Historic Sources

Oxford Local History Day 2022

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Hello Everyone,
This guest post is provided by Oxford County Libraries.

Your invitation to participate in Oxford Local History Day 2022!

Oxford County Library will again be taking the spirit of Oxford Local History Day online with our 2nd annual event celebrating the history of Oxford County.

On Saturday, April 23 we are hoping to again showcase a full day of virtual local history presentations that will bring to light the story of Oxford. Experience collections, exhibits & featured stories from archives, museums & heritage groups from around Oxford County.  

Are you interested in telling the story of Oxford? Consider creating a short video or a narrated slide presentation to provide education around your collections and promote your organization that could be featured on Oxford County Library social media sometime during Oxford Local History Day.

Explore our outstanding submissions from 2021 on the Oxford County Library YouTube Channel:

If you would like to participate in this initiative, please indicate your willingness to do so by Monday, March 28.  Video presentation submission deadline is Thursday, April 14.

Oxford County. We’ve made history!

Contact: VICKI BRENNER
Digital & Local History Technician | Oxford County Library
519-485-2505 ext. 3280 | vbrenner@ocl.net

Klondikers: Dawson City’s Stanley Cup Challenge & How a Nation Fell in Love with Hockey

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Hello Everyone,

This guest post is from one of our members, George Calder.

George has this to say about Tim Falconer’s newest publication:

The author is Tim Falconer who is familiar with the Yukon but lives in Toronto. The book is a great record of the growth of the game of hockey in Canada. But it also focuses on the assistance given to it by Joseph Whiteside Boyle and the hockey team from the Yukon managed by him that challenged for the Stanley Cup in 1905. A great read.

From the GoodReads website:

Join a ragtag group of misfits from Dawson City as they scrap to become the 1905 Stanley Cup champions and cement hockey as Canada’s national pastime An underdog hockey team traveled for three and a half weeks from Dawson City to Ottawa to play for the Stanley Cup in 1905. The Klondikers’ eagerness to make the journey, and the public’s enthusiastic response, revealed just how deeply, and how quickly, Canadians had fallen in love with hockey. After Governor General Stanley donated a championship trophy in 1893, new rinks appeared in big cities and small towns, leading to more players, teams, and leagues. And more fans. When Montreal challenged Winnipeg for the Cup in December 1896, supporters in both cities followed the play-by-play via telegraph updates. As the country escaped the Victorian era and entered a promising new century, a different nation was emerging. Canadians fell for hockey amid industrialization, urbanization, and shifting social and cultural attitudes. Class and race-based British ideals of amateurism attempted to fend off a more egalitarian professionalism. Ottawa star Weldy Young moved to the Yukon in 1899, and within a year was talking about a Cup challenge. With the help of Klondike businessman Joe Boyle, it finally happened six years later. Ottawa pounded the exhausted visitors, with”One-Eyed” Frank McGee scoring an astonishing 14 goals in one game. But there was no doubt hockey was now the national pastime.

If you wish to purchase this book you can do so through the GoodReads website or through amazon.ca.

The Village that Straddled a Swamp

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Hello Everyone,

The Oxford Historical Society and the Woodstock Museum, NHS are pleased to once again offer this publication for your reading pleasure.

This wonderful book tells the story of Woodstock Ontario, from 1799 until more modern times.

The Village that Straddled a Swamp will be available for purchase at our booth at the upcoming Arts Market in the old Dairy Capital building. It is $25.00 (taxes included), cash only.

This publication can also be purchased by contacting the Society at info@oxhs.ca or at the Woodstock Museum, NHS gift shop.

Doug Symons’ Tribute

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Hello Everyone,

Please read this guest post from the Woodstock Museum, NHS.

Give a shout out to historical stories!

In honour of the re-release of Doug Symons’ popular book “The Village that Straddled a Swamp”, the Woodstock Museum would like your help in reminiscing about a favourite piece of writing or photo from the book, and also if you have memories of Doug personally you’d like to share.

Please look through the book, choose an article, a photo, a quote or two about a certain local history site or story you find meaningful or interesting to you and share that story with the Museum. We would like to do a short bit of filming to pay tribute to Doug’s writings in a specific local history way. Some memories may be included in an upcoming exhibit related to “The Village that Straddle a Swamp”.

If you want to participate but are unsure of what to highlight we have some prepared prompts for anyone not familiar with the book. A voice recording may also be an option. If possible, we would like to set up a time for you to come into the museum during the first week or two of November.

Contact Kerrie Gill to set up a time at (519) 537-8411 ext. 2903 or kgill@cityofwoodstock.ca    

Tonight: Zoom Meeting – Wednesday, October 27, 2021

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Please join the Oxford Historical Society at our next Zoom meeting as Elaine Becker discusses the research and stories that went into So They Came: Young Men Farmers.

Excerpt from the book: “Destination Woodstock – The stories of young men who left home and family to make a new way of life in Canada is both thrilling and encouraging. They were not outstanding in any other way than that they had a hope for the future. They came from families facing untold challenges of unemployment, illness and death, as well as the lack of hope for the future”

Learn about the role that the Salvation Army played in bringing the immigrants to Canada, what was involved in researching Burnside Lodge, tracing family members, creating the list of immigrants and many other aspects of the book.