The 14th annual Frontenac Heritage Festival was well represented Saturday in Kennebec District.

First of all, there was the annual display from the Kennebec Historical Society at Kennebec Hall featuring the unique tool collection of Martin Hoogstein as well as a recently acquired wooden model of the Nonsuch (explorer Henry Hudson’s ship) built by Nick Zeldenrust and a couple of old baseball scoreboards found in the basement of Kennebec Hall.

Once again the Arden Potters held the Empty Bowls project where buying a bowl of soup or chilli also got you a handcrafted bowl with proceeds going to the Food Bank and the Arden Rink Restoration project.

And speaking of the Rink Restoration project, the Recreation Committee held a bake sale fundraiser. They’ll still take donations too. Call Wanda Harrison at 613-335-3186 for information.

There was also a quilting display and outside, Mike Proctor, Bob Miller and the Frontenac Blades put on a demonstration of pioneer living and tomahawk throwing.

Over on Kennebec Lake, the lake association’s annual event got off to a bit of a rough start when Terry Kennedy took a spill on the ice while, ironically, spreading sand on the plowed walkway. Then, it was announced that a planned ice rescue demonstration under the bridge had to be cancelled as district fire chief Jeff Matson, who was organizing the demonstration, was called away to be present at the birth of his grandson.

But, as more and more people started showing up, things worked out just fine.

“This was our best one ever,” said one of the organizers, Judy Kennedy. “There were about 110 people and many of them were new faces.

“We’re getting a turnover on the lake and it was good to see a lot of kids and dogs.

“And all the food was gone.”

The North Frontenac Archives has now officially become the North Frontenac Historical Society and Archives.

“We received our Ontario Corporation Number Jan. 20 although that actual date of incorporation was Nov. 23, 2019,” said Brenda Martin, who becomes the Society’s first president.

“We can now apply for our own grants and will be applying for charitable status so we can issue tax receipts for donations,” she said.

Martin said it’s taken about 18 months “to get the transition in place” and the first order of business will be to update the website reflecting all the changes. She said all of the archive material they’ve collected over the years will remain in place.

“We’re planning a kick-off event for a Saturday in May,” she said. “It will be an afternoon community event featuring local poets and songwriters.”

She said they have an interim board in place and expect to hold their first annual general meeting “sometime in June.”

Presumably, having the Duke of Sussex speak at one of their meetings after he moves his family to Canada was just Carolyn McCulloch joking around, but don’t put it past the Cloyne and District Historical Society.

“We’ll tell him to bring Meghan and Archie,” she said at the Society’s first meeting of 2020 last Monday in Cloyne.

The Society has been well known for inviting interesting and engaging guest speakers to its meetings and it looks like that’s a tradition it intends to continue as this meeting’s focus was what it plans to do in the coming year.

As an organization, it’s in good shape financially as Treasurer Ian Brumell reported a bank account with $4,900 in it, reserves of $4,800 and $95,000 in an ‘endowment fund.’

“We should have enough interest for one summer student,” he said.

But even so, they’ve applied to Young Canada Works for three summer students.

While the summer students are primarily employed at the Cloyne Pioneer Museum, they also help out with a variety of events and duties.

And speaking of the Museum, the Society is actively engaged in finding a replacement for volunteer Curator Margaret Axford, who retired last summer after 20 years in the position.

Just exactly what 2020 will look like for the organization has yet to be determined but that should firm up after the Feb. 17 meeting that they’re calling a strategic planning meeting with a Queens’ University professor coming to act as facilitator.

“It will be about where we want to go in the future, what people’s talents are and what would you be prepared to do,” said President Shirley Sedore. “And summer’s coming up so we’re looking for someone to look after the flower boxes.”

In all likelihood, there will be more bus trips like the one last November to the South Frontenac Museum in Hartington, a calendar, guest speakers and a return of “bring a thing and tell a tale.” There could also be courses on archiving and how to operate a metal detector.

On the agenda of the July 5, 2017 council meeting held in Arden, a presentation was made by Glen Matson and Wanda Harrison requesting permission to remove a large pine tree in front of the Community Centre. With permission granted the tree was safely and efficiently removed September 18. It had been decided, at that time, to make a dedication to the past forefathers of Kennebec Township, at the opening of the new Heritage Garden, but unfortunately due to a multitude of reasons, that did not happen.

After some discussions, it was decided that the Heritage Festival Weekend would be the more, appropriate time to reschedule that dedication, so with the help of Paddy O’Connor, Town Crier, the unveiling of the plank, milled from the old tree, along with photos and a framed tribute took place Saturday February 17.

Glen briefly explained how in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the Township of Kennebec council showed appreciation to the seniors of the day, by hosting annually, a catered meal with entertainment. The tradition was started by Reeve Dorothy Gaylord and continued under the leadership of Reeve George Pringle. At the 1984 dinner Reeve Pringle arranged to have a Pine tree moved from the woods and planted at the Community Centre, in the Seniors honour. And so this tree stood, until it unfortunately had to be removed for safety reasons.

Glen, the Historical Society and the Recreation Committee, all felt that there had to be a lasting tribute to those who proceeded us, establishing our Hamlet. Looking at the photographs and those pictured you will see many familiar names; Knight, Woodcock, See, Monds, Scott, Barnett, Peterson and Matson to name just a few. It’s those folks who formed the backbone of the Community we know today.

It is now our turn to make memories, and so 2 new ornamental shrubs were planted last fall, starting the process. This vibrant community is involved in numerous events and are represented in various venues, any or all of which, will help to continue the traditions of the Hamlet and to establish new ones.

The tribute is a wonderful addition to the Community Centre and if you have the opportunity to visit our wonderful community, drop in and see our new addition.

The Frontenac Heritage Festival returns to Central Frontenac Township this weekend for its 12th year.

Things get underway Friday night with an opening gala at GREC and the annual local talent show — Frontenac’s Got Talent.

The Festival swings into high gear on Saturday with a variety of events and activities in Sharbot Lake, Tichborne, Arden and Kennebec Lake. You can skate for free at the Tichborne rink all day.

Sharbot Lake will be busy starting with the Lions All You Can Eat Breakfast, a bonfire at the CF Train Museum and a Bucket Drumming Workshop for kids at the Child Centre.

But the Arden area has historically been the busiest area on the Saturday and this year is no exception with the Empty Bowls lunch with proceeds going to the food bank, the annual fur-traders camp reenactment, indoor displays from the Historical Society and Trappers Council along with games for the kids outside and chainsaw wood carving demonstrations. There’s a chili cook-off at the Legion too.

And over at the Kennebec Lake public boat launch, the Kennebec Lake Association is holding its 7th annual Winter Fun Day with skating, hockey, ring-toss, snow shoeing, ice fishing, campfire and hot food and drinks.

On Sunday, the focus shifts back to Sharbot Lake for the annual Polar Bear Plunge followed by live music and chili at the Legion. At 6 p.m., the winners of the photo contest will be announced at Oso Hall followed by a family movie.

On Monday, there will be games and activities at the ball field in Sharbot Lake and demonstrations of logging skills at Glen Matson’s farm in Arden.

Although there’s no official ‘chair’ of the festival committee for this year (founder/showrunner Janet Gutowski has stepped down), Mike Procter, who’s busy with different events three of the four days, said they’re always looking for volunteers (they’re good for this year), especially when it comes to planning next year’s event.

“All it would take is a 10-15 hour commitment, all indoors if you want,” Procter said. “We will train you.”

You can call Procter at 613-279-2572.

(And you can look for Procter at his “jockularity and prestidigitation” at the talent show, the fur traders camp on Saturday and with the Frontenac Blades tomahawk/knife throwers at Matson’s Farm.)

Now that the Museum season is over and the artifacts are safely packed away for their winter's rest, we are back to the business of History gathering and "Preserving the Past for the Future". Always a challenge as those whose memories we rely on are slipping away from us faster than we can track and record.

We continue to meet on the first monday of each month to discuss local history and enjoy relevant presentations. A social cup of tea and treats finish off the afternoon. We are open to All and no commitment is required. Come out when you can. We welcome young, old and eveyone in between.

At our September meeting we were amazed by our guest, Steve Manders as he spoke and showed videos of areas in our own regions and knew snipits of histories some of us were not aware of.

In October Ernie Doughty excitedley took us through the story of a County hospital from dream stage in 1958 to the state of the art facility that is now the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital in Napanee.

Ancient glass slides to pictures had us all trying to guess the people or places while Ken Hook patiently displayed some that could be reproduced. The slides were donated to the museum by an unidentified source.

December's get together has traditionally been social, complete with Turkey dinner, all the trimmings and so much more. We met at the Cloyne Free Methodist Chuch Hall, invited some friends and neighbours and were indulged by caterers Pat Cuddy and Company.

For the January meeting we are at the Cloyne Hall(across from the post office).  1:00p.m. Our guest presentor will be Brian Miller.

Our February meeting falls on Heritage day a.k.a. Family Day which is a statutary holiday. This means more of you can join us. No work, no school. We look forward to hearing more memories of Flinton schools from Glenn Davison.

We are getting excited about our area's participation in the Canada 150 celebrations. Events will begin  on June 24th at the opening of the Pioneer Museum, with the unveiling of an Art Installation completed by the Land O'Lakes Garden Club.

Our hope for 2017 is for all residents from Kaladar to Denbigh and from Plevna to Flinton to be able to say "I visited an event/presentation of the Cloyne and District Historical Society.

“Memories of General Stores” presented by the Clarendon Miller Community Archives.

Clarendon Miller Community Archives will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on May 14 at the Clar-Mill Hall from noon to 4 pm by bringing back memories of local general stores. Guest speaker, Mary Cook, will provide a historical perspective; a panel of local store owners/operators/employees will describe their experiences; and displays will bring back memories of the local stores in North Frontenac Township. As an introduction for that event, the story of James General Store in Plevna, when Don and Jesse Lavery were owners, was published in the March 31 Frontenac News. The next store to be highlighted is:

Ardoch General Store

Ernest R. Jacobi opened the first store in Ardoch around 1865. He also took over as the postmaster. Up until this time there were Ardoch postmasters but not in the store setting. The store was a social setting, especially on Saturdays, when the men would gather and find their favourite spot on the bench to hear the gossip. Women would often go to the store and get their supplies at this time or visit nearby. In later years, the most popular time was when the mail was due in from Clarendon Station. Many hunting and fishing stories were yarned as they waited. Jacobi operated the store until 1879 when he sold it to Alex Munro.

Some items that were available at the country store in the 1880s were: 6 pair cotton towels ($.50); 27 yards of print ($2.57); 3 dozen soap ($.75); 25 pounds of rice ($.98); 50 pounds yellow sugar ($4.99); 6 shirts and 6 drawers ($2.13).

In 1903 Munro added a franchise to sell farm machinery through his business. Robert Munro took over after his father died in 1911 but sold out to Wallace Clement in 1914. Jim Derue bought the store as well as other businesses in 1918 and had a long ownership. Derue was noted as a strong community supporter, providing work for many, accepting items for barter, and donating to numerous causes. With the use of automobiles there came a need to sell gas as well, so pumps were added.

In 1945 Don R. York purchased the store. He was actively involved in the community and assisted with many activities, such as skating and hockey. It was noted that he purchased a pump for flooding the ice in the bay so children could skate for hours after school and weekends. His daughter, Audrey York, has provided CMCA with photos showing her Dad inside of the store. Such photos are very helpful to CMCA as we attempt to reconstruct the setting in our displays.

On the death of Don York, his widow Margaret carried on alone until 1957. At that time, she remarried, to John McDonald. The store continued for many years with items such as fishing and hunting gear. People travelled many miles to buy footwear from the upstairs department.

In 1977 the store was passed to Margaret's son-in-law Robert Orchard. His brother, Douglas joined him in the business and it operated as a Lucky Dollar Store only for a few years before it closed.  

For members of the Portland District and Area Heritage Society, August 15, 2015 is a day that will go down in history and one that marks a new era for history buffs interested in the history of the Township of South Frontenac.

The day marked the official grand opening of the brand new South Frontenac Museum in Hartington, an idea that was birthed by the Portland District & Area Heritage Society and which has been in the works for over a decade now. Members of the society, dressed in historical garb, along with numerous dignitaries and history buffs, gathered on the lawn beside the new museum for its official ribbon cutting ceremony. The museum is located in Hartington's former one-room limestone school house, which for years had been the home of the clothing depot Community Caring – Hartington. The building is newly restored and is now home to a diverse collection of historical artifacts and archives from the four former districts of the township. The wide collection is meticulously organized and displayed and will be enjoyed by visitors into perpetuity.

South Frontenac mayor, Ron Vandewal, opened up the celebrations by congratulating South Frontenac staff, past and present members of council who supported the idea, the County of Frontenac whose accessibility grant allowed for the building to be made wheelchair accessible, and members of all of the local historical societies in the township whose efforts have “preserved the township's history”.

Barb Stewart, president of the Portland District and Area Heritage Society, also spoke, thanking former mayors of the township, Phil Leonard, Bill Lake, and Gary Davison as well as the current mayor and members of council, most of whom were in attendance, and the many members of the local heritage groups who also contributed to setting up the displays and preparing the building for its opening day.

Public works manager for the township, Mark Segsworth, also spoke recognizing the work of architect David Jefferies of Norr Architects, lead contractor Wemp and Smith and the two sub-contractors NCDD Wood Working of Inverary and Christmas Steel, the latter of whom did the steel railings, David White of D. J. White Restoration of Hartington, who built the new large vintage windows for the building, and the township's public works staff who worked on the project.

Following the ribbon cutting, Barb Stewart recognized the original charter members of the society, Bill Asselstine, Inie Platenius, Enid Bailey and Jim Reynolds, who first met at a cottage in the area in 2001 to discuss a possible museum and who formed the Portland District and Area Heritage Society later in 2002.

In June 2008 the society became a committee of the council of the township and in September 2012 was contracted to manage the soon to be restored museum. Since forming, the society has fundraised for the project and also approached the township for financial support. Stewart said members of the group feel “just great about all that we have accomplished.” The displays included a chesterfield and chair from the former McMullen house in Verona, a typewriter and books by Verona writer, Mrs. Dorothy Sliter, including a first edition of her book about Verona titled “The Friendly Village”.

Other displays included one titled “Frontenac County at War”, a detailed display from the collection of Doug Lovegrove, which was also arranged by him. Other displays included a historic school display, a historic post office display, historic furniture, various name quilts, adult and children's clothing, a wide variety of kitchen utensils, old clocks and radios, an old clothes wringer, as well as old books, signs and photographs, toys, a gorgeous wooden spinning wheel and much more.

The event was attended by long-time members of the community, many of whom came from as far away as Sarnia, including three sisters of the Genge family who made the trip to Hartington especially to attend the event.

The museum will officially open again on August 28 as part of the County's 150 anniversary celebrations, which will take place on August 28, 29 and 30.

One of the conditions that were set out three years ago by South Frontenac Council when they agreed to support turning the former Hartington Schoolhouse, which is township property, over to the Portland District and Area Historical Society for a museum, was that the museum would be called the Township of South Frontenac Museum and will serve the entire township.

The Society was happy to agree. One issue that they are facing as they prepare the museum for its grand opening in August, however, is that although it is a beautiful building that has been well maintained and upgraded, it is a one-room schoolhouse and is not large. The amount of material that has been gathered over the 14 years the society has been up and running, when added to items that are stored in garages and attics throughout the township, far outstrips the capacity of the new museum.

A lot of materials are stored in members’ homes, and it will likely stay that way for quite a while.

This embarrassment of riches means that the museum has the pick of the crop as far as what is on display, and will be able to change its display easily over time to feature different aspects of the past in the region.

Barb Stewart and Irene Bauder met with me at the museum last week, as it is about to undergo some minor renovations in May. These will include the building of a new stoop and a fully accessible entrance, as well as the installation of new windows.

The windows are being produced by heritage window expert David White, who happens to live in the township, and Barb Stewart said they “are perfect, exactly right”. The stoop, accessible ramp and door are being put in by township staff as part of the contribution the township is making to the project. The township also helped in securing a $50,000 grant for the project.

“We hope to be back in the building by the end of June,” said Stewart, “which will give us six weeks to set up for the grand opening on the 15th of August.”

By opening in mid-August, the museum will be up and running when the three-day Frontenac County 150th Anniversary celebration takes place August 28-30.

The Portland District Historical Society had its roots in a series of meetings that took place in 2001

“Its charter members were Bill Asselstine, Inie Platenius, Enid Bailey and Jim Reynolds. They would meet over at a cottage on Rock Lake once or twice a month, and they would yak and talk about developing a historical society, and eventually having a building,” said Barb Stewart.

In 2002 the Verona Heritage Society was founded, but soon afterwards, concerned that people were saying it was all about Verona, the name was changed to the Portland and District Heritage Society, and it has had that focus ever since.

The focus on Verona at the start is a recognition of the central role that Verona held as a commercial hub in the post-war period.

Photo left: Verona in the 1930's.

Barb Stewart moved to Verona from the farm that her family ran on Road 38 at Cole Lake in 1949. Irene Bauder did not arrive in Verona until 1960, but they both remember how many businesses thrived in the village in those days.

Barb Stewart's father built a cold storage plant in the location where Asselstine's Hardware store is now located. The storage plant included a butcher shop and lockers where clients could store their meat and other frozen food.

“In 1949, fridges had very small freezers in them, and even later when the freezers went across the whole top there wasn't much room. So we had quite an operation there. My mother did all the butchering, and she had all the saws and hamburger machine and everything. She charged 3 cents a pound for butchering and the lockers were between $10 and $12 a year, which people think is laughable now, but money wasn't as good then. I made 50 cents an hour working at Walker's store,” Stewart said.

“There were all kinds of businesses in Verona at one time,” said Irene Bauder.

Where Topper's Convenience Store and service station is located, there was a motel. Eventually they built another big building, which was partly an extension of the motel and was also a health food store. However before all that there was Snider's Service Centre and a restaurant.

The Heritage Society has compiled a list of businesses that were up and running in 1951. It includes two car dealerships: Revell Ford, which is still a thriving enterprise, and Verona Motors, which was a GM dealership owned by Jack Simonnett, who later moved it to Parham and then Sharbot Lake. There was a laundromat, E.L Amey's auction house and hall, Genge Insurance, a pool hall, a number of stores, the Bank of Montreal, which has been located in a number of locations and is still in Verona, and there were several restaurants, two barber shops, and more.

“When I moved here there was any kind of trade and service you could imagine,” said Irene Bauder.

Verona was the retail centre serving a swath of territory spread out in all directions, from Westport to the east, Harrowsmith to the south, Sharbot Lake to the north, and Tamworth to the west.

Although compared to many of its smaller neighbours Verona has remained as a retail destination, with hardware, grocery and gift stores, government services and banking as well as restaurants, a pharmacy and the ever-successful Revell Ford Motors, the retail sector is a shadow of what it was in the 1950s and early 1960s.

One of the reasons that has been pointed to in the past is the fact that Verona, and Portland, remained dry right up until amalgamation in 1998, with a liquor/beer store opening up only when the Foodland store moved to its new location a few years ago.

“People did start heading to Sydenham and Sharbot Lake and Westport for alcohol and that hurt,” said Barb Stewart.

Other factors included the closing of the K&P Railroad and the fact that people tend to travel more readily for shopping than they did 50 years ago.

“We are less than 20 minutes from Princess Street and Gardiners Road as we sit here,” said Irene Bauder, “and people work in Kingston and shop in Kingston.”

The former schoolhouse, which is in the final stages of conversion to a museum, started life in 1903. It did not have electricity installed until 1947, and it closed in 1954. It was used for meetings sporadically after it was closed as a school. In 1967 the Frontenac County Library opened a branch in the building. The branch moved to the new Princess Anne building just across the parking lot in 1982. Community Caring (now Community Caring South Frontenac) then opened up a thrift store in the schoolhouse. When Community Caring moved to the Princess Anne building as well in 2012, the township agreed to dedicate it for use as a museum.

As the opening date of the museum approaches, there are reams of documents and numerous artefacts to be organized. The plan is to have several small exhibit spaces in the museum, each devoted to different themes, from agriculture to military history, to education, and beyond.

Jim Reynolds, one of the original members of the group that met at the cottage on Rock Lake back in 2001, is one of two people who will be preparing a layout plan for the museum once the construction work is done.

In the interim, the Township of South Frontenac Museum will have a display at the township offices in Sydenham as part of the Open Doors Frontenac County event on June 13.

Close to 100 history buffs attended the annual Bedford District Historical Research Centre's open house at the Glendower hall near Godfrey on February 21.

The event included numerous displays of archival information, historical photos, maps and more. In addition, 10 local vendors and collectors set up booths advertising their wares and services. The open house offered local residents the chance to delve into not just their own family histories but also the rich local history of the area.

The Bedford Historical Committee has been actively preserving that history for roughly 15 years, when the center's former chair and founder, June Quinn (who since passed away), began collecting, preserving and cataloging local artifacts.

Gerald Stinson, who has been chairing the committee for the last four years, said that the aim of the annual open house is to promote the center and the local artisans and service providers in the area. The historical displays included in depth histories of close to 40 local families, beginning in 1861, such as the Babcooks, the Corcorans of Godfrey, the Kellys of Fish Creek Road and others

One display included a history of the various cheese factories in the area, along with numerous photos and information about the 11 former schools located in Bedford district. None of them are still operating today but four are still standing.

Other displays included a large historical map of the area pinpointing the families that first settled each individual lot and concession in the Township of Bedford beginning in the early 1800's. Another postal map circa 1879 defines the stagecoach mail routes from that time.

Stinson said that many visitors came to look into their family histories and that the center's archives have a wealth of that kind of information. “Basically anyone looking for information about a resident of Bedford at any time, from the district's first settlers to the present, will likely find that name here somewhere.”

One local family, the Maddens, who were on hand advertising their Eco Tree Care Service, used part of their day to do a bit of family tree digging of their own. The Madden family has roots that go back to the district's first settlers; their great, great, great, grandfather, John Madden of Ireland, settled in Burridge in 1823. Jimmy Madden said he believes that John Madden first arrived in Nova Scotia from Ireland then traveled through northern New York before finally settling in Frontenac County. At that time, 50-100 acre parcels of land were being granted to civilians. That first John Madden settled 50 acres that were located on Burridge Road and Firehall roads. Though the original farm burned down in the late 1800s, at that time John's son, also John, moved into an adjacent property, formerly the Edward Leary property. He built the home that Jimmy's father, Jim Madden, grew up in and where Jimmy currently lives with his family.

The Maddens also took time to peruse a copy of the Bedford Township Census from 1861-1911 and came upon some new information about a previously unknown member of their family. “We just found out today about Mary, a sister of our great, great grandfather, who was born in 1841 in Burridge and who lived there until her early 20s. However, then she disappeared from the census for what could be any number of reasons."

Jimmy Madden mused about the fact that he and his family members continue to this day to live and work off the land where his ancestors also did the same. “We (the Maddens) are very much the products not only of our ancestors but also our environment and it's amazing to think that our livelihoods are still to this day sourced by the local environment.”

The Maddens' findings on Saturday demonstrated how the Bedford Historical Research Centre contains countless hidden treasures that are just waiting to be uncovered by local residents who take the time to dig into the rich history of Bedford District. For more information about the society email Gerald Stinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.