Preserving the historic appeal of the community does not happen by accident.
Property owners carefully restore historic features of their properties, while our municipal government contributes by establishing protective heritage designations and streetscape designs reflecting historical colour pallets and protecting historic features, but the main champion protecting our past is the Millbrook and Cavan Historical Society.
This volunteer-run organization is committed to preserving the stories and the artifacts, manuscripts and photographs that illustrate the history of Millbrook, Cavan and the surrounding area for present and future generations. It also seeks to inspire interest in the value of local history by keeping the stories alive. Through ongoing programs and publications, its members keep local history top of mind for residents and bring local history to life.
One of their main objectives is the development and maintenance of an archived collection of family histories and photographs. They have also been encouraging genealogy research through a joint program of monthly workshops at the Millbrook Library.
They also collect and create archives of stories and artifacts from the past, which is housed in a secure area in the Millbrook Library. Volunteers Kim McLeod and Dan Bourgeois are working diligently to develop searchable database that will eventually find its way into a publicly available online catalogue.
Residents can support this organization by becoming a member while business can provide support by providing sponsorship funding. Another way to support the organization is to participate in its upcoming fundraising event, Blocks and Blooms.
Scheduled for June 15th , the event will showcase many of Millbrook’s cherished heritage properties with Open Houses in several locations. It is a self-guided tour of beautiful gardens, heritage properties with heirloom and contemporary quilts on display. The $20 tickets consist of a booklet including descriptions of all of the locations as well as a map. They are available at Moody’s in Millbrook and through the historical society’s website: millbrookcavanhs.ca. Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase a dedicated laptop and secure archival boxes in which to safely preserve and store their growing collection of historic items
The organization is currently seeking to fill several volunteer positions, including the ongoing roles of Social Media Manager and Volunteer Coordinator as well as casual help during the Blocks and Blooms event which would be suitable for high school students looking to earn some community service credits. To learn more, contact Kate via email at thequiltersbolt.com.
The Millbrook and Cavan Historical Society is working to help us understand the past, which helps explain the present. Not a trivial task these days. KG