Kingston has long relied on haunted walks and its role as penitentiary warden of the nation to bolster its tourism. Queen’s doctoral candidate Kaitlyn MacDonald’s research into what is called “Dark Tourism” will delve beyond the superficial into the historical construction behind our fascination with the abnormal and suggest ways in which such analysis may be used to...

Kingston textile historian Joanna Dermenjian will report on her research on “Women’s domestic and charitable making of cloth and fibers”. In particular, she will focus on the effort made by women in Kingston and across Canada during World War II to produce quilts for distribution to soldiers, civilians and hospital in Britain and Europe. We return to in-person...

Despite their proximity to Kingston, Wolfe Islanders have long prided themselves on the distinctiveness of their island culture. Professor Anastasia Riehl, a linguist at Queen’s, will report on her research into “Box Socials and Chicken Suppers: Learning about life and language on Wolfe Island”.  For the Zoom link, please email kingstonhs@gmail.com before 6 p.m. on the...

The point is often made that our world of instantaneous communication through the internet was foreshadowed by the telegraph in the nineteenth century.  Graeme Roy, a docent and board member of the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, will give us an intimate glimpse of “How the telegraph connected Canadians in the early years of Confederation”. He will reinforce...

 John Grenville, former Curator and Historical Research Officer at Fort Henry and long-time investigator of Kingston’s military architecture, will report on his research into the city’s iconic Market Battery. We return to in-person meetings in January, now at the Kingsbridge Retirement Community which has graciously agreed to let us use their very comfortable theatre lounge for...