Join us and bring a friend Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, 7 p.m. Speaker: Jeff Mahoney Topic: The History of the Spec with a Burlington flavour

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1 November 2016 Volume 12, Issue 9 The Burlington Historical Society GAZETTE History of the Spec with a Burlington flavour In this issue President s Report 2 Terry Hughes with his model train HMCS Burlington 3 Photo courtesy of Jeff Mahoney Our speaker this month is Jeff Mahoney. He has been a reporter/ columnist at The Hamilton Spectator for 28 years. He has covered everything from politics to lifestyle but his chief specialties have been culture, the visual arts, commentary and humour. For the last five years he has been writing thrice weekly in the Hamilton Spectator and has a way of getting readers involved. His column focuses on area human interest stories, from personalities to quirky twists in the social fabric and colourful echoes of our local and area history is the 170th year of publication for The Hamilton Spectator and many historical stories are being covered. Jeff s other interests include guitar, crossword puzzles and late afternoon naps. He lives in Hamilton with his wife Anne, daughters Ruby and Lucy, a dog and two cats. To read the complete article, please visit our website at www. burlingtonhistorical.ca Heritage Updates Notes from the Archives Greenwood Outreach Mystery Photo Executive Heritage Dates and Events Membership and Donations All information contained on our website, newsletters and publications is printed in good faith and for general purposes Join us and bring a friend Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, 7 p.m. Speaker: Jeff Mahoney Topic: The History of the Spec with a Burlington flavour Annual General Meeting Jan. 9, 2017, 7 p.m. Centennial Room, Burlington Public Library

2 President s Report by Jane Ann Newson Our October speaker Terry Hughes certainly got us all on the right track with his comprehensive railway history talk. I hope you had an opportunity of looking at his impressive display of railroad models and hearing the stories associated with each one! To top it all off, Terry is model railway expert in his own right! In my October Musings, I asked the question October edition of the Gazette - did you get receive yours? I posed this same question in September as well. I did this for a very good reason. That reason being that we needed your feedback on whether our distribution system was working properly. To those who provided feedback that they did not receive the newsletter, we thank you as there was a problem which has now been rectified. Hurray! Since November 14, is our last BHS General meeting for the year, I encourage you to come a little early for the purpose of having a coffee and looking at the Archives table and purchasing your winning 50/50 Draw ticket and checking out our Polo and T-shirt inventory. If you care to pay your 2017 membership dues, that can be arranged as well after the formal part of the meeting. We hope to top our previous year attendance record in November and which would make it a banner year with an attendance of Please join us on November 11, at the City Hall Cenotaph at 11 a.m. for the annual Remembrance Day service. BHS will be participating by laying a wreath. November meeting has every indication of being another great one with guest speaker Jeff Mahoney. Mr Mahoney will be talking about the history of the Hamilton Spectator but with a Burlington flavour. I hope to see you on November 14, at 7 p.m. in the Central Library Centennial Room. Visitors are most welcomed! As always, if you have questions or concerns, please us at info@burlingtonhistorical.ca and place my name in the subject line. Thank you for your continued support and your feedback. Burlington Cenotaph, Brant Street Welcome New Members Hello my name is Joan Allan Helen Callaway Mark McLelland Reminder 2017 membership is due in January 2017 and don t forget to pick up your membership card when renewing - 2 -

3 H.M.C.S. Burlington By Barbara Ford and Claire Emery: Excerpts - From Pathway to Skyway - A History of Burlington Lest We Forget The poppys grow in Flanders fields Where lie the souls of gallant men Their lives in silence spread That s what the poem says. HMCS Burlington, BHS Archives On September 10, 1939, Canada again was at war with Germany and more than 600 men from Burlington joined the armed forces. Thayendanegea Chapter, I.O.D.E. called a meeting of representatives of all women s organizations in town to plan their war work and Mrs W. Weaver was appointed chairman of the women s work for the Red Cross. Victory Loan Rallies held during the war saw Burlington meet the quotas substantially. A unique ceremony was held on September 10, 1941, at Lakeside Park. A new navy minesweeper, H.M.C.S. Burlington, was dedicated as it lay anchored off the shore. H.M.C.S. Burlington left Dufferin shipyards that morning with her commanding officer, Lieut. Commander Fricker, Hon. Angus E. Macdonald, Minister for Naval Affairs, Hughes Cleaver, M.P. for Halton and several school children aboard and arrived at Burlington by noon. The landing party was welcomed by Mayor J. Gordon Blair and the entire crew of the ship were declared honorary citizens of Burlington. School children sang a special song, H.M.C.S. Burlington written for the occasion by T. Reginald Sloan. The Hon. Angus Macdonald spoke, a guard of honour was inspected, gifts were presented by townspeople and Rev. G. W. Tebbs dedicated the fine new ship in a solemn ceremony. It was a big day for Burlington. Festivities continued at the Estaminet that night with all the town s dignitaries and ship s officers present and the toast to H.M.C.S. Burlington was proposed by W. J. McCulloch. Poppies grow in Flanders fields Guns grow silent, the land is spent With those young lives already lost Forever to eternity, they are That s what the poem says. Poppies grow in Flanders fields When ships run silent through the night They hunt the hunter in the depths Their vigil as silent watch is kept That s what the poem says. When poppies grow in Flanders fields To mark lost souls of the sky Their lives were lost when aircraft died Poppies grow in Flanders fields That s what the poem says LEST WE FORGET -3-

4 Heritage Updates Freeman Station Update by Alan Harrington Freeman Station Opening Day, October 1 Four wheel cart collection For the first time in a generation - the Station was open to the general public on October 1, as part of Doors Open Burlington. About 800 visitors passed through the station for the first time in 28 years to witness an impressive display. The Station Agent s Office was furnished with antique communication devices including telephones,telegraphs, typewriters and other railway artifacts. Selected items from a collection worth almost $30,000 decorated the site including a four wheel cart loaded with luggage and milk cans. Based upon the feedback including comments in the guest book, the day was a great success. From the Archives from the Archives s e t o N by Joan Downey, Volunteer Archivist 1922 was a very good year. The country was just starting to rebound from the slump which followed the euphoria produced by the end of the First World War. John and Alfred Billes opened the Hamilton Tire and Rubber Ltd. store (Canadian Tire); Joseph Armand Bombardier invented the snowmobile; Irving Berlin wrote April Showers ; The first Royal Agricultural Winter Fair opened in Toronto; Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best discovered insulin; and, Burlington Central High School was at last completed. Opened in 1922, the school continued to grow with new wings added in 1929, 1955 and in the 1960s. During the early years of the school, families lived through the Great Depression and World War II. During the War Years it was necessary to shorten the school terms so that boys from the farms could work on the land and in the orchards in place of older brothers, fathers and farm hands who had gone to war. In 1947, Chairman of the Burlington-Nelson District High School -4-

5 Board, M. M. Robinson, apologized for unavoidable delay in the planned addition to ease the handicap of overcrowding. They were, however, proud of the inauguration in 1946 of a system of free rural transportation which gave rural pupils access to a high school education. In 1957 Nelson High School was opened and 400 students from the overcrowded Burlington Central High School were transferred to Nelson. This left 800 students enrolled at BCHS. But BCHS did not stay in the past. The programs at Burlington Central High School have continued 1929 Rugby Team, BCHS to grow integrating modern technology. The school houses a state of the art theatre. A number of years ago I took my grandchildren to see a Christmas production of Pinocchio in that theatre. Burlington Central High School has a long history of academic excellence and school spirit. Many will remember the dramas and operettas produced over the years. I m sure some of you took part in those productions. And, what about those sports teams? Were you a participant or in the stands at every game? BCHS is an integral part of the City of Burlington. I look forward to attending the Centennial party in 2022! Greenwood by Peggy Armstrong Chapter 8 - Lest We Forget A cemetery is a place of remembrance of those citizens who once held a place in the surrounding community. Wars have had such a significant impact on not only the soldiers but their families, that in Greenwood Cemetery, there are over 80 memorial markers with some reference to military service in the inscription. A few remember a family member Killed in Action and buried somewhere in Europe, but most give some indication of the participation in war of a former resident. In this chapter we highlight just a few of those who enlisted to serve their town, country, and in the case of recent immigrants, their homeland. Visit our website to read the complete article The Burlington Historical Society Archives 2nd Floor, Burlington History Room Burlington Central Library info@burlingtonhistorical. ca -5-

6 Outreach BHS has several outreach activities planned or underway. On Remembrance Day, we will be laying a wreath at the cenotaph, something we do every year. Please join us on November 11, at 11 a.m. when many citizens of Burlington gather to share a minute of silence for those who lost their lives serving their country in a time of war. We will be presenting to the St. Christopher s Ginger Group about Burlington s history at their meeting in March the topic will be agriculture. Our volunteer archivist, Joan Downey, has pulled together a vast amount of research, photos, and maps from our archives on a topic that played such an important role in laying the foundation of who we are today. We have been asked by the Burlington Seniors Centre to present a six-course program on the city s history in the fall of We look forward to the opportunity and hope it will be the first of many. Our new website is moving toward completion. Everyone on our list will be advised when it is available. We understand that several of our members did not receive their Gazette over the last two months. Our apologies. We have rectified the situation and anticipate a smooth delivery moving forward. Mystery Photo November Mystery Photo Does anyone know the story behind this house? Please send your response to info@burlingtonhistorical.ca October Mystery Photo On April 17, 1964, a Buggy Brigade was formed in response to increased truck traffic along the Beach Strip. Photo courtesy of Beach Heritage Calendar, 2009 For larger images, visit our website at -6-

7 Burlington Historical Society Executive Officers (Elected) Directors (Appointed) Conveners (Appointed) President Jane Ann Newson 1st Vice President To be announced 2nd Vice President Elizabeth Baldwin Secretary Joan Downey Treasurer Barry Saunders Past President Alan Harrington Programs Newsletter Archivist Webmaster Membership Outreach Tom Bochsler Aslin Kirkpatrick Joan Downey Wayne Murphy Jane Ann Newson Heather Mace Greeting cards Anne Wingfield Telephone Committee Elizabeth Baldwin Century Buildings Patricia Taylor Heritage Burlington rep Jim Clemens Heritage Burlington rep Rick Wilson 50/50 Draw Patricia Taylor To contact any of the above, please and place their name in the subject line. Heritage Dates and Events Burlington Historical Society Executive Meeting Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016 Location: Burlington Public Library General Meeting Monday, Nov. 14, 2016 Location: Burlington Public Library Annual General Meeting Monday, Jan. 9, 2017 Location: Burlington Public Library Heritage Burlington Heritage Homeowners Workshop Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 Location: Mainway Recreation Centre Museums of Burlington A Christmas Event at the Ireland House Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016 Location: Ireland House Museum A Night at the Ireland House Friday, Dec. 2, 2016 Location: Ireland House Museum Reminder 2017 membership is due in January 2017 Pick up your 2017 membership card when renewing Annual General Meeting and Elections falls on January 9,

8 The Burlington Historical Society Preserving Burlington s History for Today and Tomorrow Membership Date Name Address Postal Code Telephone Address Membership Dues (check all categories that apply) New Member Family: $40.00 Senior: $25.00 Renewal Single: $30.00 Yes, as a new member I wish to receive the Gazette newsletter an other e-communications and understand I can unsubscribe at any time. Volunteer Join our volunteer team - please circle your interest(s) RESEARCH REFRESHMENTS BYTES OF BURLINGTON ARCHIVES COMMUNITY OUTREACH MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL PROJECTS Donation I wish to make a seperate donation to the society in the sum of A Tax Receipt will be issued for all donations totalling $25.00 or more. The Burlington Historial Society is a registered charity # RR0001 Mail completed form and remittance(s) to: The Burlington Historical Society Membership Convener PO Box Headon Road Burlington, Ontario L7M 4A3 OR Leave it at the Membership table at any General Meeting Make cheques payable to The Burlington Historical Society info@burlingtonhistorical.ca