By Celia Hunter
Firmly focused on the future, your Historical Society works in the here and now to protect and preserve what makes our community unique. On Tuesday, May 27,7:00 pm, members and friends are invited to meet at the Old Millbrook School and take stock of how the Historical Society is doing. It’s Annual Meeting time. Everyone is invited to come as we review where we’ve been, honour the memory of our friend and past president Peter Ramsay, and lay out the plans going forward. We look ahead.
Acknowledging the privilege of living and working on the traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishnaabe peoples, the Millbrook-Cavan Historical Society is the keeper of the record of settlement that began here in 1817 and continues to this day. Making up that record are individuals and families who brought–and continue to bring–diverse skills, ambitions and know-how with them.
Farmhouses, barns and fence lines are the physical evidence of the determination and resilience of Cavan Monaghan farm families, all with stories to tell. Re-purposed churches and converted schoolhouses hold a multitude of memories. The architectural variety and quality of craftsmanship found in the built heritage, concentrated in Millbrook but found throughout the township, is evidence of entrepreneurship, economic purpose and achievement.
The Historical Society is the go-to place for those with questions about local history, and our archives hold many of the answers. But it seems no chapter is ever done. The work of researching, collecting and organizing the documents and the recollections is ongoing as new material is gathered or generously donated to the collection. There is no dust of dead decades collecting on our shelves. We are busy!
Another vital part of our role is to share the stories that come both from long-time residents, and from photographs, news snippets, business ads and postcards, from family homes and local businesses, creating a sense of place; a place to proudly call home.
To find out more about the Historical Society’s projects and programs, come Tuesday, May 27, 7:00-8:00 pm, for our Annual Meeting at the Old Millbrook School, 1 Dufferin Street, Millbrook. All are welcome. For information, www.millbrookcavanhs.org