04 20 1998 History Minutes
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MINUTES OF THE ORO-MEDONTE HISTORY COMMITTEE
MEETING HELD APRIL 20, 1998
Attendance: Tim Crawford (chair), Mary Garbutt, Jadeen Henderson, Walter Hutchinson,
Eunice Johnston, Earl Robertson, Bruce Wiggins.
Minutes of Last Meeting were mailed to committee members by Linda Achen of the township
office. Motion to accept as written by Jadeen Henderson, seconded by Bruce Wiggins.
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Business Arising:
1. Letter from Steve Gilchrist thanking Tim for the photos and ceder boughs, was read and filed
with minutes.
2. As the book Hills of Oro is small it was decided that the prize for essay contest at children's
fair be a copy of The Story of Oro.
3. Jadeen contacted Marion Garvey, who is in charge of the schooVchildren's fair, and submitted
contest information on the history essay.
4. Walter provided the committee with information on sizes and cost for a commemorative plate.
It was decided to order 144 plates; # P8C/A, trimmed in gold, size 8 inches, at a cost of$7.60
each.
The plates will have a picture of the Aftican Church building at the comer of Line 3 and Old
Barrie Road, the name and dates, and 150 Years. They will be sold for $15.00 at the service in
1999 celebrating 150 years. Plates will be pre-sold. Bruce will make up an order form for that
purpose. One ofthe commemorative plates will be donated to the Black History Museum in
Collingwood. Tim will notify Linda Achen of our plans and request funding.
5. Discussion about our plans for the 20/30's book that has become our millennium project.
Bruce will speak to the Oro Lions Club to see if they will donate money and structure a formal
letter of request. Tim will write a paragraph on our three point plan for Bruce to give to the
Lion's Club.
New business:
The Knox cemetery has been transcribed and is being indexed now. It is hoped that the book will
be ready for sale at the Decoration Service the en~ of June.
The congregation of St. John's in Craighurst ha~tredone their cemetery book, Union cemetery in
Barrie is being worked on at present. Simcoe County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society
needs volunteers to help with the transcription of stones. Monumental Transcriptions was done in
1973 by Georgian College students. Many of the stone transcribed at that time are now
unreadable. These books only record what is written on the stones, but anyone buried in the
cemeteries without a marker is not recorded in cemetery transcriptions:
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Mary Garbutt has completed years of research on pioneers ofMedonte. The inactive Medonte
Historical Society has $1000.00 that was earmarked for the publishing of a book, Memories of
Medonte, that will be similar in substance to the History of Oro. It was suggested that we bring
out both books in conjunction, as a gesture to show that the two former townships have now truly
come together. Family trees from Kith and Kin and Memories ofMedonte could be incorporated.
into the millennium book to show what families still lived in the townships in the 20\30's.
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Tim phoned the Archives of Ontario and spoke to cartographer Carolyn Grey who informed him
that they do have a map ofMedonte published by Cummins Publishing of Toronto, called
Medonte 112A. She directed him to the exact location. Anyone wishing to visit the Archives with
Tim is welcome. This map will compliment the 1920 original of Oro that we already have.
It was noted that Highway 11 was built in the 1920's and opened up the Lake Simcoe shoreline to
cottagers.
It was suggested that we have a trophy made up to be presented to the school with the best
participation in our millennium book. Children would interview their great grandparents who lived
in Oro-Medonte during the 20/30's.
Tim showed the committee the Coleman gas lamp from the Oro-Station ice rink. He will go on
the Internet and contact Coleman to find a replacement globe. Bruce will do the restoration.
Motion to adjourn by Walter Hutchinson.
NEXT MEETING MAY 25, 1998 at the Township office.