Perth County

What's New at the Archives?  

Winter Hours for Stratford Branch

Stratford Branch will return to winter hours on Monday, October 4, 2010.

For detailed information, please see: Hours and Locations.

Local Newspapers Safe at the Archives

Here you see about 400 volumes of local newspapers that the Archives acquired a number of years ago. They had to be stored separately from the rest of the collection in a rented garage as they had been through a flood and mould had grown on many of the books before they were donated.

Fortunately, in November 2009 we were able to hire a salvage company to clean the books.

You’ve seen the before. Here’s the almost “after.” The volumes have been surface cleaned, wrapped in acid free paper and labelled. They are ready to be returned to the Archives. They were shipped back to us in  December 2009 and have been put into regular storage. 

Campbell Collection Scanning Project is now complete!      

A word of introduction . . . From Dean Robinson, Project Co-Ordinator

Frank Adair [Baldy] Campbell (1903-1974) was a community leader in Mitchell in every sense of the designation. A jovial man with a ready smile, he inspired by example, whether by running a successful insurance agency, by chairing a town-wide fundraising or reunion committee, or advancing the affairs of the municipality from his position as councillor or mayor.  In addition, he amassed in the basement of his insurance business a collection of photographs and documents that chronicle a lot of what Mitchell looked like and what went on in the town from the late 1800s through the 1960s.    In the days before there was a branch of the Stratford-Perth Archives in Mitchell, the basement of the Campbell Insurance offices became a repository for photos and assorted other materials related to the history of Mitchell…   

All the while, F. Adair made the collection available to anyone in need of a photo, or one of the many documents he had acquired. Some were loaned to help celebrate church anniversaries, or school reunions, or old-home week celebrations. Many were returned as promised, but not all, so the scrapbooks developed gaping holes.   

Regardless, public access to the materials was more important to F. Adair than keeping the collection in pristine condition. It was a sentiment that passed effortlessly to his son Frank Alexander Campbell (1932-2007), to whom stewardship of the collection fell upon F. Adair’s death.By then, much of the “gathering” had ended, but not the lending. The collection remained as popular as ever, and Frank was just as generous as his father in keeping it accessible. All the while, however, he was not without worry about its safekeeping.   

In 1999, when the town celebrated another homecoming, the organizing committee recognized the contribution of the Campbells for collecting and making available their photographs. Frank was presented with a bronze plaque that has been affixed to the exterior of the insurance office.

At the same time, there was talk of preserving in a permanent way the contents of the Campbells’ collection. In 2008 that talk turned to action. With monies from the Township of West Perth and the Stratford-Perth Archives, and the blessing of Frank’s son Alan Campbell (1961 - ), a decision was made to digitize the photos and make them available to the public through the archives.    

As someone who had accessed the collection many times through the years, it fell to me to disassemble the scrapbooks, sort through and categorize the photos, and to each attach information in terms of time, place and contents. Help in that regard came from scores of people, some of them drawn to the task by Andy Bader’s inclusion of a number of the photos on the pages of the Mitchell Advocate. I am grateful to all who provided information.

It fell to Peter Schlemmer and Kathleen Carlon of Wellesley to scan the photos − more than 1,000 of them, and store their images on digital video discs (DVDs). They also produced five binders containing hard copies of the photos.    While an effort was made to furnish as many facts as possible for each photo, in some cases the information is scant. It is hoped that as members of the public access the collection they will be able to provide more details.

The photographs have been sorted into subject categories and scanned as PDFs and TIFFs. The entire collection is available at both the Mitchell and Stratford branches of the Archives. For those who prefer a more traditional interface, the images and the research notes that Dean Robinson has prepared for each one have been printed out and put into binders also available for research at the two branches. Here is a sample page:

The Stratford Public Library and Stratford-Perth Archives joined forces last summer to present a "meet the author" evening with Carolyn Pogue. Her latest novel, Gwen, draws on the story of her grandmother's experiences as a Barnardo Home Child in an exuberant story of bravery and resourcefulness. With the determined, vibrant Gwen, Pogue gives readers of all ages a character to cheer on through a journey that truly comes alive on the page.
Carolyn read from her book and engaged in a lively discussion with the audience about the history of home children and the Annie MacPherson Home that operated in Stratford at 51 Avon St. between 1883 and 1919. Archives volunteer Lynn Matthison was on-hand to advise descendents of home children on accessing records from Barnardo's Headquarters in London, England. Lynn is also the granddaughter of the woman who inspired Gwen.

Thanks Again to Archives volunteers!

Here we see Perth County Warden Julie Behrns, Craig Burtch, Chris Chandler, Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson and Edna Lingard attending the annual Archives Volunteers Tea. Four plaques usually hang in the reading room at Stratford branch with the names of those who have donated their time for five, ten, fifteen and twenty years. More names are added each year and volunteers are treated to tea and cake at the historic county courthouse. Warden Behrns and Mayor Mathieson were on hand for this year’s party to unveil the updated plaques and admire some of the results of the volunteers` hard work.

 Four volunteers – Craig Burtch, Chris Chandler, Darryl Ehnes, and Sharon Mantz were each honoured for twenty years of volunteering at the most recent tea. Edna Lingard’s five years of service were also recognized.

Archives volunteers in all three branches do everything from clipping articles from local newspapers to keeping an eye out in the community for potential additions to the collection. Some are busy indexing microfilms so that future researchers will be able to quickly find that elusive birth, death or marriage announcement needed to complete the family tree. A few volunteers work from their homes – using their computers to create searchable lists of files in collections. By taking on these tasks, they free up staff time to do more technical jobs like repairing documents and cataloguing the collection. The Archives staff and the sponsoring municipalities are very grateful for the many contributions of our volunteers. Thanks everyone!

Archives KidZone at Railway Heritage Show 2009

The Stratford Rotary Complex was the place to be on June 6, 2009 when the Perth County Historical Foundation and  other friends of Stratford`s rich railway heritage,sponsored the eighth annual Railway Heritage Show. Along with presentations about local railway history and traditional historical displays from the Archives and Museum, there were a variety of interesting model train layouts available to admire. However, younger participants were encouraged to take a more hands on approach to enjoying trains at the Archives KidsZone.

Leading up to the event, the Archives published a series of articles in the local press to remind readers that steam locomotive repair shops  were once Stratford`s major industry. One of the articles featured this photograph of the `ladies of the CNR shops.`

Taken around October 1944, this is a photograph of workers at the Canadian National Railway’s motive power department in Stratford. They were hired to replace male workers serving in the armed forces during World War II. They are:

 Front row from left:  Florence Parkins, Peggy Hill, Kathleen Napier, Florence Patterson, Elizabeth Holmes, Dorothy Berger, Ivy Bosworth, Kay Barclay, Jean Philip

 Second row from left: Dorothy Marlett, Marg Morrice, Edith Haines, Beatrice Taylor, Agnes Thomas, Margaret Krull, Sylvia Plaskett, Olive Plaskett, Frances Clark

 Third row from left: Gladys Griffin, Barbara Schwindt, M. Douglas, Jean Noble, Sarah Thompson, Marg Haldane, Alice Martin, Vera Bell, Marian Wimbush

 Fourth row from left: Hermina Raich, Pearl Kotyk, Christine Gould, Gertie Ward, Alice Tait, Alice Tuffnell, Edith Thompson, Clara Tozer, Leonora Roloff, Catherine Carter

 Fifth row from left: Iona Long, Hilda Seebach, Frances Baker, Margaret Hammer, Jessie Jones, Ella Welsh

 Top row from left: Hazel Bease, Bertha Roher, Ruby Weber

Orr Family Library goes on-line

The Orr Family Library of rare books has been part of the Archives reference library since 1972. While the books were listed in a card catalogue here for many years, they were rarely used as few researchers were aware of their existence. Under the umbrella of the Perth County Information Network, the Archives is working with the Stratford Public Library to have descriptions of each book in this collection added to their on-line database.

The catalogue of the Orr Family Library and other books in the Archives reference library can be searched at: http://hip.pcin.on.ca/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=sspa#focus or click here SPArchivesReference Books.

Collection Management Survey

The Stratford-Perth Archives must have a clear grasp of what we have and where it is, to be able to manage and develop the collection, serve our clients and plan for the future.

Stratford-Perth Archives staff have been working towards better collections management through a number of initiatives, but were experiencing frustration at the inability to measure overall progress and to co-ordinate the projects undertaken at the three branches.  Staff considered various solutions and ultimately decided to go back to basics by recording the location, origin and contents of virtually every box in our holdings – collecting data from records themselves and their accession records where such documentation exists.

A blank ‘survey’ form was created to standardize the data being collected. One part-time Archives Clerk was temporarily re-deployed to this work exclusively. Data collection was completed for all boxes in our holdings in 2009. Other staff are working on this project at the Stratford, Mitchell and Listowel branches in addition to their regular duties.  And, now this information is being entered into a database which will guide us in planning cataloguing, preservation and digitization projects for the next several years.

As we moved forward on this project, it was inevitable that we could come across material that should never have been part of the archival collection in the first place. For example, back issues of professional magazines for archivists and multiple copies of the statutes of Ontario are taking up valuable shelf space needed for archival records. Given the concerns expressed over any possible deaccessioning  -- including artifacts bound for the local museum --when the Archives began operating under a new business plan in 2007, it was decided to be extremely transparent about ridding ourselves of such items.  A "deaccessioning report" was approved by Perth County Council and a list of items available to other institutions circulated on the listservs of the Archives Association of Ontario and the Association of Canadian Archivists. Some have already been claimed by other organizations. Any of the duplicate or readily available publications left over will be offered to the Stratford Public Library's annual book sale -- a common means by which libraries routinely divest themselves of weeded publications without great fanfare.

Here is the list of items approved for removal from our stacks.

American Association for  State & Local History – Dispatch, 1989-1996

Antique Showcase, 1985-1986

Arch Notes - Ontario Archaeological Society, 1986-2007

Archivy, 1988-1990

Canadian – American Genealogical Digest, 1994-1996

Canadian Antiques & Art Review, 1980-1981

Canadian Coin News / Canadian Stamp & Antique News, 1970s -1980s

Canadian Collector 1971; 1977-1987

Canadian Council of Archives Annual Reports, 1995/96 – 2003/04

Canadian Council of Archives News Bulletin, 1995-1997

Canadian Council of Archives Newsletter, 1997-2002

Canadian Council of Archives Standards Committee, 1999

Canadian Council of Archives Tenth Anniversary Retrospective 1985-1995

 Canadian Council of Archives-Preservation Comm. Information Bulletin, no date

Canadian Farmer’s Almanac, 1977-1990

Canadian Federation of Genealogical & Family History Societies Inc., 1995

Canadian Geographic, 1984

Canadian Heritage – The Magazine of the Heritage Canada Foundation, 2003

Canadian Historical Association – Newsletter/ Bulletin 1989-1992

Canadian Library Journal, 1990

Canadian-American Journal of History & Genealogy, 1995

Conservation Canada, 1974

Culture Counts – Newsletter from the Cultural Labour Force Project, 1993-1994

East Surrey Family History Society Journal, 1986-1989

Flagscan 1986-2007

German Genealogical Society of America Bulletin 1998-1999

German Research Association Inc. – Calendar & News 1994-1996

Grand Memories – Brant County’s Magazine, 1991

Heritage Canada Annual Reports, 1973-1978

Heritage Canada, 1974-1979

Heritage Conversation – Heritage Canada’s Newsletter, 1975-1978

History News – The Magazine of the American Assoc. of State & Local History 1987-1996

Horizon Canada

IMC Journal – Inter-national Management Congress, 1988-1994

Journal of Canadian Art History, 1987

Journal of Canadian Studies, 1977

Journal of the Canadian Historical Association, 1990

Legacy, 1988-1989

Masis News – News-letter of Municipal Archivists Special Interest Section of the ACA, 1993

Municipal World, 1970-1992

National Trust Farmer’s Almanac, 1995

Ontario Gazette, 1999-2001

Ontario Historical Society – Bulletin, 1975-2007

Ontario Museum Annual, 1992-1995

Ontario Museum Association Newsletter, 1974-1978

Ontario Museum Association Quarterly, 1979-1990

Ontario Museum News – Currently, 1977-2007

Ontario Society for Industrial Archaeology- Bulletin, 1982-1987

Ontario Statutes, 1868-1971

Racar – Canadian Art Review, 1974-1974

Save Ontario Shipwrecks, 1991-1995

Southwestern Ontario Travel Association, 1983-1988

The Archivist, 1978-1998

Toronto Area Archivists Group – TAAG Newsletter, 1981-1989

Townsman – Western Ontario’s Goodlife Magazine 1989-1992

Trace – A Canadian Magazine About Architecture, 1981

Uphere, 1989

Upper Canadian, 1986-1999

Western New York Genealogical Soc. Inc.- Journal, 1984-1985

Wiltshire Family History Society, 1986-1987

Worklines, 1994-1995 

"Great day, great memories & great music!"

A visitor signing the guest book at a tribute to some local musicians described it best -- it was a "great day, great memories and great music!"

The celebration honoured the Rockin' Revols, a popular teen band of the fifties. Of the seven Revols, four went on to international renown: John Till played in The Full Tilt Boogie Band with Janis Joplin. Ken Kalmusky played in Great Speckled Bird with Ian & Sylvia. Dave Michie became a Rock & Roll DJ while Richard Manuel joined the world famous group The Band. In July of 1968, The Band released their first album, Music from Big Pink. They soon became world famous with songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up On Cripple Creek". Stratford Summer Music celebrated the anniversary of The Band's debut with this special day to recognise the "significant musical contribution" of Richard Manuel's original teenage band.

The Stratford-Perth Archives participated in this great day by joining with the Stratford-Perth Museum and the Perth County Historical Foundation to place an Historical Plaque on the Pavilion in Upper Queen's Park. The Pavilion housed a display of loaned memorabilia of The Revols.

Val Ford, sister of the late Jim Winkler, reflects on her brother's time with the Revols as surviving band members John Till, Doug Rhodes, Garth Picot and Dave Michie look on from the left. On the right are MPP John Wilkinson, Mayor Dan Mathieson, Perth County Warden Ron McKay and MP Gary Schellenberger.

After the plaque was unveiled by band members or a representative from their families, Dave Michie read the text to the crowd.

Paul Fleming, Sean Till and David Kalmusky played a musical tribute. Volunteer "period expert" Vince Gratton acknowledged his fellow fans in the crowd and thanked everyone for coming.

Inside the Pavilion hundreds of visitors enjoyed the display of gold and platinum records, signed posters, rare photographs and other treasures generously loaned by the Revols and their families.

The Archives' display on life in Perth County in the late 1950s provided context for the loaned items. Meanwhile, Volunteer Cathie Crozier provided refreshments and service with a smile!

The Revols began their professional careers as the backup to Ronnie Hawkins. The Hawk performed  a free outdoor concert in Lower Queen's Park. The surviving members of The Revols also performed during the day. Hundreds of classic cars joined a Cruise and there was plenty of 50's & 60's style food, a beer tent and much more. It was a fantastic day celebrating another one of Stratford's countless contributions to the world of entertainment.