Showing 77 results

History Group is Established

An historical society for the Scotch Settlement was established last week at Fred C. Cook Senior Public School.

Mrs. Eleanor Reid, of Lefroy, a descendant of one of the Scotch settlers, was named the president of the group, and Dave Sheppard, was named secretary.

The group will gather historical data pertaining to the history of the settlers, from their tragic exile from Scotland to their settlement on the lands in this area.

The most important priority for the group now is to collect all of the information concerning the Scotch Settlement that they can.

Mr. Sheppard said it was crucial that the information was gathered soon, because much of it is in the minds of elderly people in the community, and if they fail to pass it on, it could be lost forever.

Mrs. Reid said she was "really quite pleased with the turnout last week and the interest and enthusiasm shown."

She said the Scotch Settlement was one of Ontario's most important historical sites, and the story of the hardships of the settlers is not only historically interesting, but also romantic.

Many descendants of the settlers still live in the area, and former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker also traces his family back to the Scotch settlers.

The historical society is appealing to anyone who has information, photos or other memorabilia, to contact Mrs. Reid at Box 148, Lefroy.

The next meeting of the society will be held in the Scotch Settlement church June 10.

Photograph of the Holland River Bridge in 1920. The boat in the centre of the photograph are the hay-cutters of the Holland Marsh on the boat they would use to transport their daily work. This was prior to the marsh's drainage. Horses were transported up-river to work on the Marsh wearing wooden shoes. In the photograph, there are men fishing off the bridge, and on the right side (west of the bridge) you can see the water tower which trains used to fill up their water supply.

This is the Holland Street Theatre

First part of an interview with Harold Iceton on May 2, 1991. Harold outlines his family history, memories of the area and prominent citizens. See the Related Descriptions below for summary.

Due to length, the audio is split into two parts (see related descriptions below for links).

Second part of an interview with Harold Iceton on May 2, 1991. Harold outlines his family history, memories of the area and prominent citizens. See the Related Descriptions below for summary.

Due to length, the audio is split into two parts (see related descriptions below for links).

Summary of an interview with Harold Iceton on May 2, 1991. Harold outlines his family history, memories of the area and prominent citizens. See the Related Descriptions below for audio.