Celebrate Tillsonburg’s 150th Birthday!

Tillsonburg ON – Broadway St. with Post Office Clock Tower
Postcard from the J Gruszka Collection, Oxford Historical Society

This guest post is provided by Annandale NHS.

Good Morning Museum Lovers,

On March 2, 1872 the Bill to Incorporate the Town of Tillsonburg was given Royal Ascent by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and came into law. One hundred and fifty years to the day, on Wednesday March 2, 2022, the town is celebrating this important anniversary with a Cake cutting at the Town Centre Mall, 200 Broadway. We would like to invite you to the 150th Anniversary Cake Cutting ceremony which is being held in the Centre Court of the mall from 12:30pm – 2pm (FREE cake until the cake is all gone.) Please join Mayor Stephan Molnar, members of council and our Town Crier as we celebrate this momentous moment in our Town’s history.

We also want to remind you that we still have spaces in our Celebrating 150 Years of Incorporation” Lunch and Learn Series, we are hosting at the museum. Please call the Annandale NHS at 519-842-2294 to sign up for some delicious meals and interesting talks!

Our new schedule will be:

Part I – Village or Town: The Path to Incorporation
Thursday, March 24, 2022 OR Friday, March 25, 2022
Time: Noon to 2:00 PM
Cost: $25.00 plus tax for a single ticket / $80.00 plus tax for a series pass

This first lecture of the four-part series examines the decision of whether or not Tillsonburg should be an Incorporated Village or Town.

Part II – By Acclamation: The Story of Tillsonburg’s First Council
Thursday, April 28, 2022 OR Friday, April 29, 2022
Time: Noon to 2:00 PM
Cost: $25.00 plus tax for a single ticket / $80.00 plus tax for a series pass

This second lecture in the four-part series looks at the story behind Tillsonburg’s first ever election for Mayor and Council.

Part III – “A Public to Serve”
Thursday, May 26, 2022 OR Friday, May 27, 2022
Time: Noon to 2:00 PM
Cost: $25.00 plus tax for a single ticket / $80.00 plus tax for a series pass

This third lecture of the four-part series looks the story behind Tillsonburg’s first Municipal Workers.

Part IV – “Our Town Clerks”
Thursday, June 23, 2022 OR Friday, June 24, 2022
Time: Noon to 2:00 PM
Cost: $25.00 plus tax for a single ticket /$80.00 plus tax for a series pass

This last lecture in the four-part series looks at the life and times of John Secord, Tillsonburg’s first Town Clerk and other Clerks of note over the last 150 years.

We have lots more exciting programming planned in the coming months; so look out for more information as it becomes available.

Yours in Heritage,
Patty, Jen and Kathleen
Annandale National Historic Site
30 Tillson Ave
Tillsonburg, ON N4G 2Z8 
Phone: 519-842-2294

Canada Day in the Bag!

Hello Everyone,
please see the guest post from Annandale NHS.

Annandale NHS and Sobeys Tillsonburg are EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE that they have
“CANADA DAY IN THE BAG!”

Families can create their own Canada Day Fun Fair with the purchase of a $20 + ($22.60 Total) “Canada Day in the Bag” kit

Contents are based on some of the most popular booths at the museum’s annual Canada Day Fun Fair

  • A cake mix & can of icing (Complements of Sobeys Tillsonburg)
  • Canadian Flags (paper)
  • Canadian Flag pin (one per family member – will supplies last)
  • Otter pictures to create your own Otter Find in your home
  • Canada Trivia Quiz
  • Jar of Jelly beans  (Jelly bean counting game) with sealed answer
  • Supplies to make a “Mountie” craft
  • Balloons and insert papers to create “Balloon Pop” game
  • Bag of prizes
  • Assortment of Canada Day temporary tattoos
  • Small bag of sparklers
  • All in a reusable Bag compliments of Sobeys Tillsonburg

In honour of Canada’s 154th Birthday there are 154 Canada Day in the Bag kits available for purchase.

To reserve your “Canada Day in the Bag” email Kathleen Watkin, Culture & Heritage Program Coordinator at kwatkin@tillsonburg.ca no later than 3 pm on Thursday, June 24, 2021.  

Payment and pick-up in the museum parking lot between 9 am and 4 pm Tuesday, June 29 and Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Total cost with tax $22.60 (Cash ONLY, please)

Oxford County Archives Online Resources

Hello Everyone,

The information for this post is provided by The Oxford County Archives.

The Oxford County Archives has a new “online resources” section of our website which includes a variety of resources we have made available to help researchers find local history information. These resources include: a searchable County Council database; list of Ingersoll Mayors; list of Tillsonburg Mayors; list of District of Brock Council Members; list of County Wardens; and more. We will continue to add resources to this new page of our website in future. To check out these new resources visit Oxford County Archive Online Resources.

Zoom Meeting Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Please join the Oxford Historical Society in welcoming Brenda Boswell for her presentation: Women and The Bicycle Craze – Change and Resistance in 1890’s Oxford County, for a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 starting at 6:30pm.

Bicycles took much of the world by storm during the late Victorian age. The bicycle provided a tool for women to ride into a whole new world. This presentation will explore how the bicycle helped women move into this new era and the societal resistance that came with it.

It includes research by Rebecca Beaisaert, on turn of the century bicycle clubs in Ingersoll and Tillsonburg.

Public Meeting Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Please join the Oxford Historical Society in welcoming Brenda Boswell for her presentation: Women and The Bicycle Craze – Change and Resistance in 1890’s Oxford County, for a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 starting at 6:30pm.

Bicycles took much of the world by storm during the late Victorian age. The bicycle provided a tool for women to ride into a whole new world. This presentation will explore how the bicycle helped women move into this new era and the societal resistance that came with it.

It includes research by Rebecca Beaisaert, on turn of the century bicycle clubs in Ingersoll and Tillsonburg.