As Covid-19 restrictions are lifted the Oxford Historical Society will once again hold in persons meetings at the Woodstock Museum, NHS.
Doors open at 6:30pm and meetings will begin at 6:45pm. Masks are suggested but not mandatory. Meetings are free and all are welcome to attend.
2022 Events
Wednesday, December 14, 2022: Book Sale at the Oxford County Administration Building
Join the Oxford Historical Society, the Oxford County Archives and the Ingersoll & District Historical Society for a holiday book sale!
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
10am – 4pm
Oxford County Administration Building (OCAB) Foyer
(21 Reeve St. Woodstock ON N4S 3G1)
We will be selling publications from local authors like Doug Symon’s The Village that Straddled a Swamp.
For our full publication list go to our Publication page.
Cash or cheque only!
Please feel free to print and display this poster: Holiday Book Sale 2022
Wednesday, November 30, 2022:
John Bullen, from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, presenting:
For RCAF Crew: Life On Board a Lancaster Bomber in WWII
The following poster can be printed if you wish to advertise this event: Life On Board A Lancaster Bomber in WWII
This presentation will take place on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at the Woodstock Museum, NHS. Doors open at 6:30pm and the meeting will start at 6:45pm.
This is a free public meeting, all are welcome to attend.
Booth at the Oxford Creates Art Expo:
Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 10am to 4pm
Sunday, November 13, 2022 from noon to 4pm
at the Craigowan Golf Club
Hello Everyone,
The Oxford Historical Society will once again be participating in this wonderful event where we will be selling our various publications.
The event will take place at the Craigowan Golf Club on Saturday, November 12th from 10am-4pm and on Sunday, November 13th from 12-4pm. More information about this event can be found on the Oxford Creative Connections website.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022: Doris Weir – Cold Springs Farm in Thamesford
Hello Everyone,
Please join us on Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30 to hear Doris Weir’s presentation on the Cold Spring’s Farm in Thamesford. The presentation will be held at the Woodstock Museum, NHS.
From Doris Weir:
“Mr. Harvey Beaty was a huge employer and contributor to the town of Thamesford and surrounding areas. He started Cold Springs Farm in 1949 and up to his death in 1994 he created a business with over 100 farms, processing plants and was starting to build a mini town in Florida.
When I received his memoirs I wanted to ensure everyone knew who he was and what he had done for Thamesford, Oxford County and many other areas in Ontario, Michigan and Florida so I digitized the memoirs and created a book for everyone to read and enjoy.
I will be talking about Mr. Beaty’s memoirs book, his upbringing, how he crippled himself (his word) and how he started in to the poultry and feedmill business and more.”
This presentation will take place at the Woodstock Museum, NHS. Doors open at 6:30pm and the meeting will start at 6:45pm. This is a free public meeting, all are welcome to attend.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022: Laura Green – Women’s Institute 125th Anniversary
Hello Everyone,
Please join us on Wednesday, September 28 at 6:30 to hear Laura Green’s presentation on the Women’s Institute’s 125th Anniversary!
Laura Green is the Provincial Board Director representing then Southern Area. She has been a member of the Women’s Institute (W.I.) for 44 years and belongs to the Braemar W.I. branch in the Oxford District.
Laura will discuss such topics as the history of the W.I., the Tweedsmuir histories/virtual archives, and landmarks in their history. She will also look at what the Women’s Institute is doing to celebrate this special anniversary at the Provincial and District levels, what the W.I. means today and its world wide growth.
This presentation will take place at the Woodstock Museum, NHS. Doors open at 6:30pm and the meeting will start at 6:45pm. This is a free public meeting, all are welcome to attend.
Grand Day Out – Saturday, June 25, 2022!
Hello Everyone,
The OxHS is quite pleased to announce the return of our Grand Day Out event! This year’s event includes a visit to Castle Kilbride, lunch in New Hamburg, and the Plattsville & District Heritage Society’s (PDHS) exhibit at the Chesterfield United Church.
The Grand Day Out will take place on Saturday, June 25, 2022 beginning at 9:30am and ending between 4 and 5pm. The group will meet at the Woodstock Public Library parking lot and carpool together to the various locations.
Our first stop on the tour is Castle Kilbride, the former home of James Livingston: flax industrialist, politician and entrepreneur. It was named Castle Kilbride after his birthplace in East Kilbride, Scotland. The tour is scheduled for 11am and tickets will be purchased in advance by the Society. Admission price is approximately $11.00 – 12.00 and tickets are non-refundable. Reimbursement for the tickets will be collected on the the day of the event. If you do not wish to be part of the tour group to view the inside of Castle Kilbride you may explore their grounds while the tour is going on, there is no charge to view the grounds.
After Castle Kilbride the group will make their way to Huron St. in New Hamburg to view the dam and waterwheel located in Scott Park. Lunch reservations will be at the Imperial Market & Eatery in New Hamburg. Individuals are responsible for their own lunch costs.
Following lunch will be the exhibit at Chesterfield United Church by the PDHS. Admission is free for the exhibit but donations are always welcome.
RSVP is required for this event. To reserve your spot please respond by Wednesday, June 15.
To RSVP: email the OxHS at info@oxhs.ca. Put Grand Day Out 2022 in the subject line. In the body of the email include your contact information and if you wish to be part of the Castle Kilbride tour group, thank you.
Event costs are the responsibility of each participant.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022: Ella Shelton – Canadian Olympic Gold Medallist
Please join us on Wednesday, May 25 at 6:15pm at the Woodstock Museum, NHS as we welcome Ella Shelton – Canadian Olympic Gold Medallist 2022.
The Oxford Historical Society is honoured to have one of Team Canada’s Hockey Gold Medallists from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, Ella Shelton, as our next speaker. Ella is from Oxford County and grew up on a farm near Ingersoll. Her love of hockey began at a very young age and her dream of playing for Canada came true in 2020.
Please join us at 6:15pm on Wednesday, May 25 at the Woodstock Museum, NHS to here Ella Shelton speak about her experiences growing up in a small town and how her love of hockey led her to an Olympic gold medal. Ella’s talk will begin promptly at 6:30pm.
This is free event and all are welcome to attend. As this is an in-person event all Covid-19 protocols will be followed.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022: Queen of the Con – Cassie Chadwick
Please join the Oxford Historical Society on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 6:30pm, for a Zoom presentation by Thomas Crowl. Thomas will discuss his latest work: Queen of the Con: From Spiritualist to Carnegie Imposter!
Thomas delves into the many schemes undertaken by Cassie Chadwick. He explores her life from her humble beginnings as Elizabeth Bigley, born in Oxford County, to her becoming a clairvoyant, a fraudster, an imposter posing as Andrew Carnegie’s illegitimate daughter and many other cons along the way.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022: Old Houses as Museums
Photo courtesy of Beachville District Museum
Please join us on Wednesday, March 30 at 6:45pm at the Woodstock Museum, NHS as we welcome Dr. Stephanie Radu, Curator of the Beachville District Museum.
The following is a summary of Dr. Radu’s upcoming presentation:
Historic house museums are a common, if often overlooked, feature of the Canadian heritage landscape. As national historic sites, and community museums, they address cultural, social, historical and political facets of the past. Whether they recount the life of a previous owner, focus on how chores in early households were completed, give visitors a sense of how their foundations were built or walls were decorated, they reflect different regional identities, varied stories of domestic life and different architectural traditions. This presentation looks across examples from the west coast (British Columbia) to the east (Nova Scotia) and offers references to local examples in between. It looks at how closets are transformed into display cabinets for historic housewares, how antique lighting fixtures are converted into appropriate “Exit” lights and how entire dining table sets become frozen for viewing.
In exploring these transformations, the presentation looks at how private, domestic spaces are re-envisioned as public institutions. It further looks at how multisensory exhibits, interactive displays and participative programs are used to restage the environment of historic homes for the enjoyment and education of museum visitors. Be ready to step inside of Canada’s historic homes and as well as back in time.
Annual General Meeting – Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 6:30pm, via Zoom
Photo courtesy of Brenda Boswell
The OxHS is hosting their AGM via Zoom due to Covid-19 restrictions. At this meeting the 2022 Executive will be voted in, all paying members will have a chance to vote for this year’s Executive.
The following is a list of the 2021 Executive:
President: Kathie Richards
Past President: Jim Groulx
Vice President: Vacant
Treasurer/Research: Dr. Elaine Becker
Secretary: Laura Centore
Communications and Newsletter: Laura Centore
Membership: Judy Klages
Archives/Architecture: Eleanor Gardhouse
Board Members at Large: Jim Groulx, Don Wilson
Museum Liaison: Karen Houston
Our speaker for tonight will be Brenda Boswell, presenting
Harvest Excursions: Featuring the Story of Gordon Stanley Boswell
This excerpt is from Brenda’s presentation:
‘Between the 1890’s and 1930 thousands of men participated in the fall wheat harvest in Western Canada. Organized by the CPR and local government, call outs were made annually to Eastern Canada, the northern United States and Britain. Tens of thousands of men would converge in Winnipeg over a 2 week period answering the call.
The stories of the Harvest Excursions stories vary between a crusade, an adventure, a binge, hard work, good money, hooliganism and violence. The excursions were a noisy, colourful and important part of Canada’s history, but little was recorded at the time. Gordon Stanley Boswell joined the excursion in 1923 with other members of his Woodstock baseball team Snowy’s Snowbirds. His daughter Brenda Boswell recorded his story for a Canadian history project in 1972 and is proud to share it with the Historical Society.’
Keep checking our website as more information about upcoming events will be posted.