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Description : It was a magnificent effort: for 4 years, volunteers with the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association and the community at large worked together as the "WEGWHIST" team, putting together a History of West Gwillimbury. The result was a 2-volume set, Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury, containing the stories, records and photographs of the families that settled the Township. MP Peter Van Loan flew in to attend, and praised the book as a "remarkable and strong community project - a gift from older generations to younger generations. I commend you all, and I congratulate you all." The book was published by Friesens Corporation of Altona, Manitoba, thanks to seed money provided by the Municipal council, an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, and contributions from Patrons. George Jackson, who chaired, co-ordinated and drove the process from the beginning thanked a long list of those involved.

When the WEGWHIST Team launched Governor Simcoe Slept Here last December, we underestimated your response. Hindsight, which always has 20/20 vision, indicates that we should have printed more copies, but by the same token, we didn't anticipate that many of you were going to buy 4 or 5 copies. All 1,023 copies have found a home, and many of you asked if we are going to do a reprint. We have considered this request, and we have decided to do a reprint that will be available about Aug. 15, 2006. Some factual errors have been brought to our attention, so we are preparing a correction addendum that will be included with the reprint, and will be available to all who have already purchased a book. Pre-publication sales of the reprint will begin July 1st. The pre-publication price will be $65, the post-publication price $75.

Description : For the past few months, I have had the absolute pleasure of taking a trip down memory lane, by reading "Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury." I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to those who generously volunteered their time to compile and publish this historical account of the Township of West Gwillimbury. The historical data give the readers a good view of how the Township got its origin. Just as an individual family or farm can't stand alone, neither can a Township, without the intermingling of the small hamlets. It is so interesting to read how places like Pine Hill and Ham's Corners derived their names, just to mention a few. Many of those with whom I have spoken referred to the book as "only about the Township," making it of no interest to Bradford residents. I disagree. Bradford figures prominently in the book, for it was the source of industry and market for many of the rural farms in the surrounding community. Bradford was also the hot spot for social gatherings. Trips from the hamlets into Bradford on Saturday evenings were a weekly highlight for many families.

The transport truck arrived early Monday morning, with the reprinted copies of Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury. If you have purchased a pre-publication copy, you may pick up your copy from Kelly in the Local History Room of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library. Please bring your receipt. Copies can also be picked up at the WEGWHIST CarrotFest Booth today, August 19th. If you did not pre-order a copy, they are now available at the post-publication price of $75. Governor Simcoe Slept Here is a handsome, 2-volume set that makes a splendid gift for anyone interested in local history or genealogy - a book that will bring back memories, and in doing so, provide a record of the lifestyle of early days in West Gwillimbury.

Description : The 5th Anniversary of the WEGWHIST (West Gwillimbury History) Project will take place on October 19th, 1:30 p.m. at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library. The meeting will feature a presentation of 2 copies of Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury Township to representatives from each school in BWG, thanks to a generous local patron. The meeting will also feature a display of the development of the book, from the first list of the Table of Contents, through to the final text approved for printing - a once-in-a-lifetime happening. There will be a social time, to chat and reminisce. All are welcome to attend.

Description : On Thursday October 18, WEGWHIST - the West Gwillimbury History project - met for a Reunion, and a celebration of the reprinting of their 2-volume set, "Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury." The book was put together by the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association, and volunteers from the community. The WEGWHIST group first met on October 11, 2001 with almost no experience in publishing, but with a desire to share their memories and stories. For the next four years, they collected and collated the histories of the families and farms of West Gwillimbury. The finished book contains over 4,000 historical photographs and tells the story of the people, churches, schools and activities of West Gwillimbury, from the date the Township was first settled to the post-war years. It was one year ago that the final draft was sent off to the printer, and on December 15th, 2005,the first books arrived in Bradford West Gwillimbury. By January 15, every copy had sold out. Last Thursday, five years after the start of the project, WEGWHIST volunteers invited representatives from 13 different schools to the Bradford Public Library, to receive two donated copies each, for the school libraries.

Description : The reprint of the magnificent 2-volume local history book, Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury is now available. Those who wish to mail out a copy as a Christmas gift should call Bill Marks or George Jackson.

Plaque by the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association:

"This cast iron base and impeller were components of one of the two original water pumps installed in the 1928 Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme. The pumps would lower the water level by four to five feet thereby draining the water out of the marsh and allowing the marsh lands to be dried and cultivated. The two pumps could each lift 20 000 gallons per minute from the reservoir over the dam.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury assisted in developing the water fountain. George Holancin, local metal sculptor, created the winged blue heron. This piece won Top Honours for Floral Displays as part of the Communities in Bloom Ontario 2006 program."

Plaque by the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association:

"This cast iron base and impeller were components of one of the two original water pumps installed in the 1928 Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme. The pumps would lower the water level by four to five feet thereby draining the water out of the marsh and allowing the marsh lands to be dried and cultivated. The two pumps could each lift 20 000 gallons per minute from the reservoir over the dam.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury assisted in developing the water fountain. George Holancin, local metal sculptor, created the winged blue heron. This piece won Top Honours for Floral Displays as part of the Communities in Bloom Ontario 2006 program."

Plaque by the Bradford West Gwillimbury Local History Association:

"This cast iron base and impeller were components of one of the two original water pumps installed in the 1928 Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme. The pumps would lower the water level by four to five feet thereby draining the water out of the marsh and allowing the marsh lands to be dried and cultivated. The two pumps could each lift 20 000 gallons per minute from the reservoir over the dam.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury assisted in developing the water fountain. George Holancin, local metal sculptor, created the winged blue heron. This piece won Top Honours for Floral Displays as part of the Communities in Bloom Ontario 2006 program."