HERITAGE DAY
Instead of having a general meeting in February, several members of our Society visited the schools in the former Huntley Township. A quiz based on history of the local area around the school was handed out along with a copy of the 1863 map of the township. The students had to answer the questions about the former locale based on the information on the map.
The second part of the visit entailed a discussion with John Cavanagh (portrayed by his great grandson, Richard Cavanagh) the first settler in the Township in 1822.
Two letters of appreciation and comment were recieved from the teachers:
The children greatly enjoyed your presentation and, I believe, got a lot from it. They particulary enjoyed learning that the names around here link us directly to the characters of the past. They alos really enjoyed meeting Richard Cavanagh and I would ask you to convey to him our gratitude. It gave them an insight into a totally different way of life and made it very real to them. They were most diappointed that he was not at the Arena when we went up for our skating session!
I hope you enjoyed the experience as well. My only request for the future would be that we take more time, so that we could allow the children to think and discuss more whle you were with us. It would also be great if they could see other 'real' documents etc. as it so important to them to realise that this was not just a story but actually happened.
All in all I believe it was a very valuable 'experiment', I hope that was how you guys felt as well.
Jean Hillman, Huntley Centennial Public School
Students at Venta Preparatory School were treated to a presentation which triggered many imaginations. They worked at a map of the township,and helped to identify historic sites of the township as it was in 1863. They were very interested to learn about the tragic fire that swept through the community, destroying many buildings. The mapping exercise very cleverly brought them right into the present year, requiring them to name current roads, and to designate the concession and lot number of the school. Two descendents of Huntley's first settler were in attendance- Richard Cavanagh and Nolan Craig, a student at Venta. The students were fascinated to learn the circumstances of John Cavanagh's first winter in Canada. They also delighted in the descriptions of Richard's hardy existence in the twenty-first century. They were delighted by the repartee between George Wilson and Richard. A number expressed an interest to visit his spread. Teachers and students are very grateful to Anne Cameron, Richard Cavanagh, Mary Roe, and George Wilson for a delightful,informative hour.
Sincerely, Margaret Stone
CONGRATULATIONS
The Bank of Nova Scotia recently celebrated their 100th anniversary of opening a branch in Carp. It was originally the Bank of Ottawa, but this was bought out by the Bank of Nova Scotia. Many thanks to the staff of the Bank for their pleasant and friendly service tothe community.
CONGRATULATIONS
To the Torbolton Township Historical Society of the publication of their second volume of the history of their township
OPENING
The Huntley Township Historical Society is recently installed the Erskine Rivington Photograph Collection at the Carp Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. This collection of 2000 photographs were taken by Erskine Rivington from the 1930's until the present. They show life, not only the historic moments but also the vernacular or mundane day to day life, in and around the village of Carp during this period. It has taken Erskine, Joan Caldwell and Mary Roe two years to catalogue the photogrpahs: the people, events and features have all been identified where possible. The 23 albums are available for use by the general public on Thursdays between 1:30 and 4:30 pm during the regular hours of the Research Centre.