Archives for the Trent Valley and Peterborough County area and history book seller
Welcome to Trent Valley Archives
Have you seen the updated Heritage Gazette?
We are pleased to continue and expand on the pioneering work of archivist Elwood Jones and Steve Gavard as we explore the near and distant past in this full colour publication. View the current and past issues
Trent Valley Archives Theatre – Tide of Hope
Trent Valley Archives is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the “Peter Robinson settlers” in the Newcastle District of Upper Canada with a production of Tide of Hope for school groups on May 15 and the general public on May 16, 2024. The emigration play is based on the life of David Nagle and follows his flight from turmoil and oppression in Ireland to Upper Canada. It is set in 1825 in the Blackwater district of Ireland at the height of the agrarian rebellion against excessive land rents and church tithes. Please visit our TVAT page more information about school group bookings, public performance tickets, and the content of the play.
Green Routes: Experiencing the Peter Robinson Emigration 1825
Rosemary McConkey has been spinning stories about the Irish in the Peterborough area for many years. As the bicentennial of the major Irish emigration of 1825 approaches, she shares her favourite stories in a book, Green Routes. The stories span some 200 years and showcase the impressive legacy of the Peter Robinson Settlers and their descendants from before, during and after their transatlantic voyage. These families developed a love for Canada over generations.
Green Routes looks at different experiences by the Robinson Settlers of 1825 and their descendants. Stories of the earliest Robinson settlers include that of schoolmaster Patrick Barragy and his brave efforts to persuade the government to support schools for new emigrants. McConkey also writes about the Robinson settlers of Douro Township who were truly thankful for the opportunities that came from emigration. Her fascination extends to descendants whose far-flung paths took them to destinations as far away as Indiana and points in the American mid-west, including Coach Frank W. Leahy of the University of Notre Dame football team.
These stories resonate with Peterborough experiences at other times. The area has a long history of migrations, short and long, coming in or going away. The First Nations, the Colony Settlers, later emigrations of Irish, British, and Italians, those from other parts of Canada, and more recently from diverse parts of Asia and Central America have come to Peterborough.
Green Routes looks at different experiences by the Robinson Settlers of 1825 and their descendants. In part, McConkey pays tribute to the resilience of the pioneers and their enduring values. She also invites others to join her in celebrating their continuing contributions to the life of Peterborough city and county.
Meet the cast and crew of Tide of Hope! Today, we’re continuing to post the headshots and biographies of our Tide of Hope cast and crew. Everyone involved in this production has been passionate about bringing the story of the Peter Robinson Settlers to life on stage, and we’re excited to share their names, faces and stories with you. PATRICK played by Paul Baines: Paul Baines is an uninvited settler guest in Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg territory and is also an inheritor of colonial privilege and resistance with a lineage rooted in England and Ireland. While this is his first theatre role, he has been performing as a student, educator, and activist for decades with a focus on social and ecological justice. As one of the ancestors of this territory and the British Isles, Paul dedicates his performance to the Atlantic Salmon who feed the bodies, cultures, and spirits of all those reciprocating the gift of life. See the emergence of his current work at www.kinadian.me.ELIZABETH played by June Govier: June Govier’s acting debut began in 2014 here at Market Hall in the play, “Once Upon A Time.” She followed this up playing Elizabeth Armour in The Little Lake Cemetery Pageant for three consecutive years. June dons her animal costume in the yearly Peterborough Winter Solstice Lantern Parade, playing a variety of animal characters. Her stage work also includes parts in “Austin and Ally,” “Matilda,” “Hercules,” and most recently, she played The Wicked Witch of the West in the Edmison Heights production of “The Wizard of Oz.”If you want to see the fruits of our cast and crew’s labour, there will be two public performances of Tide of Hope on Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16 at 7:30pm at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre. A prequel to the Peter Robinson immigration story, Tide of Hope follows Irish land agent and rent collector David Nagle, who must flee to Upper Canada with the Peter Robinson settlers of 1825 to escape the wrath of Irish rebels fighting against English tyranny. Tickets cost $30 for regular seating and $40 for table seating, and can be purchased on the Market Hall website, here: tickets.markethall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=357. Tickets are selling out quickly, so you’ll want to grab yours before it’s too late! ... See MoreSee Less
Meet the cast and crew of Tide of Hope! Starting today, we’ll be periodically posting the headshots and biographies of our Tide of Hope cast and crew. Everyone involved in this production has been passionate about bringing the story of the Peter Robinson Settlers to life on stage, and we’re excited to share their names, faces and stories with you. DAVID played by Drew Mills: Drew has acted in and directed multiple shows in Peterborough over the last decade – mostly focusing on musicals. His more standout roles include Paul in Theory of Relativity (2020), Ernst in Spring Awakening (2019), The Man in 7 Stories (2018), and Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (2016). Drew was previously the Spring Show Coordinator for the St. James Players and has produced or directed a dozen shows. Currently Drew has multiple brain injuries and is taking theater one step at a time; he is proud of the work he put in and the dedication of all the volunteers to make this show a success.MARY played by Lauren Murphy: Lauren has been acting within her local community for over 20 years. She has participated in many theatrical productions, ranging from drama to comedy to musicals. She graduated from Humber College's Acting for Film and Television program in 2012. She also received the Bancroft Theatre Guild Award for Acting Excellence for the EODL festival in 2018. When she's not acting, she's pursuing her other career as a realtor. Lauren is very pleased to be acting again with The Trent Valley Archives. She hopes you enjoy this important part of Peterborough's history.If you want to see the fruits of our cast and crew’s labour, there will be two public performances of Tide of Hope on Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16 at 7:30pm at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre. A prequel to the Peter Robinson immigration story, Tide of Hope follows Irish land agent and rent collector David Nagle, who must flee to Upper Canada with the Peter Robinson settlers of 1825 to escape the wrath of Irish rebels fighting against English tyranny. Tickets cost $30 for regular seating and $40 for table seating, and can be purchased on the Market Hall website, here: tickets.markethall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=357. Tickets are selling out quickly, so you’ll want to grab yours before it’s too late! ... See MoreSee Less
Our cast and crew have been hard at work in rehearsals over the past month to get Tide of Hope ready for its stage debut! We're just under three weeks away from our two public performances of the play on Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16 at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, and we hope you're looking forward to it. Over the course of the next two weeks we'll be introducing you to the full cast and crew, so make sure you're following us on all our social media platforms so you don't miss out! If you haven't got your tickets yet, there are still several seats available for the Wednesday night performance and a few single seats available for the Thursday night performance. Head to the Market Hall website, here (tickets.markethall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=357) to purchase yours. Regular seating is $30 and table seating is $40. Image Caption 1: Actors Lauren Murphy (left) and Drew Mills (right) rehearse the roles of Mary and David.Image Caption 2: (From left to right) Actors June Govier, Elaine Day, Nathan Govier and director Gerry McBride (front right) prepare for an evening of rehearsals. Image Caption 3: Stage Manager Marilyn Robinson (front) and Director Gerry McBride (back) consult the script intently during rehearsals.Tide of Hope is generously sponsored by The Gardens of Peterborough (Platinum Sponsor), KawarthaNOW (Platinum Media Sponsor), Templeton Law (Silver Sponsor) and The Peterborough Canadian Irish Club (Bronze Sponsor). ... See MoreSee Less
Join us TONIGHT at 7pm at the Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre to hear an engaging presentation by guest speaker Matthew Flagler! Matthew Flagler is the author of the new book Held to the Fire, which examines the tragic explosion and resulting fire that took place at the Quaker Oats factory in Peterborough in 1916. He has a personal connection to the story, as his great-grandfather, Dennis O'Brien, was one of several people who perished in the fire. The book dissects the shocking event piece-by-piece, throwing back the curtain of time to reveal an incredible story of resilience and courage in the face of adversity.During his presentation, Matthew will discuss what inspired him to write the book and the challenges of writing about an event that took place over 100 years ago. He will also read an excerpt from the book, which will be available for sale that evening, and conduct a short Q&A session to answer any questions you might have about the book or the tragic event it documents. The presentation is free to attend and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. NOTE: If you are a Trent Valley Archives member, our annual general meeting has been postponed and will not be happening after the presentation. Please check your inbox for an email from us with more information. We hope to see you tonight! ... See MoreSee Less
It's that time of year again! Join us at the Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre on Thursday, April 25 at 7pm for our annual general meeting and an engaging presentation by guest speaker Matthew Flagler.Matthew Flagler is the author of the new book Held to the Fire, which examines the tragic explosion and resulting fire that took place at the Quaker Oats factory in Peterborough in 1916. He has a personal connection to the story, as his great-grandfather, Dennis O'Brien, was one of several people who perished in the fire. The book dissects the shocking event piece-by-piece, throwing back the curtain of time to reveal an incredible story of resilience and courage in the face of adversity.During his presentation, Matthew will discuss what inspired him to write the book and the challenges of writing about an event that took place over 100 years ago. He will also read an excerpt from the book, which will be available for sale that evening.The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with Matthew, and then our annual general meeting. The presentation is free to attend and open to the public, but the AGM is only for our members. Light refreshments will be provided.Can't make it that evening? We will be recording the presentation and uploading it to our YouTube channel for our members to view at a later date. ... See MoreSee Less
Green Routes looks at different experiences by the Robinson Settlers of 1825 and their descendants. Stories of the earliest Robinson settlers include that of schoolmaster Patrick Barragy and his brave efforts to persuade the government to support schools for new emigrants. McConkey also writes about the Robinson settlers of Douro Township who were truly thankful for the opportunities that came from emigration. Her fascination extends to descendants whose far-flung paths took them to destinations as far away as Indiana and points in the American mid-west, including Coach Frank W. Leahy of the University of Notre Dame football team.