The Ontario Historical Society

The Canadian Archaeologist Who Collected 4500 Beer Cans
2021-04-15 20:30 - 21:30 (America/Toronto) | online
Dr. David Maxwell, archaeologist & collector, discusses what he’s learned about contemporary culture from the discarded cans of beers-past.
About this Event
What does our garbage say about us? As a young anthropologist and archaeologist, Dr. David Maxwell studied Mayan votive offerings and what they tell us about Mayan cultural and political history; but not all cultural relics have to be ancient ! Dr. Maxwell discovered this at the tender age of 11 when he started collecting beer cans discarded on the side of the road. These cans sparked an interest in the history of the cans themselves, the beer, and the brewing companies. This collection led to a fascination and understanding of our society’s changing approach to litter, recycling, what we define as “garbage.”
Dr. Maxwell’s collection became a lifelong passion and eventually swelled to over 4,500 cans—now whittled down to just under 2,000 due to storage constraints. Grab a cold one and join us for an evening chat about the most Canadian of topics – beer!
Dr. Maxwell will discuss his research, share stories about collecting and his interactions with other researchers over the years… and, of course, share highlights of his unique collection with us. A Q&A will follow.

Family History Series Part 1 – Kyla Ubbink
2021-04-20 13:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
If a picture says a thousand words, then a family photograph tells a thousand tales; and ones we want to pass on and keep for the future. Knowing the photographic processes used to create an image helps identify the era the picture was taken in, and guides us in how to go about handling, using and preserving that image. From Daguerrotypes, and Tin types, to Colodial-Chloride and Gelatin, and almost every photographic technique and emulsion type in between; you will learn the basics of how these photographs were created, what time periods they were popular in, and how to identify and date them.
About the Presenter:
Kyla Ubbink began her career through an internship with the Library and Archive Canada’s conservation laboratories in 2000 and subsequent contract positions through to 2005. Operating a private conservation studio since 2002, Mrs. Ubbink’s work has been integral to the collections of the Canadian War Museum, Canadian Museum of Natural History, Bank of Canada Archives, Ontario Office of the Surveyor General, Parks Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada, Library of Parliament, Privy Council, and numerous university, archive, rare book, and art gallery collections.
Mrs. Ubbink obtained professional accreditation through the Canadian Association for Professional Conservators in 2010, has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Association for the Conservation of Cultural Property and has been a part time professor of Cultural Preservation for Algonquin College’s Archives and Records Management Program since 2007. She frequently provides lectures and workshops on preservation and conservation for professional conferences, has published several academic articles and recently served on a Canadian Standards Review Board to update the standard for Permanent Paper.

Oshawa Historical Society Presents: A Visit to Toronto’s First Post Office in 1834
2021-04-20 19:00 | online
Join Zoé Delguste-Cincotta, Curator of Toronto’s First Post Office, for a virtual tour of of the Post Office in 1834
It is difficult for our 21st century selves to contemplate a time when handwriting was the only means of sending a thought any distance. When Toronto incorporated as a City in 1834, it was already a bustling capital of just over 9000 inhabitants, most of whom were recent immigrants, having left family and friends across borders and oceans. But the new city was remote, and isolated. And if these residents wanted to communicate farther than shouting distance, there was only one way – by putting it in writing.
This illustrated presentation will highlight the history of the postal service in the Town of York and the building and operation of the first Post Office in the city of Toronto.

Toronto Railway Museum: Royal Train Tours of Canada
2021-04-21 18:30 - 21:00 | online
In Honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th Birthday
Conducted by Royal Historian, Carolyn Harris
Welcome to the Toronto Rail Museum’s 2021 Virtual Lecture Series— part of our “10th Anniversary Take Two” campaign.
Join us on a journey to the past as we examine Royal Tours of Canada during the 19th century through today. We will celebrate Her Majesty’s 95th Birthday and our rich Royal ties by looking back on our beloved Monarch’s many rail tours across Canada. We will also review the 2020 UK Royal train tour of William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to thank essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Toronto Railway Museum relies on your support to continue our mission to collect, preserve, and interpret Toronto’s railway history for everyone to enjoy for years to come. All funds raised from ticket sales will go directly back into supporting programming.
About Carolyn Harris
Dr. Carolyn Harris is an instructor in history at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She received her Ph.D in European history from Queen’s University in 2012. Her writing concerning the history of monarchy in the UK, Europe, and Canada has appeared in numerous publications including the Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Smithsonian Magazine and the BBC History Magazine, and she is the author of 3 books: Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada, Queenship and Revolution in Early Modern Europe: Henrietta Maria and Marie Antoinette and Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting. She is currently co-editing a book series about royal consorts, English Consorts: Power, Influence, Dynasty. She lives in Toronto.

Myseum Intersections 2021: In Addition: 5 Years+ of Grassroots Power with Butterfly
2021-04-24 14:00 - 15:30 | online
IN CONVERSATION WITH BUTTERFLY
Join organizing members of Butterfly in a conversation that explores the past and present activism, advocacy and support work of the organization as presented and celebrated in the exhibition IN ADDITION: 5 YEARS+ OF GRASSROOTS POWER WITH BUTTERFLY. The second part of the event will be centred around collective participatory action through providing the necessary learnings, tools and options for folx to advocate alongside Asian and migrant sex workers for the right to safely work in dignity.
Prior to the event, feel free to read more about what it means to support migrant sex workers justice here.
5 YEARS+ OF GRASSROOTS POWER WITH BUTTERFLY EXHIBITION
In Addition: 5+ Years of Grassroots Power with Butterfly is a community online exhibition, happening on Instagram (@butterflycsw) from April 17th to May 1st. The exhibition is grounded upon the stories of members from Butterfly, an Asian and migrant sex workers support network organization in Toronto and beyond. This exhibit showcases the photographs, voice and text messages contributed by the Butterfly community, and social media posts in relation to the history of activism, advocacy, and support work done over the past years in response to the barriers, violence, discrimination, and challenges Asian and migrant sex workers face. The content included in this exhibition will build a layered timeline, countering conventional narratives of agency and labour, and asks us all to actively listen to the stories that speak beyond their work.

Myseum Intersections 2021: Here and There: Storytelling Event
2021-04-25 13:00 - 14:00 | online
A storytelling event to hear about the history of Care Work in Canada and listen to personal stories of migrant Care Workers.
In 2019, Kwentong Bayan Collective and Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization (CCESO) premiered their collaborative storytelling project, Re-imagining Stories of Care Work at Myseum Intersections. The event received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community.
For Myseum Intersections 2021, they will reunite and offer a new collaborative project called Here and There which is a prerecorded audio/visual/storytelling piece that will be live streamed on YouTube.
Join us to learn about the experiences of Migrant Care Workers who will share their stories.
These stories have been developed with the support of theatre artist, Karen Ancheta and the Kwentong Bayan Collective have responded with an audio/visual installation.
As a nature of their work, Migrant Workers already know how to socially distance – divide mind, body, heart, and spirit – when they are separated from their loved ones for years to work abroad. Through the art of community storytelling, we’ll explore the rhythms of this dual life; how love transcends time and space; and what we can all learn from this time of lockdown and revolution.

Family History Series Part 2 – Kyla Ubbink
2021-04-27 13:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
Explore what agents of deterioration cause damage to photographs and what can be done at home to mitigate and preserve them for the future. Proper boxing and albums, controlling the climate, keeping pollutants at bay, handling techniques, digitization and framing are all important to the longevity of your collection. Demonstrations of the techniques will be given along with notes and reference materials. Make the most out of your resources with tips to preserve, digitize, use and ensure the longevity of your family’s pictorial history.
About the Presenter:
Kyla Ubbink began her career through an internship with the Library and Archive Canada’s conservation laboratories in 2000 and subsequent contract positions through to 2005. Operating a private conservation studio since 2002, Mrs. Ubbink’s work has been integral to the collections of the Canadian War Museum, Canadian Museum of Natural History, Bank of Canada Archives, Ontario Office of the Surveyor General, Parks Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada, Library of Parliament, Privy Council, and numerous university, archive, rare book, and art gallery collections.
Mrs. Ubbink obtained professional accreditation through the Canadian Association for Professional Conservators in 2010, has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Association for the Conservation of Cultural Property and has been a part time professor of Cultural Preservation for Algonquin College’s Archives and Records Management Program since 2007. She frequently provides lectures and workshops on preservation and conservation for professional conferences, has published several academic articles and recently served on a Canadian Standards Review Board to update the standard for Permanent Paper.

Hastings County Historical Society: The Lost Villages of the St. Lawrence
2021-04-28 15:00 | online
In partnership with the Hastings County Historical Society, the Belleville Public Library will be hosting another informative talk via Zoom titled “The Lost Villages of the St. Lawrence”.
June 26, 1959 – Queen Elizabeth officially opened the St. Lawrence Seaway, the multi-billion dollar marine shipping route. But at what cost? This is the engaging story of the six Lost Villages and the three hamlets that were flooded to make way for the St. Lawrence Seaway. Jim Brownell, retired teacher and former M.P.P., will relate how thousands of people living along the river had to be relocated. Their homes now lay beneath Lake St. Lawrence.
Join us for this free Zoom presentation on Wednesday, April 28 at 3:00 pm
Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IBuVdJX2QEueHejrnaXcuQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
For more information, please contact Shannon Bryan at 613-968-6731 x 2049 or email sbryan@bellevillelibrary.ca

North York Historical Society April 2021 Meeting: "Memories of North York" with Bill Aird
2021-04-28 19:00 | online
Speaker: Bill Aird, VP of the NYHS Board
WWI was followed by a rapid expansion of the city of Toronto. The growth of population north of the city limits quickly caused problems with the largely agricultural region north of the city. For a number of reasons which will become evident in this talk this led to the beginning of North York as a region separate from York County.
North York had a unique history during the Great Depression. WWII was followed by a great urbanization; changing North York from a rural farming area to the current urban giant. You may be reminded of fond memories, or things you didn’t remember or even things you didn’t know about North York. Enjoy!

The Historical Society of Ottawa: British Aristocrats in Wartime Rideau Hall
2021-04-28 19:00 | online
Guest Speaker: Dorothy Phillips, author of “Victor and Evie”
Arriving in the midst of the Great War, Canada’s new Governor General, Victor Cavendish, struggled to strike a new balance as Canadians, rapidly evolving from their colonial past, pushed hard for greater independence. Meanwhile, Lady Evelyn persevered with domestic matters such as ensuring propriety between her daughters and Rideau Hall’s ever-present young aides-de-camp.
This speaker series will take place via Zoom. Please join by using this registration link.
All are welcome to attend without charge.

Caledon East & District Historical Society April 2021 Presentation
2021-04-28 19:00 | online
Topic: The History of Local Artist Rosemary Kilbourn of the Dingle Schoolhouse
Please join us for a presentation by Guest Speaker Zoë Lepiano on the work of Caledon Artist, Rosemary Kilbourn, celebrated wood engraver, stained glass artist and painter. Living and working in the Albion Hills, she reflected in her art the surroundings of her cherished home, The Dingle Schoolhouse.

North Toronto Historical Society April 2021 Program: College Street
2021-04-28 19:30 | online
There’s a wide variety of building types and architectural styles on this long east-west street that passes through several neighbourhoods. Learn about the many churches, schools, commercial buildings and academic structures between Yonge Street and Lansdowne Avenue.
Architectural historian Marta O’Brien will cover these plus several remarkable University of Toronto buildings.
REGISTER NOW!
Email: membership@northtorontohistoricalsociety.org. We will send you an invitation with details on how to join the online meeting. You can join us on ZOOM by internet or phone.

Folk Art Collecting: David Field
2021-05-04 19:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
Join local folk art collector David Field, and take a wandering trip around, thinking about folk art – what does not apply; how does one define it; what does one appreciate when one views and acquires folk art. There are some categories and regional differences that are worth thinking about, and lastly – a love affair with a few pieces that I have had over the years.
About the Presenter:
Folk art – I buy it, I research it, sell it, I collect it and I live with it. For over 40 years I have been interested in folk art in all its forms. I grew up professionally as an engineer but fed my esthetic side as a collector and dealer in folk art. I acquired my first piece in the Middle East in the 1970’s – a painted window shutter. On return to Canada, and purchasing an 1850’s house in Eastern Ontario, I worked at learning about and acquiring folk art pieces that spoke to me. I have written for the former Upper Canadian on folk artists. My folk art collection has been on display at the Lennox & Addington Museum and I continue to deal in folk art and Canadiana as Croydon House Antiques.

“Andrew Denike: My Loyalist's family in Europe and North America” — Presentation by Nancy Conn, UE
2021-05-05 19:30 | online
A Virtual Branch Meeting
A former high school teacher, Nancy Conn, U.E. began working on her family history over four decades ago.
She joined the UEL Association and received her certificate in 1979. In those days showing descent from names in William Reid’s book, Loyalists in Ontario, was sufficient proof.
Her father’s family is of Irish and English origin, while her mother’s is much more varied. It includes Scottish and Huguenot forebears as well as New England and New Netherland ancestors. In 2017 Nancy successfully proved her descent from two of the Mayflower Pilgrims, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of Plymouth Colony.
Nancy’s Loyalist ancestor is Andrew Denike of the New Jersey Volunteers, who settled in Kingston, Ontario.
In May she will speak about his family in both Europe and North America. From a poor emigrant, his great-great-grandfather Conradt Ten Eyck became one of the wealthiest citizens of New Amsterdam. She will continue with three generations of his descendants down to her great-grandmother.
Nancy has made many trips to Salt Lake City, researched at archives and museums in Britain, Europe, New York and New England, and visited locations where her ancestors lived. Currently many sources are also available through the internet.
She set out to publish a book on the ancestry of each of her eight great-grandparents. In 2018 she produced the volume on Andrew Denike’s line, both antecedents and descendants. Research uncovered a myriad of facts as well as conundrums and perennial further questions.
Presently she is working on the last book, trying to do justice to over fifty families!
Explore the life, times and family of Andrew Denike, U.E.

Nature in Photography: Bill Bickle
2021-05-11 19:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
Join local wildlife photographer Bill Bickle as he shares with you stories of local species that he has photographed. Marveling in the beauty of nature, Bill will tour us through Eastern Ontario by showing off the majestic creatures he has been able to photograph in their natural habitats. Following the presentation, Bill will be available for a live question period.
About the Presenter:
An interest in nature was formed early for Bill. Photography as a passion came later. Now both come together to produce beautiful images as he captures birds, animals and flowers in their natural surroundings. It is the love of nature’s flora and fauna that stimulates Bill’s extensive research into habitat and characteristics of his subjects. Armed with this knowledge he then commands patience most would not endure, waiting for the ultimate posture, lighting and, sometimes surprising interaction that results in some of his most outstanding photographs.
Bill’s ability to anticipate action before it happens allows him to capture images that, for many, would be halfway out of the frame. The crisp clarity of his work allows those who only witness nature from a distance to realize the beauty of his specimens up close and personally. Perhaps even encouraging us to take a closer look ourselves next time we encounter nature’s gifts.
It is this combination of creativity and camaraderie with nature that provides a calm and rewarding harbor for Bill. And it is his dedication in search of engaging images that will continue to provide us all with a view of nature we may not otherwise experience.
Bill has been featured and won several National and International Photo Competitions, including National Geographic International Competition, Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canadian Geographic Magazine & 8 times been awarded Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year since 2008.

The Historical Society of Ottawa: The Assassination of D'arcy McGee
2021-05-12 19:00 | online
Guest Speaker: James Powell, author of the blog “Today in Ottawa’s History”
A shot rang out and one of Canada’s most passionate Fathers of Confederation fell dead in a pool of blood on Sparks Street. HSO member James Powell transports us back to the scene of Canada’s first political assassination.
This speaker series will take place via Zoom. Register to attend by using this link.
All are welcome to attend without charge.

Kingston Historical Society Presents Heather Home & Janice McAlpine: "Community Archiving: the Kingston LGBTQ Archives as Collaborative Model"
2021-05-12 19:00 | online
Community archiving is a documentation strategy aimed at working with a community to create archives, the objective being to have stories of the past told by those intimately involved in the activities, and resulting outcomes, of that lived experience. It is not about establishing a history; it is about revealing a history. The presenters will look at this type of community work in the ground-breaking creation of the Kingston LGBTQ collection at the Queen’s University Archives.
Heather Home is an archivist at Queen’s University specializing in cultural and social records; Janice McAlpine is a Kingston community member.
To register, and to receive all the details of how to connect, please email Paul van Nest at pvannest@cogeco.ca.

Toronto Railway Museum: Virtual Film Screening: The Ties That Bind + Q&A
2021-05-13 19:00 - 21:00 | online
With the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada, we’re proud to present the next event in our 2021 lecture series
About This Event
Join us on May 13 for a screening of the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada (FCCRWC)’s film, The Ties that Bind with a post-show Q&A with a representative from the Foundation and Toronto Railway Museum historians. The Ties That Bind preserves a seldom told part of Canada’s history and we are pleased to present the film as we celebrate Asian Heritage Month in May.
About Ties that Bind
Between 1881 and 1885, over 17,000 Chinese men came to Canada to work as labourers on the construction of the western section of the transcontinental railroad. Today, many Chinese Canadians are direct descendants of these men. The Ties That Bind: Building the CPR, Building a Place in Canada tells their story, and how their forebears contributed to nation building.
The famous “Last Spike” photograph tells only one part of the story. The people looking at the camera are white. Not one Chinese man is present. In this final moment, the story of the Chinese railway worker – their labour, sacrifice, and struggles – is omitted from the historical record.
The Ties That Bind examines the struggle of the Chinese Canadian community to establish an identity and roots in Canada. Through archival evidence and research about the men who came from China to build the transcontinental railway in the 1880s, and the use of oral testimony of their descendants, The Ties That Bind preserves a seldom told part of Canada’s history.

Uncertain Harvest: The Future of Food on a Warming Planet
2021-05-13 20:00 - 21:30 | online
Ian Mosby and Sarah Rotz talk about how to eat our way out of a mess in Uncertain Harvest: The Future of Food on a Warming Planet
About this Event
A menu for an edible future.
In a world expected to reach a staggering population of 10 billion by 2050, and with global temperatures rising fast, humanity must fundamentally change the way it grows and consumes food. In their new book, Uncertain Harvest, authors Ian Mosby and Sarah Rotz bring together scientists, chefs, activists, entrepreneurs, farmers, philosophers, and engineers working on the global future of food to answer questions on how to make a more equitable, safe, sustainable, and plentiful food future.
As a historian and as a social scientist, Mosby and Rotz look to the past to help us better understand our culinary future. They explore our ongoing history of mostly failed predictions and use that to look at contemporary predictions of a food future dominated by robot farms, cultured meats and photosynthesis-hacked GM rice.
Join us for an engaging Zoom presentation by the two authors, followed by a Q&A period. Save today on the ticket price by becoming a member of the Culinary Historians of Canada and continue to save on future events!
Participants will receive a coupon code to receive a 15% discount on the book from the publisher.

Peterborough Historical Society May 2021 Talk
2021-05-18 | online
PHS Monthly Meetings and Speakers Program go Virtual
In face of the challenges and continued risks of resuming on-site monthly meetings, we have decided instead to produce monthly virtual PHS Talks that may be viewed on the YouTube channel of Hutchison House Museum. The plan is to schedule them to be posted on the third Tuesday of the month, the traditional date of the regular monthly meetings. Notices of the talks will be publicized in the usual manner, including on this webpage.
May 2021: Ken Brown, “The Many Working Lives of Robert Romaine”

History of Millinery in Canada – A Show and Talk with Norma Shephard
2021-05-18 19:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
Join Mobile Millinery Museum director Norma Shephard for a discussion of 20th Century Canadian Millinery Designers. Among other discoveries, learn which designer is considered by experts to have been the greatest in Canadian history and why; which designer had a reputation for making any woman look beautiful; and which Canadian millinery designers are excelling at their craft today.
About the Presenter:
Norma Shephard is the founder and director of the Mobile Millinery Museum, a unique travelling museum whose “working hats” have raised funds for diverse causes; from homeless teens in rural Ontario, to cancer research and diagnostic equipment, to a women’s and children’s shelter in Israel. Shephard’s use of hats, shoes, and bridal gowns as cultural story blocks to prompt the telling of tales, myths, and legends transforms audience members into folklore informants, eager to share their own reminiscences.
Recognized as an historian and authority on vintage costume, Shephard has appeared on Canada A.M., CBC Morning, CBC Fresh Air, CBC Ontario Today, CH Morning Live, Breakfast Television, Canadian Living Television, This Morning Live, Main Street, CKCO, The Source, and Neighbour to Neighbour and has been featured in numerous print media. Shephard is the subject of a biography by Patricia Boyle, entitled The Hat Lady. “What Martha has done for the domestic arts, Norma is doing for museum curatorship,” says Boyle. “She has taken material history out of the archives and into the community, presenting it in new and exciting ways. When I realized that Norma was being recognized internationally I knew it was time for a book.”
In 1985 she earned a Canadian Achiever’s Award for entrepreneurship and since founding her museum in 1999, has penned and photographed Accessorizing the Bride; Vintage Wedding Finery Through the Decades (Schiffer Publishing), 1000 Hats (Schiffer Publishing), In Step With Fashion: 200 Years of Shoe Styles (Schiffer Publishing), Lingerie; Two Centuries of Luscious Design (Schiffer Publishing) and Dear Harry; The Firsthand Account of a World War I Infantryman. Col. Gordon Atkinson, retired, said of Dear Harry, “…fascinating and evocative of war … a tome of obvious labour and love. Tim Cook, First World War Historian at the Canadian War Museum and author of Shock Troops said, “As a student of Canadian history your book was a thrilling opportunity to gain insight into a little taught era in our heritage.”
As an editor and writing coach, Shephard has assisted others in achieving their dream of being published. She writes regularly on the subject of history for Canadian and American magazines, and her latest book for Schiffer Publishing, Darlings of Dress; Children’s Costume 1860-1920 is available now from Schiffer Books and amazon.com.

North York Historical Society May 2021 Meeting: “SNATCHED! The Unusual Kidnapping of Beer Tycoon John Labatt” with Susan Goldenberg
2021-05-19 19:00 | online
Speaker: Susan Goldenberg, NYHS Director
The kidnapping in 1934 of John Sackville Labatt, president of the big internationally well-known Labatt’s beer company, of London, Ontario, set several firsts in Canadian history. Labatt was the first important Canadian to be kidnapped, the first to be kidnapped for a high ransom, equivalent to $3 million today. It was the first kidnapping in Canada to come to trial. Kidnapping is a very serious, nasty crime and a wrong man was convicted.
But there was also bizarre humour which made it a very unusual kidnapping.

Port Hope and District Historical Society AGM 2021
2021-05-19 19:00 | Ganaraska Conservation Authority Meeting Room, 2216 County Road 28, Port Hope, Ontario, L1A 3V8, Canada

Revisiting Colonial Dinnerware with Sequoia Miller
2021-05-20 13:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
A collection of ceramic tableware on view in Toronto’s Gardiner Museum depicts idealized scenes of nineteenth-century Canadian life. Manufactured in England, these objects and others like them participated in the colonial project by imagining and asserting both national and colonial identities. In this virtual program, Sequoia Miller, Chief Curator at the Gardiner, will discuss how seemingly decorative objects such as these engage complex questions around colonialism, political economy, and cultural authority. Dr. Miller will also consider the role of museums in offering new and critical interpretive strategies for thinking through problematic historical objects.
About the Presenter:
Sequoia Miller is a historian, curator, and studio potter. He is the Chief Curator at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto. Miller holds a PhD in the History of Art from Yale University; an MA from the Bard Graduate Center for Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture; and a BA in Russian from Brandeis University. Recent curatorial projects include RAW and Ai Weiwei: Unbroken at the Gardiner and The Ceramic Presence in Modern Art at the Yale University Art Gallery. Before re-entering academia, Miller was a full-time studio potter based in the Pacific Northwest.

Myseum Intersections Festival | ChinaTOwn: Virtual Exhibition Launch
2021-05-23 16:00 | online
Presented by Linda Zhang, Assistant Professor at Ryerson’s School of Interior Design (RSID) at FCAD, along with a class of fourth-year RSID students, this immersive and interactive project seeks to identify Chinatown’s future heritage(s) through the affects produced by interior architecture, lived experience, collective storytelling, atmosphere, and memory. Through a conceptual digital exhibition, we seek to uncover untold stories and build a collective, intersectional vision for the future heritage(s) of Toronto’s Chinatowns.
Each of the projects featured in ChinaTOwn explores what marginalized communities have known for some time—namely, that all that is written is not necessarily all that is, and what is remembered extends far beyond what is recorded. ChinaTOwn tells the forgotten stories, willful omissions, and accumulation of silences that exist beyond Toronto’s official heritage definition of its Chinatown neighbourhoods. The project aims to put personal stories and individual memory in conversation with state-sanctioned narratives.
Join us for the exhibition launch event to hear from the artist and designers themselves and delve deeper into the histories and ideas behind their projects.

Little Wanderers: A Literary History of the British Home Children in Canada
2021-05-25 19:00 | online
Presented by Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives
Between 1863 and 1939 as many as 118,000 children came to Canada under a British program of child migration. These “Home Children” journeyed to Canada from the UK in search of a better life. Following the advice and help of Victorian social reformers, these little migrants hoped to leave behind a life of poverty and/or class discrimination limiting their opportunities and happiness in the Old World. In Canada, the children were often sent to work on farms or in domestic service. They would have a profound role in shaping the future of their adopted countries. Many went on to have their own farms or businesses; some dedicated themselves to defense of their country in war; a majority stayed in Canada and had families of their own. Indeed, some estimate that as many as one in ten Ontarians are descendant from Home Children. Sadly, this history is not always happy; many of the children were abused, neglected, and exploited by appalling working conditions and poor wages.
But why was migration viewed as a reasonable solution to poverty in the first place, and why was Canada the selected destination for these displaced youth? Our presentation on the “Little Wanderers” seeks to answer these questions by looking at some of the influential literature from the period. We will discuss works by prominent social reformers documenting the dire situation of the working-class and poor people in the Victorian city. We will also consider how the idea of child migration might have been normalized by Victorian children’s adventure fiction – with their tales celebrating colonialism as a means to self-reform and social belonging. Our talk on the “Little Wanderers” will conclude with a selection of texts specifically depicting the experiences and reception of the Home Children in Canada, including the legacy of these young migrants in their adoptive country.
About the Presenter:
Brooke Cameron is Associate Professor of English at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is the author of Critical Alliances: Economics and Feminism in English Women’s Writing, 1880-1914 (University of Toronto Press, 2020), as well as multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on gender and economic themes in Victorian literature. Her current research on the British Home Children in Canada is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant (SSHRC). She and her graduate student, Alicia Alves, recently developed a virtual archive of the library history surrounding the Home Children (also titled, “Little Wanderers”). Cameron is at work writing a book project on Victorian social reformers and child migrants.
Alicia Alves is a PhD Candidate at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Her work focuses on Victorian and Edwardian children’s literature, but she is also interested in children’s literature more broadly. She has published an article and a book chapter on this topic, and is currently completing a dissertation on “A Child’s Best Friend: Human-Animal Hybridity in Late-Victorian and Edwardian Children’s Literature.” Alves was co-creator with Dr. Brooke Cameron of a SSHRC-funded virtual library display focusing on children’s literature and the Home Children for the W. D. Jordan Special Collections at Queen’s University Library.

Hastings County Historical Society Presents, "The Small Pox Epidemic of Hungerford and Area in 1884"
2021-05-26 15:00 | online
In partnership with the Hastings County Historical Society, the Belleville Public Library will be hosting an informative talk via Zoom on Wednesday, May 26 at 3 pm. Evan Morton, the curator of the Tweed & Area Heritage Centre, will speak about the profound effects of the smallpox outbreak that happened in the Hungerford area in 1884. Mr. Morton was born and raised in Tweed and was a founding member of the Tweed & Area Historical Society.
Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jitOVuTRRhSML_ypSj9zrw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
For more information, please contact Shannon Bryan at 613-968-6731 x 2049 or email sbryan@bellevillelibrary.ca.

Thunder Bay Museum Presents, "Reel Memories of the Lakehead: The Lakehead in Frame"
2021-05-26 19:00 | online
Reel Memories of the Lakehead is a public history project dedicated to the preservation and exposition of the visual history of the Lakehead region through historical film footage. Join members of the Reel Memories team, Katie Green, Tom Peotto, and Ron Harpelle, for a presentation on their research into the first 20 years of the local television news at the Lakehead.
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Canada: +1 587 328 1099 or +1 647 374 4685 or +1 647 558 0588 or +1 778 907 2071 or +1 204 272 7920 or +1 438 809 7799
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 301 715 8592
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Webinar ID: 830 0735 1268
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International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd2ALCbEv9

North Toronto Historical Society May 2021 Program: Jean Lumb: A Woman of Many Firsts
2021-05-26 19:30 | online
Jean Lumb, C.M., was the first restauranteur and first Chinese Canadian woman invested into the Order of Canada. She and her husband owned Kwong Chow Restaurant that introduced Chinese food to the who’s who of Toronto. A trailblazer and community spokesperson whose legacy lives on today, Jean played a pivotal role in changing immigration laws that separated families and in saving Chinatowns in Toronto and across Canada. Her daughter, author Arlene Chan, will tell Jean’s remarkable story.
REGISTER AFTER MAY 1, 2021
Send email to membership@northtorontohistoricalsociety.org.

UE Loyalists Bridge Annex Virtual Conference & Historical Event 2021
2021-05-27 - 2021-05-31 | online
Join the rEvolution – Come Be Part of the Story
Join the rEvolution has never been a more apt slogan than it is now. Bridge Annex, the 1st virtual branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC), is proud to announce we will be hosting the first virtual conference in UELAC history!
Innovation is what Bridge Annex was founded on, and the pandemic has shown us this foundation allows us to take our vision for an interactive and memorable conference & historical event and apply it to a virtual platform. Think virtual is boring? Think again!
We’re producing a mix of multimedia and live elements to engage our audience. The opportunity of a virtual conference is that we can produce expanded content and bring in partners from across Canada and the US to participate and share their knowledge. In fact, our list of possibilities just keeps growing because of the enormous enthusiasm and sense of cooperation from our many partners on this journey.
We are pleased to announce that our major partner Cornwall Tourism is on board. Their support has been critical to developing our vision for sharing the rich history of the region – Loyalist and more. We’ll be hosting live elements on the ground from Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry (SDG) Counties throughout the conference weekend.
Our tagline still holds true: Join the rEvolution – Come Be Part of the Story. Our conference and historical weekend will allow you to connect with others and participate in meaningful ways. We’re excited to share our new promotional video to share a taste of what is to come. Further details will be posted on our website in the coming weeks: www.uelbridgeannex.com/2021
It’s going to an incredible journey, so in May 2021, Come Be Part of the Story!
