03 16 1999 History Minutes
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Oro-MedoDte History Committee
Next Meeting will be held on March 16, 1999 at the township office, time 7 pm.
MiDDtes of MeetiDg February 16, 1999
attendaDce: Crawford
Kirkland, Earl Robertson.
Walter
Sheila
Black Church History Book:
- copy-write concerns expressed by Jadeen Henderson were discussed.
Robertson look Martha to check
- Carolyn asked to IS
the book.
- the history committee will meet at that
have photo taken for the book.
- statement ftom council was received.
is correct.
home ofLoreen Lucas on Sunday March 14 about 4 pm to
Commemorative Plates:
- sample of two plate styles where shown by Walter Hutchinson. (one round, one octagonal)
- the multi-sided was chosen in nine inch size.
cost will be $9.43 tax included. the order is selling price will $12.00
Black Cemetery:
will be
- ground radar can be used to locate the graves.
- we agreed the cemetery should perhaps
be recognizable as a cemetery to passers-by.
- Tim will a letter to counci~ to include the commemorative
the cemetery.
white chain,
signed as
so that it can
book,
our
to
Other Business:
- an ISB Number has been received from Ottawa for our books; The Oro-Aftican Church and
Oro-Medonte 1920-1950 - ISBN were not assigned to previous publications, this need
copies of each book sent to the National Library once has assigned.
- Tim sent a memo and list of activities to each of the township schools as suggested by the vice-principal
at Guthrie Public.
School has obtained the original bell someone's
a wooden tower on school A dedication ceremony was
were approved a by Henderson,
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February 19, 1999
Memo to Clerk Lynda, for Council and appropriate staff
From Tim Crawford, Chair Oro-Medonte History Committee
Re: Current Plans Involving Financial Considerations
Before outlining our plans we would like to report how pleased we are to have
the 1300 deteriorating slides put on CD-ROM. We were delighted that the cost
was so much lower than anticipated -- roughly $400 vs $1600 anticipated. We
were also delighted that each CD-ROM came with an "index of the photos" it
contained -- actual copies of each photo in miniature. These indices will save
future researchers considerable time.
Your History Committee very much appreciates the support of Council for this
very important preservation project.
The History Committee felt it appropriate that we outline for Council current plans that
have financial consideration, and obtain advice and tentative approval for such plans. I
will make myself available at any time to answer questions regarding the following
report.
1. We will be holding the 150th Anniversary of the Oro African Church this June. We
expect that this will pay for itself. The collection is sufficient to pay for the minister and
for the little reception put on by Clowes Women's Institute.
2. With your prior approval of its budget and appropriate quotes, etc., we expect to
submit to the publishers late in March the manuscript for the book on the history of the
church. Based on recent printing (i.e., Loreen Lucas' two books) we anticipate the cost
will be between $3000 and $4000 for up to 1000 copies. More precise estimates/quotes
will be obtained when the manuscript takes final form and the number of pages are
established.
We would anticipate selling about 250 books relatively quickly. We could order only 500
books, but the cost of the additional 500 is relatively low. Again, we will be laying out in
the near future options for Council's consideration.
3. (This is new.) There is a long tradition in the area to produce collector plates, about
8" in diameter, with the image of the church and anniversary information printed on the
plates. Your History Committee has designed such a plate for the African Church
anniversary, and were prepared to pay the costs out of private pockets. After a long
discussion it was thought that unlike "trustees of other churches" we would be in a grey
area, ordering and selling such plates -- being a Committee of Council.
We are absolutely comfortable handling this privately, and wonder if Council would let
us quietly go about the task. The surplus would be turned over to Council, as are the
funds for any books we have written in the past. If not, we require your permission to
order the plates, and likely you would require the monies to flow through the Township
books.
We are recommending the purchase of 144 plates at about $9 per plate and selling
them for $12. We are convinced that we will sell out by the end of the
anniversary service. A few local collectors are putting in orders for 3 or 4, for
their family members. (Knox Church trustees have sold about three times that
number, but their situation is a little different.) We have about 150 people attend
our anniversary selVices. We anticipate the Black History Society, with their
newsletter and membership list across Ontario, may require a considerable
number. Additional orders can be made, for I believe a minimum of about 70
plates.
We are ready to place the order. If the Township becomes directly involved we
would require a down payment of half the cost -- roughly $700, with the balance
due on delivery.
DIRECfION REQUESTED: May we go it alone, perhaps letting one of our members
take it on as a "private project"? (one has volunteered) If not, will Council support the
project, and look after the cash flow?
4. The History Committee members would like to do something tangible regarding the
cemetery. One member obselVed that "it doesn't look like a cemetery." We
acknowledge that the cairn references the cemetery, but we wonder if something special
could be done.
One option is to clearly define the boundaries of the cemetery itself. "Ground
radar" was brought in to mark the graves of a Black Pioneer Cemetery in Grey
County. Council could make it a project to do the same. The cost would be
about $500.
Once the region of the graves has been identified some tablet/table/monument
could be mounted at its edge, perhaps showing a chart of the graves. We could
consider marking the boundaries with a neat white chain (that could be removed
for grass cutting etc.).
DIRECfION REQUESTED: Would Council be interested in doing something special
regarding the cemetery? If so, let us know and we will develop some recommendations.
5. We are ready to proceed with a "Hawkestone" plaque. The wording has been pretty
well finalized, subject to any slight editing, and any necessary deletions required to keep
within our budget. (Attached is the tentative wording, and some rough notes made by
me while researching the property in the registry office.) We are hopeful that a local
(Barrie) firm will produce the plaque at a much lower cost than we originally estimated -
- we estimated $3500; we note that Council gave us a budget of $2500.
I made a presentation to the Oro Lions Club to see if they wanted to offer to become a
partner, picking up the $1000 we were short. They subsequently declined. We could
approach the Simcoe County Historical Association (I'm their newsletter editor) to see if
they wished to become a partner. Perhaps we should wait for a quote, then see if a
partner is necessary.
Council should be aware of the location we are recommending. After widely consulting
the people of Hawkestone (much advertising, but little response) the committee
considered four sites: 1) at the fire hall, or in the park opposite, 2) at the fork in the
road, just below the railway tracks; 3) at the foot of Mill Street, near the Yacht Club
and; 4) at the entrance of the Girl Guide Camp.
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The sub-committee made up of Hawkestone citizens (Morris Shelswell, Marilyn Gregory
and History Committee members from Hawkestone, Loreen Lucas and Sheila Kirkland)
after studying the options, and carefully reviewing the history of the village, are
recommending the 4th option -- at the entrance of the Girl Guide Camp. That site is
truly "Hodges' Landing". The committee believes "guide posts" could be placed in the
village, particularly at the Ridge Road and Highway, steering people to the selected site.
The sub-committee, after informal discussion with officials of the Girl Guide Camp,
recommend that it be placed on a landscaped site, just inside the gate, on Girl Guide
property. A letter of understanding would be appropriate between The Township of
Oro-Medonte and the Girl Guides.
DIRECTION REQUESTED We trust our tentative plans can be approved by Council.
Should there be concerns we would like to know of them now so our plans can be
modified. OthelWise we will proceed in finalizing our recommendations for Council's
approval, along with a budget.
[Plaque Wording]
DRAFT 2
[Oro-Medonte Crest?]
Historic Hawkestone
(Hodges' Landing)
First Nation Indians had long established encampments and trails on the bank of the
nearby creek, along what is now the Ridge Road, and throughout the townshi1 In the
1830s Richard Hodges established a landing for settlers on this site.
Settlers, mainly from the British Isles, landed here and followed these trails to their
settlement in search for independence and land ownership. Hodges' wharf and his large
house called St. Helen's (1844) became the centre of activity. There are remains of two
underground tunnels from the lake to the cellar, and a hidden stair case from the cellar
to the top floor. Some children who died on route to their parents' settlements were
buried on the property.
Lake steamers carried produce and people. An 1859 map of Hawkstone stated the
landing was the "only outlet for the greater part of the Township of Oro, and the only
port between Barrie and Orillia." On July 23, 1940, the property was sold by Hodges'
granddaughter for $2500 to the Canadian Council of Girl Guides.
As settlement accelerated, the area around the creek became a thriving community,
particularly to the east. Two dams and 3 mills were built on the creek, to saw logs and
grind grain. It is thought that the first dam was constructed by John Williamson, who
subsequently built the large brick building which still exists, on the N-E corner of the
Ridge Road. Taverns, hotels, a store, and the first post office was located near the .
lake, east of the creek. The first postmaster was Charles Bell. In 1856 a new wharf was
constructed and the name was changed to Hawkstone.
The settlement shifted north when the railroad reached Hawk~stone in 1871. An
extensive "station" evolved with a freight shed, stockyards, and a massive water tower to
supply the requirements of steam engines. A wide range of products were shipped out,
and supplies shipped in. The last regular CN train passed though Hawkestone in
September 1996. The rails were removed within the next two months.
At one time Hawkestone had numerous taverns, hotels, stores, (T. A. Stone's survives
today as the Hawkestone General Store), gas stations, banks, and a complement of
trades--tailor, harness maker, and blacksmith.
It is of interest to note that the "centre" of Hawkestone shifted as transportation
changed, from the landing where the steamers stopped, to near the railway station after
it was established.
This plaque was sponsored by The Township of Oro-Medonte. It was dedicated on
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Part of the History of Hawkestone -- Hodges' landing/Girl Guide Site
(note spelling, not Hodge but Hodges)
~:m the Simcoe County Registry office...
On Sept 26, 1833, 10 acres were registered from the crown to Allen McNabb of Hamilton, who sold it
for £125 to James Smith of York, who in turn sold it to Richard Hodges' in May 6 1840 for £150.
(Other sources clearly indicate that Hodges was located on his site prior to 1837, so it looks as if he
just did not get the title transferred until 1840.) In 1854 the land was transferred to Hodges' widow.
William Hodges took over from his Mother on 15th June 1854 and later transferred part of the
property to a Sanford, and a Charlie Bell of Barrie. The Mother sold part of the 10 acres to the son
and the balance to a Bell. (It's a bit confusing, for we did not take the time to look up the actual
parcels of land.)
In 1855 unmarried William Hodges sold a chunk to Hester Bassett of Bellville (who later became his
wife ?), in 1855 another chunk to a Jacob Snyder of Oro, and another to Sidney Stafford and Charlie
Bell. In 1859, Richard Hodges estate transferred land to Ann Hodges his widow. On 1897, William
B. Hodges of Oro and Hester Helen (Bassett?) Hodges his wife, transferred land to their daughters,
Eliza Hodges, Hester H. Hodges, Mary B. Hodges, Emma Hodges, Annie B. Hodges, (one daughter
with the same names as the mother).
In 1938 Bessie Kellogg of Detroit, widow, daughter of Wm R. Hodges and niece of Eliza Hodges
transferred whatever rights they had to Wm. T. Hazlett of Oro, administrator. At the same time
aHazlett puts a "caution" on title (I don't know what that was). Township conveyed a grant to Wm
~azlett as administrator.
Hazlett finally, acting on behalf of Eliza Hodges, spinster, deceased, sold the land for $2500, in July 23,
1940 to the Canadian Council of Girl Guides Incorporated, trustees for the Division of the Greater
Toronto Girl Guide Headquarters.
Rumour and Folklore...
It is thought that the Girl Guide Cookies, now sold throughout the world, were first sold in
Hawkestone to raise money to put a new roof on St. Helen's.
Some have found what appears to be two graves to the east of the house, up on the high bank.
Mary Garbutt (705) 835 2821 had found that two teenage Baskervilles were buried on the site. [Check
with Mary for more details.] The cook, whose name I unfortunately have forgotten, told us this
summer (1996) that there is a rumour that a baby was buried under the lilacs, just to the west of the
house.
The purpose and function of the tunnels is up for speculation. Local folklore is that Hodges
was a bootlegger, and these tunnels enabled barrels of the prohibited to be off-loaded from the
steamers, and discreetly taken into the basement of the house via the tunnels. The cook, mentioned
above, said at one time a "hidden stair case" went up the east inside-wall of the house to the top floor.
eshe had been told, that the tunnel and the hidden staircase may have been to bring in blacks from the
underground railway, but it's highly unlikely. Oro clearly was not a terminal point of the underground
railroad and if it were, why would we be trying to keep black out of sight? She drew our attention to
a metre-square area in the floor of the upstairs room which could have been the small "trap door" for
the stair case. There seemed to be insufficient room in the house for a normal, two-story stair case.
The trap door might have provided for a ladder, or "dumb-waiter". .
Observations...
When we physically visited the site, we could easily where the road along the west side of the creek as
suggested by the old map of Hawkestone we discovered in bad condition in Township files a d we
restored. The terminus of the road is clearly still visible. Although one would expect to see the
remnants of the cribbing of Hodges' wharf, just to the west of the creek, there are no large bolders in
the water. Perhaps Hodges' wharf was on the east side of the creek and there was a small bridge
across the creek to St. Helen's.
What appears to be one or two cribs of bolders are visible in the water about 30-35 m west of the
house. This could have been another wharf.
Based upon the "fill-in blocks" now clearly visible in the basement walls, one could conclude that one
tunnel went out the east side of the house, curving toward the water, to provide underground access to
the wharf. One "senior" local remembers playing in the tunnels as a child. Another "fill-in" is almost
dead centre of the south basement wall. It appears to lead to what now is likely a small pump house,
below the bank.
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Memo to Principals of School-- Oro-Medonte January 28, 19992
Copy to Principals of Coldwater, Hinsdale, Eastview and Park St
Dennis Decarie, Superintendent of Schools
From Tim Crawford, Chair, Oro-Medonte History Committee 7054872574
425 Lakeshore Rd E crawford@ionsys.com
ORO, ON LOL 2EO
Re: Local-history Projects
The Oro-Medonte History Committee wishes to promote an interest in local
history in area students. This year, leading into the new millennium, is a
particularly good year to think about our future, reflect on our past and record the
present.
Committee members are available to come to your school (with appropriate visual
aids) to assist teachers in bringing the past to life. We are also interested in
motivating students to take on history-related projects. We are prepared to do
most of the work in "marking/grading" or providing feedback on the projects, to
the students, their teacher and parents, with the goal of reducing the amount of
necessary teacher-time. (The teacher's role could be only as a facilitator.)
We will be publishing a "millennium book" with the theme of "what life was like in
Oro-Medonte from 1920s to 1950." It is our hope that some students will provide
excellent material for the book and be able to see their name in print.
Weare prepared to issue a certificate of involvement to students who can
demonstrate a reasonable effort in doing a project, and some acquisition of the
knowledge gained from it. School participation plaques will also be awarded.
The suggested projects are appended. Students may come up with others.
If some of your students wish to become involved please contact us for assistance,
the ground rules, etc.
This is black history month. We have in Oro-Medonte the African Church and
Pioneer Cemetery that are quite unique. The church is a symbol of the first
government arrangement so that blacks could own land equally with whites --
perhaps a world first! A history of the church has just been written. Committee
members are available to come to your school to talk about this.
PLEASE POST
Do you want to make history?
Or, more likely, record history?
A group of people called the History Committee is responsible
for recording Oro- Medonte history and they would like your help.
Consider selecting a project for your school, your class, or
yourself, so that you can be involved in this exciting year leading
into the new millennium. You might even get your project
published in a book!
If you participate in a meaningful way you
will receive a certificate of involvement.
Which of the following possible projects to do find interesting?
1. prepare and "deposit" a time capsule for your school (we have some
ideas on how to do this and what could be included)
2. research the prior owners of your property (there is a cost at the
Barrie registry office of from $5 - 10; ask us for a tip sheet)
3. interview a senior on at least 4 topics (use at least an audio tape,
preferably a videotape; a list of possible topics is posted nearby; a
transcript could be published in our millennium book, and include your
name)
4. prepare a family tree (this could be of value to the millennium book
if your family is a pioneer family and was not included in the book,
Kith 'N Kin)
5. sit down with a senior member of your family and record key
information about photos in the old, family photo album (proper
names of people, i.e., Sarah Smith, not Aunt Sarah; likely date of the
photo; what the special occasion was; what feature/building is in the
background, etc.) Check with the history committee about how to
document this project in order to receive a certificate of involvement.
6. show to a Committee member the 3 most interesting photos in your
family's photo album (people involved in some activity, some building
now gone, or a photo of people that is, in itself, interesting; the most
interesting photos will be published in our new book)
The Oro- Medonte History Committee
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Possible To ics for InteIViewin a Senior
. (We can provide tips for inteIViewing and in
some cases will bring a videocam and do the
recording for you.)
0 interesting story 0 special bees 0 traditions,
0 practical jokes barn raising, superstitions
0 songs/limericks/ harvesting, 0 stories of the land,
sayings no longer wood, quilting the bush, the lakes
used 0 machinery or creeks
0 social gatherings 0 clothes and styles 0 railroad stories
0 accidents and 0 role of Eatons 0 driving
tragedies catalogue cars/trucks; stories
in field, barn, on 0 use made of the and accidents
road or lake parlor; summer 0 hiring help,
0 home remedy or kitchen adopting or
first aid 0 wells, creeks and looking after
. 0 school story cisterns other's
0 going to town 0 pumps, dams and children
0 legal problems rams 0 diseases/epidemics/
0 "characters" in the 0 the hydro and quarantine
area telephone, radio 0 unique skills:
0 a typical work day 0 awareness of the
0 a typical Sunday world scene
0 birth traditions 0 honesty/dishonesty
0 birth tragedies 0 garden parties,
0 funeral traditions plays,
0 marriage entertainment
0 the depression
traditions
0 fights and feuds 0 special govt
0 animal stories programs
0 church services 0 Saturday nights
0 outstanding summer/winter
0 sad situations
. persons In
disabled persons
the community
disadvantaged
family