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Labour and Industry in Peterborough Bus Tour *NEW*
May 1, 9:30am to 3:30pm,
Reservations Required, $75 (lunch included)
Visit places associated with memorable stories of Peterborough’s working class history: Canadian General Electric, Bonner-Worth, Tilco Plastics, the Hunter Street Bridge, the Lift Lock, Westclox, Pioneer Chain and Raybestos Manhattan.
West Side Story Walking Tour
May 26 and June 2 only, 4-6pm,
Reservations Recommended, $10
Peterborough’s historic west end in the 1920’s is the focus for this walking tour. The contrasts between Weller, Homewood and Elm still stand out, but fascinating people thrived in this city of walking and working.
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Heroes and Rails Bike Tour *NEW*
Date TBA, 9:30am to 3:30pm,
Reservations Recommended, $30
Guided bike tour of historic sites and fascinating viewpoints along the bike trails between Peterborough and Lakefield.
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Scandals and Scoundrels Pubcrawl
Friday nights in July, September 13, 7-9pm,
Reservations Recommended, $15 (beverages extra)
Peterborough’s historic taverns hide strange tales of its drinking past and cultural impacts. There will be time to stop for a drink!
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Eerie Ashburnham Ghostwalk
Friday Nights in August, 9-11pm,
Reservations Recommended, $10
Share the gaslight exploration of the ghostly past and eerie atmosphere of East City from Quaker Oats to the Lift Lock.
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Robertson Davies Centennial Bus Tour *NEW*
August 28, 9:30am to 3:30pm,
Reservations Required, $75 (Lunch included)
Robertson Davies was the thespian raconteur publisher of the Peterborough Examiner long before he became a world famous novelist.
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John Belcher’s Architectural Heritage: Martha Kidd Memorial Bus Tour *NEW*
October 9, 9:30am to 3:30pm
Reservations Required, $75 (Lunch included)
John Belcher, Peterborough’s most eminent architect, was associated with great homes, the Market Hall, PCVS, St. John’s Anglican Church and St. Peter’s-in-Chains.
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Downtown Ghostwalk
October 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30; 7-9pm, $10
Costumed guides recount spooky tales for the lantern-lit tour around Peterborough’s most haunted buildings. A popular Hallowe’en tradition since 2003.
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Little Lake Cemetery Twilight Pageant
October 26, 7pm-10pm, $20
A cast of talented denizens share tales both macabre and enlightening in Canada’s most historic landscape cemetery. Special thanks to the Peterborough Theatre Guild and Little Lake Cemetery.
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Past Events
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Fact or Fiction Ghost Walk
Oct 25th(sold out), 27th, 29th, 30th(sold out): 7 - 9pm
$10
Ghostly Truths or Ghastly Fiction? Find out during this 90 minute haunted walk through Peterborough’s spooky downtown. Who can tell the real ghost stories from great storytelling? Take the challenge this Halloween with your family and friends! Tours begin a 7 pm at the Old Burying Ground (Confederation Park). Cost $10. Reservations required, please call 705-745-4404.
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Friday, October 26th: 7 - 9:30pm
$15
Fridays throughout June: Join the Trent Valley Archives Scandals and Scoundrels tour as we guide you through four historic taverns in downtown Peterborough. Tour begins at 7pm at the Simcoe St. bus terminal. There will be time for you to stop and have a drink! Tickets are $15 (not including drinks). This tour is not suitable for children. Please call 705-745-4404 for tickets.
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Friday the 26th, & Saturday the 27th
$20
Introduce yourself to some of Peterborough’s most famous celebrities and hear them tell their fascinating stories at their own grave sites! Guided tours led by lantern light depart every 15 minutes, starting at 8pm and last about 1 hour ending at the chapel where refreshments will be served. Limited spaces available. Please call 705-745-4404 for tickets.
Come Celebrate with TVA
MPP Jeff Leal to Speak at TVA Open House
Saturday, September 15: 1 - 4pm
at Trent Valley Archives
567 Carnegie Ave., Peterborough
The
public is invited to join us on Saturday, September 15th, from 1 - 4pm
at Trent Valley Archives for our Open House. We will be celebrating the
successful completion of our Trillium Project and showcasing 2
important collections acquired in the past year: the Olive Doran
Collection and the Peterborough Examiner Collection. Click here for more...
Saturday May 26th, 7am - 1pm
591 Gilmour St.
TVA will have a table at the annual Gilmour St. Garage Sale. Thanks to Dale Standen for the use of his driveway! Last year we raised over $1100 thanks to generous donations from people like you! If you have some things you'd like to donate, you can drop them off at the archives at 567 Carnegie Ave., by Friday at 4pm, or call 745-4404 if you'd like someone to pick them up. If you can price your items before donating them, that would be great, but we'll take items unpriced as well. Hope to see you there!
Backwoods Peterborough Bus Tour
The Summer of 1832: the Trails encounter backwoods Peterborough
Wednesday, August 29, 9:30am - 3:30pm
$75
Join us for a one-day historical bus tour of Peterborough in celebration of the 180th anniversary of the arrival of the Traills in our area. Thomas and Catharine Parr Traill arrived in Peterborough in the summer of 1832, and stayed from August to November, before moving to Lakefield. While staying in Peterborough, Catharine was introduced to pursuits that characterized the rest of her life. She was captivated by the plants she found, and by the people she met. There are still reminders of the Peterborough of the 1830s, many with connections to the summer of 1832. The tour begins at 9:30 a.m. from the Trent Valley Archives, at the corner of Carnegie Avenue and Woodland Avenue, Peterborough. There is overflow parking at the neighboring Wayside School. The bus will return to Trent Valley Archives at about 3:30 p.m. Ticket includes a stop at Hutchison House for a tour and lunch. Click here for more information or to register online. Space is limited so book early!
A trip through musical history with the New Horizons Band!
Friday, May 25th, 7:30pm, Calvary Church, 1421 Lansdowne St. W.
Tickets $10
Join us Friday, May 25th for a night of music and fun. Peterborough's New Horizon Bands will be celebrating their 10th anniversary with a show featuring four of their ensembles playing music that ranges across the ages, from classical to contemporary, from Mozart to Abba, the night is sure to have something for everyone. Click here for more information or to buy tickets online.
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with Brooke Broadbent
May 5th & 6th, 9am - 5pm at the Bridgenorth Community Centre
The Trent Valley Archives is hosting two all-day workshops, 9am to 5pm, on Saturday, May 5th and on Sunday, May 6th at the Bridgenorth Community Centre, adjacent to the Bridgenorth Library. “Telling Tales: Celebrating Your Special Stories” is meant to help people identify their own stories and to find ways to write those stories. Brooke Broadbent, an Ottawa-based writer, will be the instructor and coach and will be assisted by Elwood Jones and others at Trent Valley Archives. Brooke will share from his wealth of experience. Click here for more information or to register online...
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The Public is invited to a free screening of
The Peterboro Suite Ballet
* TVA Annual General Meeting to follow *
Thursday, April 26, 2012, 7:30pm
Highland Park Cemetery Auditorium
The Peterboro Suite Ballet, based on the Peterboro Letters, tells the true story of a man named Loren Post who in 1904, after years of searching, finally found and was re-united with his birth mother, then living in Peterborough. All members of the public are invited to join us for a free screening of this dramatic ballet. The screening will be followed by Trent Valley Archives' Annual General Meeting. Click here for more...
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Giant Christmas Book Sale – All publications on sale, no HST – for the month of December ONLY! Check out our featured publications at deeply discounted prices and purchase online now. In addition to these featured publications prices on ALL of our publications are being ROUNDED DOWN. Call now to confirm availability and special Christmas pricing, or stop by to browse and pick up some great deals.
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Artwork, Petes tickets,
Salon Package and more...
TVA announces its Christmas Raffle with over $3,000 in prizes including a portrait of your home or cottage to be painted by local artist John Climenhage, and six tickets in one of the Memorial Centre’s Executive Suites plus food & beverages for the Petes’ game January 26, 2012 against Kingston, courtesy of Darling Insurance.
Only 500 tickets available – get yours now…
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Thursday, November 10, 7 - 9pm
Chapters, Lansdowne St., Peterborough
Time to start thinking about Christmas shopping, and there's no more perfect way to start the season off than with our Christmas fundraiser at Chapters, on Thursday, November 10th from 7 - 9pm, where 10% of all your purchases will be donated to the Trent Valley Archives when you present our flyer at the till. We will also be selling a variety of our own local historical publications perfect for Christmas giving, with some of our local authors on hand to sign them for that added personal touch. If books aren't what you're looking for, consider giving one of our Christmas gift cards. These cards entitle the bearer to 3 TVA tours or events in 2012 for just $35! We will also be selling tickets to our Christmas Raffle - first prize is a portrait of your home or cottage by local artist John Climenhage. A local actor will be on hand to mark Rememberance Day and to add that historical touch with dramatic re-telling of the story of Lieutenant Ackerman, one of Peterborough's own, who fought and died in WWI. Can't wait to see you there!
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Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011: 7 - 9pm - $10
Peterborough Public Library
Using Family Tree Maker Software to Record and Share Your Family History: Benefit from dozens of hints and tips that will help you improve your results using Family Tree Maker. Discover the best techniques for entering information, dealing with conflicting dates and events, how to make professional quality genealogy charts and reports at the click of a mouse, and even how to create a family history book that your family will treasure for generations. Discover which features and options will help you to best record and share your family history using Family Tree Maker. Space is limited. Click here to register online or call 705-745-4404. Workshop is run by Rick Roberts, owner of Global Genealogy. Click here for Rick's bio. Rick will be setting up a genealogy marketplace ahead of the talk (6:30pm) so come early and check out the offerings.
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Thursday, Oct. 20: 4:30 - 6:30
at the Canadian Canoe Museum
Drop by anytime between 4:30 and 6:30 to talk with the author and other enthusiasts. Signed and numbered (250) limited edition versions of the book that have been embossed with the original Canadian Canoe Company corporate stamp will be available for sale on a first-come, first-served basis. John Summers, manager of the Canadian Canoe Museum and Ken Brown, the author, will say a few words at about 5:30.
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Sunday, September 11: 1:30pm
A talk by Dr. Elwood Jones, head archivist of the Trent Valley Archives at the Omemee and District Historical Society, Coronation Hall.
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TVA Open House and Volunteer / Donor Appreciation Event
Saturday, September 17: noon - 2pm
Come on out to our fall open house and volunteer/donor appreciation event on Saturday, September 17th. This is a chance for us to show off some of our new collections, the new annex we recently acquired as part of our expansion project, and to celebrate the many volunteers and donors who have helped us over the year.There will be music, food and door prizes. Members of the public welcome, so please feel free to drop in! NB: Workshops will be run both before and after the open house - see details below.
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Land Records Workshop with Gina Martin
Trent Valley Archives
Saturday September 17, 10am - noon - $20
This is a "hands on" workshop designed to take the mystery out of land records and show how this invaluable research source can be a boon to genealogists and historians. Topics covered will include a brief background to land registration in Ontario, deciphering land abstracts and indexes, land records terminology, types of documents, wills, deeds, deposits and surveys. Gina Martin has been a certified title searcher and conveyancer for the province of Ontario for more than 25 years. Click here to register online or phone 705-745-4404.
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Workshop: Identifying Old Photos with Fraser Dunford and Elwood Jones
Trent Valley Archives
Saturday, September 17, 2pm - 4pm - $20
Join us as we explore ways to identify those mysterious old photographs of long-lost relatives. This workshop, aimed at the amateur geneaologist, will help you to sort through old photographs and attempt to date them. In the first half of the workshop, Faser Dunford, will give a power point presentation explaining the different types of photography and photographs, and the “4 Ps” to identifying old photos (Person, Photographer, Physical Picture, and Props). In the second half of the workshop, Elwood Jones will discuss some of his experiences identifying old photos, showcasing several of TVA’s significant photo collections. Participants are welcome to bring their own mystery photographs for advice (although we cannot guarantee success in identifying specific pictures). You will come away knowing more about photographers, about historic developments in photography, set design, clothing design, special events, to help in your identification. Handouts provided. Click here to register online or phone 705-745-4404.
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Saturday & Sunday, October 1 & 2, all day
Trent Valley Archives will be hosting a booth at the Lansdowne Mall on Oct. 1 & 2. We will be promoting our resources, our fall tours and selling our publications. Come check us out!
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Little Lake Cemetery Twilight Pageant
Sunday, August 14: 8pm - 11pm
Don't miss out on this year's Little Lake Cemetery Twilight Pageant! Introduce yourself to some of Peterborough’s most famous celebrities and hear them tell their fascinating stories at their own grave sites! Guided tours led by lantern light depart every 15 min., starting at 8pm and last about 1 hour ending at the chapel where refreshments will be served. Last tour departs at 10pm. Limited spaces available. Click here for details or to book online.
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Ancestry.ca Hands-On Workshops
Wednesday, August 10: 9am -12pm & 1pm - 4pm
TVA is pleased to offer two hands-on workshops with Lesley Anderson of Ancestry.ca
The morning workshop will look at searching effectively in Ancestry, and the afternoon workshop will focus on building your own online family tree. Click here for detailed workshop descriptions and to register online. Limited spaces available - reserve now! Workshops are $50 each and run Aug. 10 from 9am-12pm, and 1pm -4pm.
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TVA at the Lansdowne Mall
Saturday & Sunday, June 4th & 5th, all day
Trent Valley Archives will be hosting a booth at the Lansdowne Mall on June 4th and 5th. We will be promoting our summer tours and selling our publications. Come check us out!
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Heroes and Rails Bike Tours
Sunday afternoons in June, 1 - 3pm
$20
Join your guide, as we bike Peterborough's historic rail trails to discover some fascinating places and people who have made our City great. Tour is three hours in length at a leisurely pace. Private tours available and school tours encouraged (program can be adjusted to a walking tour to accommodate students). Click here to see our complete list of summer tours and to register online.
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Cruising the Kawarthas with the PHS
Peterborough Historical Society Day Trip: From Lock to Lumber, Timber to Tourism
Wednesday, June 15: 8:30am - 3:30pm
We will board a coach in Peterborough at the Coach Canada Terminal and travel to Bobcaygeon home of the first lock on the Trent Severn waterway and home of Mossom Boyd, Lumber King of the Kawarthas. There will be an opportunity to visit the lock station and tour the Boyd Heritage Museum. Then we will enjoy a luxurious cruise and enjoy the scenic trip from Pigeon Lake to Buckhorn. Along the way you will be served a hot meal and entertained with readings from period accounts of the area. We then once again board our coach and travel back to Peterborough. Purchase tickets from Hutchison House, 270 Brock St., 743-9710. $80 per person $25 Income Tax Receipt.
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Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011: 2:15 - 3pm
St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Peterborou
There will be a chime recital to celebrate the centenary of The People's Chime at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Peterborough, Ontario, played by Gordon Slater of Ottawa, on Wednesday, June 22nd, from 2:15 - 3pm.
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Saturday, July 2nd, 2011: 1 - 3pm
Coronation Hall, Omemee
The Omemee & District Historical Society is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Coronation Hall in Omemee on July 2nd, 2011, between 1 & 3 p.m. For further info, contact Marlyne at 705-799-5767 or e-mail rmranch@sympatico.ca our publications. Come check us out!
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Cavan Millbrook Historical Society AGM Thursday, May 26, 7 - 9pm
Centennial Place, Millbrook
Are you interested in the history and heritage of our area? The Cavan Millbrook Historical Society has undergone some changes over the past year and a half and is now reaching out to the community in order to re-establish the vision and mission that was lost. The Board is looking for interested residents to come out, join up as members, and offer new ideas and a fresh perspective on what it means to be a vibrant, active heritage group in a vibrant, active growing Township like ours. The Annual General Meeting will also have, as our Special Guest Speaker for the evening, Edith George, an advisor to the Ontario Urban Forest Council. She will be speaking on "Heritage Trees - Preserving our Natural Roots". We will learn how a tree can be designated as "heritage", using the toolkit produced by the Ontario Heritage Tree Alliance. Edith's main focus is on how we can identify a tree's historical and cultural significance. She uses one of her neighbourhood's special red oaks as the example tree in her presentation.
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Wednesday, May 18, 2011: 7:30 - 9pm
Titles Bookstore, 379 George St., Peterborough
Author Brooke Broadbent will be on hand at Titles Bookstore on Wednesday, May 18, for the launch of his new book entitled Moonrakers at War and Peace. Light refreshments will be served. Click here for a review of the book and here for the Examiner's article about the book.
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011: 7pm,
Highland Park Visitation Center
2510 Bensfort Road
Local history buffs will find plenty of food for thought at a presentation of The Journals of John Graham Weir on May 4 at the Highland Park Reception Centre. Without doubt this is one of the finest examples of a farm diary, made even more interesting because Weir lived so close to Peterborough. The diary of J. Graham Weir of Otonabee Township covers the 45 years 1880 to 1925 except for the 1922 diary which was not received.
The gentleman farmer and devout Orangeman of Otonabee Township owned 233 acres on the Keene Road north of Assumption and on Crowley Line near Corrigan’s Hill before he retired to Romaine Street in Peterborough, where he died in 1925.Weir kept daily journals for 45 years, describing the back breaking work of farming, dealing with obstinate hired hands, tending to his beloved horses, his amazement with new inventions, transactions with Peterborough business men, fire fighting, barn raising, hot summer days on his Stoney Lake island, and his love for his wife Lovina Tennyson.
He was related to the Graham, Mitchell, Bowie, Orr, Johnston, Elliott and Leary families. Neighbours he mentions include Downer, Gillespie, Fitzgerald, Sullivan, Crowley, Duffus, Egan, Jackson, Redmond, and Hayes. He did business with local hotels, mills and industries and kept neat records through it all.
TVA member Pat Marchen will show the Keynote presentation in the new state-of-the-art facility at Highland Park Reception Centre, 2510 Bensfort Rd, Peterborough. Pat was very alert in discovering this diary when she was working on the Scollie murder case which she shared with readers of the Heritage Gazette in 2004. She plans to write a book on this most fascinating murder case.
The presentation will start at 7 p.m., followed by the TVA annual general meeting. The public is welcome to attend. There is no admission fee. For more information call 705-745-4404.
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Thursday, April 28, 2011: 7pm
St John the Baptist (Anglican) Church, Lakefield
Andre will be speak about his and his family's connections to Lakefield, as well as the many resources available at the Trent Valley Archives that are of interest to members of the LHS including land records, Lakefield newspapers (nearly complete from 1950 - 2000), high school year books, various family histories (such as the Delledone collection), the Christ Church burial plot map, fire Insurance maps and more. Andre will also talk about TVA's Master Names Database, a special project of his for the past 34 years. Birth, marriages, deaths, cemeteries, addresses, dates etc. are listed and available in the Master Genealogist® program format. The entire database is searchable on reader-computers at the Fairview Heritage Centre. The file is updated frequently and now contains over 248,000 people, and more than 15,000 surnames.
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Wednesday, April 13, 2011: 12noon - 1pm
Kawartha Heritage Conservancy is proud to present INSURING HERITAGE BUILDINGS, with presenter Danny Sgro of JONES DESLAURIERS Insurance Management Inc. Current and potential heritage building owners, city and county staff, historical societies and other heritage organizations, realtors, and appraisers will find this presentation useful. Presentation and questions: 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM with opportunity for one-on-one sessions from 1:00 - 2:00 PM, at St. Paul's Church, 120 Murray Street, Peterborough, Ontario K9H 2S4 (Entrance is on Water Street). No cost to attend: Bring your lunch! Coffee and Tea will be served Registration is limited: Please register by April 8, 2010 by sending an email to Suresh V. Kandaswamy at suresh.vk@kawarthaheritage.org or calling 705-743-5599
This presentation has been made possible through the generous support of Ontario Trillium Foundation and Metcalf Foundation.
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Tues April 5th 7-9pm
Peterborough Public Library Auditorium
We are pleased to host Lesley Anderson, Media Spokesperson and Content Acquisition Consultant from Ancestry.ca who will be presenting on how to search on-line genealogical records and getting the most out of your ancestry.ca experience. Lesley is a leading commentator in the field of family and social history and this should make for an exciting and informative evening! Tickets are $10 and are available by calling 705-745-4404. Or by clicking the Reserve Now button below. Those who pre-register will be eligible for a draw for 5 copies of Elwood Jones' "An Historian's Notebook." Space is limited.
Lesley will explore some of the key Ancestry databases and will demonstrate the best strategies for searching Ancestry sites:
various approaches to finding records;
types of information to include in searches;
how to use names and locations effectively;
how to use search forms and wild cards to refine searches;
what to do when you find a record;
Ancestry hints;
how to add alternate information and updates to your ancestors’ records;
connecting and sharing with others
The presentation will appeal to new and experienced researchers alike. Click here for more information on Lesley Anderson and Ancestry.ca.
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February 18 - 26, 2011
The week beginning with the Family Day long weekend is recognized as Heritage Week in Ontario. Each year the Ontario Heritage Trust chooses a city that has demonstrated leadership in heritage preservation to host the provincial kick-off event for this week. This year Peterborough will be the host. Professor Thomas H.B. Symons, founding President of Trent University and Chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust, along with Ministery of Culture officials and other distinguished guests, will be in Peterborough on Friday, February 18 to formally launch Heritage Week 2011. A great week full of activities will follow. Click here for a full calendar of events.
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A History in Stained Glass
Saturday, January 8, 9:30am
Local historian, Elwood Jones, will be giving a talk on the stained glass windows at St. John's Anglican Church and St. Andrew's United Church on Saturday, January 8, starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Andrew's. The Nicholls Memorial stained glass window in St. Andrew's, for example, is one of the oldest stained glass windows in Peterborough dating back to approximately 1885. Funded by prominent local philanthropist Charlotte Nicholls in memory of her husband, and designed by William Morris, this window showcases the motifs that were popular in the period. Click here to read more. This talk is free, but donations for the church's tower restoration project will gladly be accepted.
George Albertus Cox to Give Talk
Tuesday, January 18, 7:30pm
Prominent local industrialist George Cox (as portrayed by Peterborough's "Most Fascinating Person", Bruce Fitzpatrick) will give a talk on January 18th at the Peterborough Public Library. Cox, a former mayor of Peterborough and one of Canada's wealthiest men, will speak about his life and work from his move to Peterborough in 1858, as a young man of 18, through his rise to wealth and prominence both locally and nationally. This event is hosted by the Peterborough Historical Society and takes place Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Peterborough Public Library lower floor meeting room at 345 Aylmer St. N. There is no cost, but donations or purchases of memberships in the Peterborough Historical Society are encouraged. Click here to read more.
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Last Chance for
Scandals and Scoundrels!
Our last Scandals and Scoundrels Pubcrawl of the season will be held
Wednesday, December 8th. The tour begins at 7pm at the Simcoe Street Bus Terminal. Tickets are $20 and are available at the archives.
Phone 745-4404 for reservations or click below to reserve online now.
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The Trent Valley Archives was featured in a recent issue of SNAP Peterborough.
Click here to check it out!
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Hallowe'en has come and gone with a successful season of ghost walks, horse and carriage rides, and our historical cemetery pageant. Many thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who helped make these events such a success. There are no further events planned for 2010, but check back with us in the New Year for next year's calendar. You can also subscribe to our newsletter or check us out on Facebook to keep posted about our upcoming events.
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