Books - new, old and create your own

I want to bring your attention to the 19th Annual Book Fair sponsored by the Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society. It will take place Saturday, November 14th, from 9:30 am to 3 pm at St. James United Church in Waterdown (306 Parkside Drive). You will be able to buy new and used books, antiquarian books, genealogy supplies, and meet local authors. Several new local history books will be available - these kind of publications are often very hard to find. Of special interest to the family researcher is a 1 hour seminar at 10:30 am given by Rick Roberts of Global Genealogy - it is called "Publishing a Local or Family History: Six Steps to Success". I will be marking it on my calendar - maybe I'll see you there.

When is a book more fun than the computer?

Just the other day the library received a donation of a copy of the 1877 Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Halton. Although the library already owns several copies, (including an original 1877 copy signed by the first Reeve of Wellington Square), I was excited to accept it. Researchers love using these wonderful oversized books. They exist for all counties of Ontario, but I think what really makes them special is how visual they are - you can see the landowners names on the allotments. In addition, the atlases contain county histories, and include sketchings of important local sites and persons (read, those local folk who financially subscribed to the publication of the atlas). Yes you can access these atlases online (go to The Canadian Atlas Digital Project). Nothing beats using the print copies though. Next time you are in the Burlington Central library ask us to show them to you. You won't be disappointed.

A new blog in town

As a blogger of things heritage in Burlington, I am especially interested in the newly developed Burlington Historical Society Archives Blog. As the archivist writes "here you'll find news about what is going on in the Archives, new additions to our collection, and special events." I find the blog postings on new acquisitions especially interesting. For example, the BHS archives just received the original minute book for the Nelson Township Council, dating from the first meeting in 1836 up until 1864. Congratulations to the BHS archives on a great new blog. You can link to it from this blog - see Links You'll Like.

The Burlington Index - now online!

A little known, but extremely useful local history resource is now available for researchers online. The Burlington Index has been in print for years, with new information being constantly added, but until now, few researchers knew about it. Now you can find it on the Burlington Public Library website, under the Local History section. This subject index is a retrieval tool for the library's non-digitized materials primarily located in the Burlington History Room at Central Library. Much of the content is only reached by using this resource. Indexed items include an extensive vertical file collection of

uncatalogued pamphlets, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, Tweedsmuir Histories and other materials donated by current or former citizens of Burlington or assembled by Library staff. Once you find items of interest you can come into Central Library and ask to use the materials within the library (photocopying is available). Otherwise you can phone 905-639-3611 ext 138 for futher assistance or e-mail askalibrarian[at]bpl.on.ca.

Freeman Station finds a new home!

Burlington City Council recently approved the relocation of the Freeman Train Station to its new home - out of 6 possible sites, the beach site was chosen because of it's close proximity to the former Radial Electric Line and the Grand Trunk Railway Line. The new site is across the street from the Joseph Brant Museum and beside Discovery Landing which will make it highly visible to anyone visiting the lakefront. The train station which was active until 1988 has spent recent years sitting derelict behind the fire department on Fairview Street. The next step will be to determine what the restored building will be used for. A decision for its use could come this December - it could be used for retail, entertainment or recreational purposes. The City's Official Plan allows for a variety of uses so time will tell.

Brant Military Hospital - an excellent new website

It might come as a surprise to many Burlingtonians, that our city had a hospital back in 1917, long before the existence of today's Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital - and it's location was pretty much on the same spot of land on the waterfront.

The Brant Military Hospital was established during World War I in 1917, as facilities were desperately needed to treat soldiers seriously injured in the war. With only the Hamilton General Hospital available to service the Head-of-the-Lake area, the federal government expropriated the posh inn known as the Hotel Brant to become a military hospital (not a popular move with then owner, A.B. Coleman). The resort was quickly adapted - the large verandahs where tourists had once whiled away their holidays were boarded up and made into wards. The atmosphere became rather sombre as the building's first new inhabitants included amputees and bullet wound victims. In 1919, a second wing was built and used for soldiers wounded in the war and brought there to convalesce, with patients shipped to Canada from England and France once they were well enough to travel. Serious efforts were made to improve the soldiers' morale with concerts by Hamilton entertainers and even a hospital newspaper called "Carry On" published the writing efforts of patients.

There is an extensively researched new website entirely devoted to the Brant Military Hospital recently created by Illinois researcher, Gene Beals. This is his 4th military website. He is especially interested in the Brant Military Hospital as his great-uncle Joseph Crinnion was on staff.

Natural Heritage - The Comfort Maple

Heritage is most often associated with man-made things like buildings, but on a recent country drive I was able to see for myself an incredible example of natural heritage. The Comfort Maple tree is approximately 500 years old and incredibly, still stands today. It is nearly 100 feet high and measures 20 feet around the trunk. It is believed to be the oldest sugar maple in Canada. This tree was already a century old when Champlain was exploring Canada. In 1816 the Comfort family, settlers near Pelham in the Niagara region, obtained the land on which the then 300 year old maple stood. Luckily the family never felled the tree (cannot imagine the task that would have been) and today it and a small grassy area around it make up a Niagara Peninsula conservation site. If you would like to find the Comfort Maple, click here - you will surely need the detailed directions. It is not easy to find but once there an inspiring site to see.