Heritage Book Sale

Here is your chance to purchase heritage books - an excellent selection is in the offing of local history titles, local authors, children's books, anitiquarian, ephemera and second-hand books plus genealogy supplies. You can find all of this at the 18th Annual Heritage Book Fair sponsored by the Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society - Saturday, November 22 from 9-2:30 at St James United Church, 306 Parkside Drive, Waterdown.

Photograph Exhibition at Joseph Brant Museum

A new exhibit at the Joseph Brant Museum called "Witness: The Photographs of Frank Wright", is an excellent opportunity to see life in Burlington during the busy years of development in the 1950's and '60's. The exibit of local photographer Frank Wright, who's career spanned 30 years, is made up of 68 photographs depicting everything from the building of the Skyway Bridge (fitting especially as the bridge is celebrating it's 50th year) to an evening at the famous Brant Inn.

The exhibit runs until April 3, 2009

for more information go to Joseph Brant Museum website

$2.5 Million Gift to McMaster University's Wilson Centre for Canadian History

This bequeath is good news for history lovers. McMaster's Chancellor, Red Wilson, is giving a $2.5 million present to the past. Wilson says "I think that Canadian history is an important thing for all of us in the country to know a little more about. You can't have a broad understanding of anything unless you understand how it got to where it is." Truer words were never spoken.

read more by going to The Hamilton Spectator, Wed Nov 5th, 2008 page A4

Concrete versus Marble

For those of you following the on-going saga of the renovation of Hamilton City Hall, The Hamilton Spectator ran a story today stating that marble loses, white concrete panels will be replacing the marble on the outside of the renovated City Hall, set to be finished by July 2010.

Council voted 10-4 in favour of concrete cladding rather than replacing the Georgia marble - the decision was made due to cost. Mayor Fred Eisenberger said "Concrete...is absolutely the wrong material". Mayor Eisenberger ran an online poll on the decision - the results were 258 for marble vs 60 for concrete.

Because City Hall has been designated a heritage building under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2005, council had to vote itself an excemption over objections from the Municipal Heritage Committee and city planning staff!

Hamilton City Hall is a rare example of the International Style of Architecture, a well known example being the United Nations Building in New York City.

Launch of the Brant Inn Video

Plan to attend the Burlington Historical Society's November 10th meeting for a special event - the launch of the tv documentary "Meet Me at the Brant Inn". Portions of the documentary will be aired for the first time and there will be a live concert of Big Band music. For those of us lucky enough to have experienced a night out at the famous Brant Inn it will be a trip down memory lane. For the rest of us, including myself, we can only wish there was such an outstanding nightclub around today!

The meeting is open to the public, Monday November 10th at 7 pm at the Burlington Art Centre, in the Lakeshore Room.

Photograph Exhibition at the Joseph Brant Museum - Witness : The Photographs of Frank Wright - this photo exhibition runs from Sept 18th until April 3rd, 2009

68 photographs of Burlington photographer Frank Wright are on exhibit. Taken during the 1950's and 1960's, they provide "slice-of-life moments" of a growing city. You will see photos of the old Brant Inn, the building of the Skyway Bridge and more.
for details visit Joseph Brant Museum website



Free lecture on The Art of Canada's War Memorials with Jane Irwin
Sunday, November 9, 1:30-3 pm

Jane is the archivist of the Burlington Historical Society and author of the recently published
Old Canadian Cemeteries: Places of Memory. Her talk will focus on the artists and artisans who created our war memorials and cenotaphs. Jane says their works were too often neglected, except on Remembrance Day, when they came into focus as sites for the placing of wreaths.
More recently, Canada’s war memorials have been recognized as significant works of art. For sculptors such as Walter Allward (who designed the famed Vimy War Memorial in France ), Florence Wyle, Elizabeth Wyn Wood, George Hill, and many others, monuments honouring the memory of the “boys” who died in the Great War were major commissions that brought their work to public view.
Call 905.632.7796 ext 307 to pre-register for this free event.

Welcome local history lovers of the Halton-Hamilton region!

If you live in or are visiting the Hamilton-Halton area and are interested in it's fascinating history, then this blog is for you. The cities of Hamilton and Burlington and outlying communities in Wentworth and Halton counties are blessed with numerous historic buildings, monuments, churches, cemeteries, museums and parks. In addition, the many local history organizations, associations and societies that have sprung up over time (some are very old) host a wide variety of lectures and events that you need to know about! My hope is that this blog will provide you a place to read and become informed about Hamilton-Halton history.