To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the hospital care in Orangeville, the Dufferin County Museum & Archives and Headwaters Health Care Centre have partnered to create a series of three exhibits highlighting the history of the hospital, how it started, their accomplishments, and services that the hospital has offered from 1912 to 2012.  The second in this series is currently on display in the hospital lobby and the third will be installed in September.  Visit www.headwatershealth.ca/events for a list of events commemorating their 100th anniversary.  

Pictured above at the launch earlier this year are:  (left to right) Anne Caine, Ronnie Inglis and Steve Brown, DCMA Archivist.

In partnership with Headwater Arts, DCMA is proud to host this annual show and sale of original art works, featuring the very best talent from Westside Secondary School, Orangeville, Orangeville District Secondary School, Orangeville, Mayfield Secondary School, Caledon. Erin District High School, Erin, Humberview District High School, Bolton, Banting Memorial High School, Alliston and Centre Dufferin District High School, Shelburne.

We recently received such a wonderful letter from Corporal Wayne Strudwick, DCMA’s sponsored veteran for the 2011 Battlefields Tour, that it inspired us to start a new section on our website - DCMA Celebrates. Here you will find some of our success stories that we would like to share with you. These stories will highlight what's inspiring, what's positive and what's happening at the DCMA. Visit DCMA Celebrates regularly and let us know what you think. In the meantime, here’s the letter below.   Orangeville native and Afghanistan War veteran, Cpl. Wayne Strudwick, joined the Centre Dufferin District High School’s Canadian Battlefields Tour in November 2011. Dufferin County Council approved him as the 'sponsored-veteran' of the Dufferin County Museum & Archives (DCMA) for the purposes of the Battlefields Tour and ceremony at Juno Beach Centre. Below is a letter from Cpl. Wayne Strudwick to Dufferin County Council summarizing his experience during the 2011 Battlefields Tour.

Letter to Dufferin County...

A rainy day can be refreshing and a walk in the rain (with the right person) can be romantic. Although, rain is necessary and an inevitable environmental occurrence. Sometimes when we have rainy weather, Dufferin County can experience flooding. The rain we’ve been having for the past couple of days reminded me of this photo that we have in our collection in the archives at the Dufferin County Museum. The photo is of the flood on John Street in Orangeville in 1890. Written on the back of this photo is "One of the worst floods in the history of Orangeville took place on June 5, 1890 when, following a cloudburst, the Mill Stream overflowed its banks causing bad flooding of centre town and considerable property damage. This scene is at the CPR John Street crossing. The three persons in the front are (left to right) Mrs. Margaret (Nicholson) Dahl (mother of Walter Dahl), Orange Jull and Mrs....

As Volunteer Week 2012 comes to an end . . . the Dufferin County Museum & Archives wants to thank our many volunteers past and present for all their hard work, contributions and continued support - THANK YOU!

Occasionally, weather conditions can impact road conditions – especially in the winter, but in April?

This photo from the Orangeville Banner, December 13, 1951 seemed appropriate for the weather conditions we had this morning. Snow was not going to keep this youth at home for a snow day.

When we recently were researching our current exhibit Beauty in the Beast, Dufferin County Museum & Archives staff found out that Dufferin animals were a little more diverse than the expected cows and sheep. This certainly proves a little historical digging can lead to some unexpected and interesting surprises.

Shelburne Free Press, December 22, 1927 - Monkeys and Clowns in Mulmur

 “Wesley Gallaugher is at his brother’s home in Mulmur for the Christmas season and has with him the performing animals that have made for him a name as a novel showman clean across the continent” says the Alliston Herald. “The esemble includes 4 ponies, 5 dogs, 3 monkeys, 1 baboon, and 2 clowns. The animals perform some fascinating and wonderful tricks while the monkeys and the clowns keep the house in a continuous fit of laughter. Just at this time of year engagements for this line of entertainment are not readily obtained and Mr. Gallaugher took advantage of the slack season to spend a week on a tour of the Pacific coast...

The Royal Winnipeg Rifles as taken by Ken Bell

What an exciting time! With the writing of this post the Dufferin County Museum & Archives have reached a huge milestone in our DCVWM project. The DCVWM (Dufferin County Virtual War Memorial) is a project that started with just a few hundred names and a handful of volunteers.  When the DCVWM started the staff didn’t think we would find many more soldiers than we had been given by Ken Wallace of Shelburne already had. After all, Dufferin is not the most populous of Counties but were we ever surprised when the names of veterans started to grow. Not just from the First and Second World Wars but the Boer and Napoleonic Wars, The War of 1812, Current Peacekeeping missions, Afghanistan and even more than a dozen soldiers from the American Civil War.

...

On my bus tours around Dufferin, when I pass Sylvanwood estates, just east of Shelburne, I always talk about the stone from that site being used at Queen’s Park. Frankly, I am not sure everyone believes me. Finally, while reviewing data for DuffStuff, I found my proof . . .  thank you might be in order.

Shelburne Free Press, September 2, 1926 - SHELBURNE CUT STONE FOR CAN. NAT. EX.

Mr. J W Fleck called at our office on Saturday with a sample of cut stone from Hall's Quarry about a mile east of Shelburne. He has been requested by the Ontario Government to send a sample of the Shelburne Stone for exhibit at the Canadian National Exhibition which opened last Saturday. The stone which measures about 14 x 10 inches x 12 inches deep and shows on three sides the rock face as it came from the quarrie, the top has a bush hammered face while on the front is a complete Gothic window with tracery and covered panels. The work was executed by Mr Fleck and is shown in the Stone Section in the new Ontario Government...

They are exciting times at the Dufferin County Museum & Archives as we celebrate our 18th year in the big green barn at the corner of Highway 89 and Airport Road.  (Is that possible?!)  2012 is well underway and there are many important changes to share with you - our members and visitors. 

One of the most significant, and obvious, is our new website - through which this, my first-ever blog entry, is reaching you.  Our new website is the result of much good will and good luck, which included tireless efforts on the part of our staff and volunteers, our caring and professional consultants, Canam Software of Mississauga, a grant from the Ontario Museums and Technology Fund, and the selfless contributions of a longstanding and most dedicated volunteer, Roger Peterson.  When fully developed, our website won’t be just a pretty face, but a meaningful and information-rich portal into the DCMA’s activities, programs and growing repository of archival records and information.  We have big plans and expectations...