to the facility with
over 17,000 visiting the Museum or Archives. 2006 has
been a tremendous year of growth for Grey Roots and we
look forward to another great year in 2007.
Wishing you safe and happy holidays and all the best for
the coming year!
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any public institution. Here at Grey Roots, it’s no different.
Volunteers help with a variety of tasks. In the
Archives, they assist us by fulfilling research
requests, transcribing oral histories, preparing
for conferences, representing the facility at local
events, indexing and labelling collections, writing
articles, and more. Each edition of Grey Matter
will feature a profile of one of the stars of Grey
Roots. This quarter, we are featuring Bonna
Rouse.
Born and raised in the former Glenelg Township,
Bonna graduated from Northern Business College
in Owen Sound, and taught at the College for
three years. Later she worked in the municipal
administration for 35 years, starting in the newly
established mining town of Elliot Lake. Later she
took on similar roles for the Village of Markdale,
the Village of Blyth, and Hullett Township. Bonna
is currently a member of the Write-Now Club in
Owen Sound and is involved in recording family and community stories from the place of her
childhood, Glenelg Township, as well as from the
Northern Bruce Peninsula, where her husband
originated.
Bonna takes on a variety of jobs helping the
Archives. Currently she is creating an inventory of our reference book collections. She has
also helped by creating handmade folders for
oversized photographs, organizing and creating
inventories of both private and municipal collections, encapsulating maps in Mylar, and writing
articles for various publications including the
third volume of Northern Terminus: The African
Canadian History Journal. Thank you for your
dedicated service over the years.
THE
Submitted by Brian Manser, Manager of Grey Roots Museum & Archives
Tourism
REPORT
Submitted by Bryan Plumsted, Tourism
EVENTS
A Grey Roots Christmas
December 9, 2006
Elephant Thoughts: Hands-on Science
February 10, 2007
Northern Terminus Journal Launch
February 24, 2007
March Break KidsCamp
March 12-16, 2007
Spring Lecture Series
March 13, 20, 27 and April 3, 10, 2007
GREY MATTER / Winter 2006
Winter is fast approaching, and the area will soon be blanketed in a thick layer of snow. The skis and snow machines will
once again come to life Despite the overcast weather; Heather
could be seen waving frenetically from our Tourism Vehicle in
the Owen Sound Santa Claus Parade on November 18th.
Our Annual Fall Tourism Conference, Rural and Relevant, was
a Huge Success with 135 people in attendance. Donna Hatt,
our keynote speaker for the event was riveting and informative, as were our other presenters; Jane Muegge, Chet Calhoun
and Rebecca LeHeup-Bucknell. What with these speakers, a
delectable lunch provided by Georgian College, and our fabuwww.greyroots.com
lous door prices, nobody went home unsatisfied. Thank you to
all of the volunteers who helped with the event.
The Grey't Experience Contest drew to a close officially on
October 31st. We had over 2500 contestants who took the
time to fill out our ballots in the hopes of winning one of our
wonderful seasonal prizes. The draw occurred on November
7 here at Grey Roots where the Mix 106 covered us LIVE on
the air. Catch the footage at www.visitgrey.ca. We had winners from Stayner, Owen Sound, Oakville and Waterloo. Stay
Tuned for BIGGER and BETTER things to come in 2007.
7
11/30/06 11:46:29 AM
A Shot in the Dark
The Caligraph
Submitted by Petal Furness, Heritage Interpretation Coordinator
Submitted by Joan Hyslop, Registrar
For a very long time, pen and ink writing prevailed
in the business world. Clerks recorded or copied
information as neatly as they could (by hand) into
ledgers and documents. However, in the 19thcentury, businesses became more complicated, and
required more records and correspondence. Hiring
more clerks was expensive, so various inventors
worked at the idea of creating writing machines to
speed up business writings.
the left side, and one at the right. The carriage
and platen (unfortunately missing on ours) would
be moved by a main spring, which is located on
the underside of the machine. These main springs
tended to break easily, as they exerted a lot of force.
At the left front side of the machine is a bell and its
striking hammer, which still can make a delightful,
gentle “ping” noise, even though there is no longer
a carriage to return.
The first practical “Type Writer” was invented
by Christopher L. Sholes in the United States, in
1873. The first commercially-successful version,
the Remington No. 2, was introduced in 1878, and
soon would have a competitor in the market—the
Caligraph.
In front of the keys is a sloping surface, which
hides the long type-bar levers underneath. This
area has the remnants of a “curtain” decal, identifying its maker as the American Writing Machine
Co. The strange sloping front disappeared when
the company began marketing the “New Century
Caligraph” in 1898.
Like the Remington, the Caligraph was an “upstrike”
machine. This meant that depressing each key
levered its type-bar. The type-bar would swing
upwards and hit the typewriter ink ribbon, paper
and platen (roller) from below. The typist could not
immediately see what he had just typed, when he
used an “upstrike” machine. At rest, the individual
type-bars hang downward, forming a cylindrical
“type basket”.
We held a new Ghostwalk this year called "A Shot
in the Dark." Over the nights of October 20 – 21st,
2006, the presentation was based on actual events
that had happened in 1907 in Grey County. Ten
staff and twenty-two volunteers took part. It was
very well received – Saturday night we were sold
out! The ghostwalk is a large commitment of time,
but well worth the effort with such positive feedback. See you next year!
Grey Matter
We do not know who originally owned this
machine. It belonged to Mr. Red Leckie of Leckie’s
Office Equipment (Owen Sound, Ontario), before
he brought it to the museum in 1973.
A newsletter fo
for enquiring minds
Published by Grey Roots Museum & Archives
Issue 4, Winter 2006
1973.006.001
Dinosaur Membership
Contest Winners!
The first Caligraphs (1880-1881) could only type in
capital letters, and had 48 keys. In 1882, a second
version of the Caligraph was introduced, which had
72 keys. In 1883, a third version had 78 keys. This
appears to be the model we have in the Grey Roots
collection. There was no shifting mechanism for
it—there are actually separate uppercase and lowercase keys for the letters! The uppercase letter keys
are black, while the lowercase letters, numbers, and
most of the symbol keys are white. Here is what the
keyboard looks like:
Lisa & Mike Farrow
They won:
• The Framed John Bindon Print
- Stormy Sea
• Two, one-time only Family
Passes to Grey Roots
• The amazing pop-up Encyclopaedia Prehistoria Dinosaurs book
• One adult John Bindon dinosaur
• T-shirt
• Plus five wee dinosaurs.
VW!23456789JK
RTE@($q&z)UGH
ASwtreyuioIO¼
No (the o is small and underscored) D F a s d f g
hckNL
BCjxvbnlmpMP½
QX/; ' ? " . , - ‘YZ
Established 2005
Grey Matter is a quarterly newsletter for the members, voluteers and friends of Grey
Roots Museum & Archives. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Address:
Phone:
Toll-Free:
Fax:
Website:
E-mail:
102599 Grey Road 18, RR 4,
Owen Sound, ON N4K5N4
519-376-7690
1-877-473-9766
519-376-4654
www. greyroots.com
ljavalyn@greyroots.com
Contributors:
Writers: Brian Manser, Petal Furness, Karin Foster, Stacy McLennan, Lara Javalyn
Cover Photo: Grant Nicholson
Editing/Layout/Design: Lara Javalyn
Copies are available free of charge at the Grey Roots Museum & Archives facility.
Correction for the Fall 2006 issue: Please note that Ruth Cathcart, Grey Roots Member,
submitted the material for our serial on the Frost Family.
The typist had two space bars to depress, one at
6
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 3
GREY MATTER / Winter 2006
2
11/30/06 11:46:45 AM
E xhibit Opening
E xhibit Opening
The Meaford Tank Range Story
L’Chaim
Chaim
To
o
Life
The Story of the Beth
eth Ezekiel
E ekiel Synagogue
Submitted by Petal Furness, Heritage Interpration Coordinator
Submitted by Petal Furness, Heritage Interpretion Coordinator
Home on the Range
Friday November 3rd, "HOME ON THE RANGE:
The Story of the Meaford Tank Range," opened.
This exhibit explores the development of the Land
Force Central Area Training Centre in the former
St. Vincent and Sydenham Townships, from its
conception in 1942, up to the present day. The
Department of Defence decided upon the terrain
just west of Meaford, as it met the sought after
requirement for an Armour Fighting Vehicle training area. The story of the Meaford Tank Range is
told from the viewpoints of the farmers who were
expropriated from their land, and the government,
desperate to win a world war against fascism.
This exhibit truly involved every function at Grey
4
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 4
Roots. We are indebted to the folks who provided
oral interviews and gave us their artefacts for display. We had one extraordinary volunteer, Frank
Deacon, who assisted with these tasks. Amelia
Ferguson, Archival Assistant, traveled to Ottawa
to ‘dig’ at the National Archives. Joan Hyslop did
local ‘digging’ and wrote the first draft of the panels.
Interpretation staff did the editing and rewriting.
We had a new designer, Jane Barber of the Wire
Mouse, who was great to work with. Installation
was made possible with Stacy McLennan and
Stewart McGillis’ help. Brian Manser supported
all throughout the long hours. A Gallery Guide is
forthcoming.
GREY MATTER / Winter 2006
Sunday, November 26th, 2006, "L'Chaim - To Life"
opened. Beth Ezekiel synagogue has the bittersweet distinction of being Canada's last small town
synagogue. It remains in Owen Sound as the final
reminder of an institution that was once a familiar
fixture in small towns across this country. This original exhibit, over 2 years in the making, chronicles
a remarkable story of determination, tenacity, and
faith. It tells of local Jewish pioneers and the contributions they made to Grey County. It also tells of a
burgeoning community enjoying religious life and
observance free from the persecution that dogged
its founders in Eastern Europe. And the story continues on about how the synagogue, on the brink of
collapse, was seemingly destined to follow scores of
other small town Jewish communities into oblivion.
However, the story takes a happy turn. Today Beth
Ezekiel synagogue enjoys unprecedented revitalization with growing membership, renewed optimism
and the will, not only to endure, but to succeed in
the face of relative cultural isolation.
The opening celebrated both the completion of
the exhibit and the dedication of all involved.
Speakers included Grey Roots Manager, Brian
Manser; Warden Bob Pringle; Mayor Ruth Lovell;
President of the Beth Ezekiel Synagogue, Jeff
Elie; Bob Greenberg; and Heritage Interpretation
Coordinator, Petal Furness. The large opening,
with over 150 people from the local communities
and beyond in attendance, was entertained by the
Gypsy Jive Band and the Voyaguer storytellers.
5
11/30/06 11:47:36 AM
E xhibit Opening
E xhibit Opening
The Meaford Tank Range Story
L’Chaim
Chaim
To
o
Life
The Story of the Beth
eth Ezekiel
E ekiel Synagogue
Submitted by Petal Furness, Heritage Interpration Coordinator
Submitted by Petal Furness, Heritage Interpretion Coordinator
Home on the Range
Friday November 3rd, "HOME ON THE RANGE:
The Story of the Meaford Tank Range," opened.
This exhibit explores the development of the Land
Force Central Area Training Centre in the former
St. Vincent and Sydenham Townships, from its
conception in 1942, up to the present day. The
Department of Defence decided upon the terrain
just west of Meaford, as it met the sought after
requirement for an Armour Fighting Vehicle training area. The story of the Meaford Tank Range is
told from the viewpoints of the farmers who were
expropriated from their land, and the government,
desperate to win a world war against fascism.
This exhibit truly involved every function at Grey
4
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 4
Roots. We are indebted to the folks who provided
oral interviews and gave us their artefacts for display. We had one extraordinary volunteer, Frank
Deacon, who assisted with these tasks. Amelia
Ferguson, Archival Assistant, traveled to Ottawa
to ‘dig’ at the National Archives. Joan Hyslop did
local ‘digging’ and wrote the first draft of the panels.
Interpretation staff did the editing and rewriting.
We had a new designer, Jane Barber of the Wire
Mouse, who was great to work with. Installation
was made possible with Stacy McLennan and
Stewart McGillis’ help. Brian Manser supported
all throughout the long hours. A Gallery Guide is
forthcoming.
GREY MATTER / Winter 2006
Sunday, November 26th, 2006, "L'Chaim - To Life"
opened. Beth Ezekiel synagogue has the bittersweet distinction of being Canada's last small town
synagogue. It remains in Owen Sound as the final
reminder of an institution that was once a familiar
fixture in small towns across this country. This original exhibit, over 2 years in the making, chronicles
a remarkable story of determination, tenacity, and
faith. It tells of local Jewish pioneers and the contributions they made to Grey County. It also tells of a
burgeoning community enjoying religious life and
observance free from the persecution that dogged
its founders in Eastern Europe. And the story continues on about how the synagogue, on the brink of
collapse, was seemingly destined to follow scores of
other small town Jewish communities into oblivion.
However, the story takes a happy turn. Today Beth
Ezekiel synagogue enjoys unprecedented revitalization with growing membership, renewed optimism
and the will, not only to endure, but to succeed in
the face of relative cultural isolation.
The opening celebrated both the completion of
the exhibit and the dedication of all involved.
Speakers included Grey Roots Manager, Brian
Manser; Warden Bob Pringle; Mayor Ruth Lovell;
President of the Beth Ezekiel Synagogue, Jeff
Elie; Bob Greenberg; and Heritage Interpretation
Coordinator, Petal Furness. The large opening,
with over 150 people from the local communities
and beyond in attendance, was entertained by the
Gypsy Jive Band and the Voyaguer storytellers.
5
11/30/06 11:47:36 AM
A Shot in the Dark
The Caligraph
Submitted by Petal Furness, Heritage Interpretation Coordinator
Submitted by Joan Hyslop, Registrar
For a very long time, pen and ink writing prevailed
in the business world. Clerks recorded or copied
information as neatly as they could (by hand) into
ledgers and documents. However, in the 19thcentury, businesses became more complicated, and
required more records and correspondence. Hiring
more clerks was expensive, so various inventors
worked at the idea of creating writing machines to
speed up business writings.
the left side, and one at the right. The carriage
and platen (unfortunately missing on ours) would
be moved by a main spring, which is located on
the underside of the machine. These main springs
tended to break easily, as they exerted a lot of force.
At the left front side of the machine is a bell and its
striking hammer, which still can make a delightful,
gentle “ping” noise, even though there is no longer
a carriage to return.
The first practical “Type Writer” was invented
by Christopher L. Sholes in the United States, in
1873. The first commercially-successful version,
the Remington No. 2, was introduced in 1878, and
soon would have a competitor in the market—the
Caligraph.
In front of the keys is a sloping surface, which
hides the long type-bar levers underneath. This
area has the remnants of a “curtain” decal, identifying its maker as the American Writing Machine
Co. The strange sloping front disappeared when
the company began marketing the “New Century
Caligraph” in 1898.
Like the Remington, the Caligraph was an “upstrike”
machine. This meant that depressing each key
levered its type-bar. The type-bar would swing
upwards and hit the typewriter ink ribbon, paper
and platen (roller) from below. The typist could not
immediately see what he had just typed, when he
used an “upstrike” machine. At rest, the individual
type-bars hang downward, forming a cylindrical
“type basket”.
We held a new Ghostwalk this year called "A Shot
in the Dark." Over the nights of October 20 – 21st,
2006, the presentation was based on actual events
that had happened in 1907 in Grey County. Ten
staff and twenty-two volunteers took part. It was
very well received – Saturday night we were sold
out! The ghostwalk is a large commitment of time,
but well worth the effort with such positive feedback. See you next year!
Grey Matter
We do not know who originally owned this
machine. It belonged to Mr. Red Leckie of Leckie’s
Office Equipment (Owen Sound, Ontario), before
he brought it to the museum in 1973.
A newsletter fo
for enquiring minds
Published by Grey Roots Museum & Archives
Issue 4, Winter 2006
1973.006.001
Dinosaur Membership
Contest Winners!
The first Caligraphs (1880-1881) could only type in
capital letters, and had 48 keys. In 1882, a second
version of the Caligraph was introduced, which had
72 keys. In 1883, a third version had 78 keys. This
appears to be the model we have in the Grey Roots
collection. There was no shifting mechanism for
it—there are actually separate uppercase and lowercase keys for the letters! The uppercase letter keys
are black, while the lowercase letters, numbers, and
most of the symbol keys are white. Here is what the
keyboard looks like:
Lisa & Mike Farrow
They won:
• The Framed John Bindon Print
- Stormy Sea
• Two, one-time only Family
Passes to Grey Roots
• The amazing pop-up Encyclopaedia Prehistoria Dinosaurs book
• One adult John Bindon dinosaur
• T-shirt
• Plus five wee dinosaurs.
VW!23456789JK
RTE@($q&z)UGH
ASwtreyuioIO¼
No (the o is small and underscored) D F a s d f g
hckNL
BCjxvbnlmpMP½
QX/; ' ? " . , - ‘YZ
Established 2005
Grey Matter is a quarterly newsletter for the members, voluteers and friends of Grey
Roots Museum & Archives. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Address:
Phone:
Toll-Free:
Fax:
Website:
E-mail:
102599 Grey Road 18, RR 4,
Owen Sound, ON N4K5N4
519-376-7690
1-877-473-9766
519-376-4654
www. greyroots.com
ljavalyn@greyroots.com
Contributors:
Writers: Brian Manser, Petal Furness, Karin Foster, Stacy McLennan, Lara Javalyn
Cover Photo: Grant Nicholson
Editing/Layout/Design: Lara Javalyn
Copies are available free of charge at the Grey Roots Museum & Archives facility.
Correction for the Fall 2006 issue: Please note that Ruth Cathcart, Grey Roots Member,
submitted the material for our serial on the Frost Family.
The typist had two space bars to depress, one at
6
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 3
GREY MATTER / Winter 2006
2
11/30/06 11:46:45 AM
Welcome
to Winter 2006
Voluteer Profile
Submitted by Karin Foster, Archivist
A
s the year ends here at Grey Roots we can look back
with pride at what we have accomplished in 2006,
what a truly amazing year it has been for us.
To all of our dedicated volunteers and members thank you
for your continued support and thank you for being part
of Grey Roots. To our newest members welcome and we
look forward to seeing you, and know that you will enjoy
the many benefits offered to our members.
With this latest issue of Grey Matter we are sad to announce
the passing of Heritage & Fundraising Committee member Doug Hubbell. Doug was an inspiration to all of us
that knew and worked with him. Doug for me was not
only a friend but a mentor and as we continue on with
the Heritage village site we see Doug’s work everywhere.
Doug’s list of project requirements is still on my desk,
and as they are long term in one sense it is like having my
standing orders from Doug that will see us through for a
number of years.
We are also saying goodbye to long term County Councillor
Delton Becker who is exiting the ring of politics. Mr. Becker
has served on Council for the past 26 years. Over his terms
he has always been a great supporter of the heritage and
culture of this Grey’t County. As such he has spent many a
years serving as a dedicated member, and also chair, of the
Heritage Committee. We would like to wish Mr. Becker all
the best and hope to see him continue his commitment to
heritage during his retirement.
The year is winding down but things are just heating up
here at Grey Roots Museum & Archives. Currently we have
two spectacular Grey Roots original exhibits: Home on the
EXHIBIT UPDATES
Open Hearts/Closed Doors
Until December 17, 2006
A Grey Roots Christmas
Until January 14, 2007
Sitting Pretty: A History of the Toilet
December 23, 2006 to February 7, 2007
Spinning Through Time: The Dorothy and Harry Kirk Collection
January 13, 2007 to April 22, 2007
Our History on Paper: The Grey County Archives
February 5, 2007 to May 18, 2007
From Slavery to Freedom: African Canadian in Grey County
February 20, 2007 to May 20, 2007
2
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 2
Range: The Meaford Tank Range Story and L’Chaim – To
Life: The Story of the Beth Ezekiel Synagogue. Countless
hours were spent creating these exhibits. Heartfelt thanks
go out to all the staff and volunteers that helped put these
incredible exhibits together. Staff from all departments:
Museum Collections, Heritage Interpretation, Media
Relations, Building Maintenance, and the Archives pulled
together to make these exhibits successful. It’s no small
feat creating an exhibit; the tremendous amount of work is
certainly visible when you see the impressive results.
Of course these two exhibits weren’t the only things on
the minds of staff this year. We hosted six weeks of solidly
booked Summer KidsCamp, featured exhibits from all over
Canada, played host to the Ontario Museum Association
Conference, educated over 1,700 school children from
all over the Twin Counties, attended special events such
as Renaissance Meaford, presented adult lectures, were
featured twice in the journal Ontario History, accessioned
over 50 new collections into the archival holdings, moved
six period buildings to their new home, helped to publish the third volume of the journal Northern Terminus,
opened two new exhibit galleries, accepted over 175
artefacts into our museum collection, helped to organize
events such as the Grey County Black History Event in
Durham, welcomed over 33,000 visitors to the facility with
over 17,000 visiting the Museum or Archives. 2006 has
been a tremendous year of growth for Grey Roots and we
look forward to another great year in 2007.
Wishing you safe and happy holidays and all the best for
the coming year!
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any public institution. Here at Grey Roots, it’s no different.
Volunteers help with a variety of tasks. In the
Archives, they assist us by fulfilling research
requests, transcribing oral histories, preparing
for conferences, representing the facility at local
events, indexing and labelling collections, writing
articles, and more. Each edition of Grey Matter
will feature a profile of one of the stars of Grey
Roots. This quarter, we are featuring Bonna
Rouse.
Born and raised in the former Glenelg Township,
Bonna graduated from Northern Business College
in Owen Sound, and taught at the College for
three years. Later she worked in the municipal
administration for 35 years, starting in the newly
established mining town of Elliot Lake. Later she
took on similar roles for the Village of Markdale,
the Village of Blyth, and Hullett Township. Bonna
is currently a member of the Write-Now Club in
Owen Sound and is involved in recording family and community stories from the place of her
childhood, Glenelg Township, as well as from the
Northern Bruce Peninsula, where her husband
originated.
Bonna takes on a variety of jobs helping the
Archives. Currently she is creating an inventory of our reference book collections. She has
also helped by creating handmade folders for
oversized photographs, organizing and creating
inventories of both private and municipal collections, encapsulating maps in Mylar, and writing
articles for various publications including the
third volume of Northern Terminus: The African
Canadian History Journal. Thank you for your
dedicated service over the years.
THE
Submitted by Brian Manser, Manager of Grey Roots Museum & Archives
Tourism
REPORT
Submitted by Bryan Plumsted, Tourism
EVENTS
A Grey Roots Christmas
December 9, 2006
Elephant Thoughts: Hands-on Science
February 10, 2007
Northern Terminus Journal Launch
February 24, 2007
March Break KidsCamp
March 12-16, 2007
Spring Lecture Series
March 13, 20, 27 and April 3, 10, 2007
GREY MATTER / Winter 2006
Winter is fast approaching, and the area will soon be blanketed in a thick layer of snow. The skis and snow machines will
once again come to life Despite the overcast weather; Heather
could be seen waving frenetically from our Tourism Vehicle in
the Owen Sound Santa Claus Parade on November 18th.
Our Annual Fall Tourism Conference, Rural and Relevant, was
a Huge Success with 135 people in attendance. Donna Hatt,
our keynote speaker for the event was riveting and informative, as were our other presenters; Jane Muegge, Chet Calhoun
and Rebecca LeHeup-Bucknell. What with these speakers, a
delectable lunch provided by Georgian College, and our fabuwww.greyroots.com
lous door prices, nobody went home unsatisfied. Thank you to
all of the volunteers who helped with the event.
The Grey't Experience Contest drew to a close officially on
October 31st. We had over 2500 contestants who took the
time to fill out our ballots in the hopes of winning one of our
wonderful seasonal prizes. The draw occurred on November
7 here at Grey Roots where the Mix 106 covered us LIVE on
the air. Catch the footage at www.visitgrey.ca. We had winners from Stayner, Owen Sound, Oakville and Waterloo. Stay
Tuned for BIGGER and BETTER things to come in 2007.
7
11/30/06 11:46:29 AM
Out of the
Archives
Submitted by Amelia Ferguson, Assitant Archivist
Winter is upon us. As such, the Reading Room is quieter. All
the better to get lots of genealogy work done. There is a better chance that the popular microfilm reader / printer will be
available for you to print your ancestor’s vital registrations.
We are like an iceberg, a lot is going on beneath the surface;
business in the back is mounting! We have recently received
municipal transfers from the former township of Artemesia
and the Village of Flesherton. Thank you to the South Grey
Library for preparing the items for their trip to their new
home. We now have over 500 linear meters of municipal archival material. That would stretch the length of over five
football fields!
The Archives will also be hosting a couple of school groups
in December. Primary school children will be participating
in our Climb Your Family Tree program. With links to the
Grade 2 Ontario curriculum, children have an opportunity
to explore family traditions and family structure, create a
family tree craft, discover the hidden secrets of the Archives
Storage, and learn basic research sources.
Work also continues on the production of the fourth volume
of the Northern Terminus Journal, a publication celebrating
Black History in Grey County. A special launch will be held
at Grey Roots February 24, 2007, beginning at 1:00pm. The
afternoon will include musical entertainment, readings from
the Journal, and refreshments. This is a free event, and everyone is welcome to attend.
The list out for the speakers for next year’s Spring Lecture
Series. Every Tuesday afternoon, starting March 13, 2007
and continuing until April 10, 2007, enjoy a lecture by a local
expert.
The Foibles of St. Vincent Township (the Meaford
Tank Range) by Marjorie Davidson
By the Rivers of Babylon: The Architecture of the
Synagogue by Bob Greenberg
The March of Commerce: The Industrial-Commercial Architecture of Grey County by Bob
Greenberg
The Mythological History of Anishinabek by Basil
Johnston
Groundwater – The Vital Resource by Peter Russell
Lectures are free with regular admission to the facility. This,
of course means, members are admitted free of charge! Visit
www.greyroots.com/programs-events for lecture content
descriptions.
Grey Matter
A newsletter for enquiring minds
Issue #4, WINTER 2006
Wishing you all the best in this holiday season, and for the
coming new year. See you in the Reading Room!
102599 Grey Road 18, RR 4
Owen Sound, ON N4K 5N6
Inside this issue:
www.greyroots.com
Newsletter_Winter2006_v2.indd 1
Welcome...Page 2
Exhibit and Event Schedule...Page 2
A Shot in the Dark...Page 3
Exhibit Opening: The Meaford Tank Range Story...Page 4
Exhibit Opening: L’Chaim - To Life...Page 5
The Caligraph...Page 6
11/30/06 11:46:06 AM