Newcastle Village and District Historical Society
20 King Avenue West • Newcastle • Ontario • L1B 1H7
Centennial Room (lower level)
Newcastle Community Hall
20 King Ave. West, Newcastle.
Guest Speaker Grant Karcich is the author of 6 books and will speak on the original Native Trails in Southern Ontario. Oshawa author’s latest highlights Ontario trails(Oshawa Express, July 2017)
No charge for admission, guests/non-members welcome.
Last night, the Planning and Development Committee of Municipal Council voted to approve an amendment No.117 to the Official Plan to give effect to this large residential development west of Ruddell Road, north of Highway 2. The Planning Services report is numbered: PSD–068–18. Final approval should occur when Council meets on September 17 and, hopefully, ratifies the actions of last night’s meeting of the Planning and Development Committee.
Significantly, the amendment establishes a Heritage Park area precisely where we want it to be. It will be approximately 3 acres in size, creating an open space vista of Belmont House and plenty of room for heritage recognition opportunities such as interpretative plaques and graphics, suitable benches and other park-like furniture, creation of connective trails and walkways, and so on. Moreover, the two development companies have agreed to contribute to the costs of this infrastructure in addition to their more than generous land dedication. We are very impressed by their sense of public responsibility.
There is a lot of work ahead of us to ensure the fruition of the Heritage Park. For example, a faction amongst the Planners would like to see a “multi-functional” Park, including swing sets, teeter-totters, splash pads, and not just purely Heritage recognition. However, according to their own Report, there are more than an adequate number of neighbourhood parks in the area, north and south of Highway 2. Then, there are the particulars of design to best achieve our goals; we MUST be part of this process and we may be calling upon a couple of volunteers to sit on a Design Review Committee.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you that in the past few months we have come MILES from the direction this subdivision plan was headed – Belmont House severed from the historic links to Wilmot Creek and completely surrounded by proposed roadways and 30’ housing lots. This achievement was made possible by two incredibly dedicated people, Vic Suppan and Myno Van Dyke.
Bob Malone
NVDHS Past President
NVDHS will have a booth in the arena at the Orono Fair again this year. We will be featuring ‘Great Lakes Shipping’ with the emphasis on Captain Gibson and the ship, Ariadne, out of the Port of Newcastle. Many photos and Captain Gibson’s diary will be among the items on display. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the display and learn about the exciting times of the past!
Sunday, September 16, 12:30 p.m. (Rain or shine)
27 Boulton St. Newcastle, ON
Come meet and socialize with your board and fellow NVDHS members, and learn more about our upcoming events and activities! All members & family welcome.
Hamburgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob & drinks will be provided. Please bring a salad or dessert to share. If possible, bring deck chairs (unless it rains – in which case we’ll be indoors).
RSVP by Thursday, September 13 at http://evite.me/DuUnuupFXj (Please note that all members with email addresses should have received the Evite)
Hope to see you all on the 16th!
7 p.m. Newcastle Community Hall
At our October 2 meeting, Grant Karcich, an Oshawa author, will present a talk about the Lost Trails in this area. These are the old Indian trails that went from the lakeshore back into the lands further north. Join us to find out more about a fascinating bit of local history.
During November there will be a military display in the historical room as a reminder to always remember the sacrifice that Newcastle men made during both wars – photos, uniforms, artifacts. Leslie Wilson will head up the design of this display, with the curators’ committee doing the legwork.
Eminent Clarington historian Myno Van Dyke has been honoured with the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement.
“I’m thrilled, absolutely thrilled,” said Van Dyke.
The Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards celebrates those who make “exceptional contributions to cultural and natural heritage conservation, environmental sustainability and biodiversity.” The Lifetime Achievement award recognizes outstanding individuals who — for 25 years or longer — have volunteered their time to preserve heritage. Read more….
Join us at the next General Meeting on April 10th at 7 pm in the Centennial Room, Newcastle Community Hall. Free Admittance and refreshments! Peter Klose will relate his research on the Beachs, whose tombstones rest along Hwy 115. Peter is a past member of the Abandoned Cemetery Board. This will be a very interesting meeting as these tombstones have been a mystery to us for a long time. They were mentioned in our very first newsletter in 1982.
The NVDHS has a variety of local history books available for sale, from the Newcastle Celebrates 150 years, a photo book celebrating Newcastle’s Sesquicentennial in 2006, to The 1793-1813 Settlers of Durham County, which contains detailed information of the earliest settlers, origins, birth, marriage and death information. We also have a number of books on local buildings and, while they last, a number of Clarke High School Yearbooks. Check out our new Books for Sale page. If you’re interested in a book but can’t pick it up in person, please let us know and we can arrange shipping.
Merry ChristmasCome celebrate the holidays with Newcastle Village and District Historical Society
Saturday, December 23, from 9:30 to 12:00 at the History Room in the Community Hall, Four Corners, Newcastle
See You There!
Come out and enjoy the fun and merriment at the annual Newcastle Santa Claus Parade through downtown on Sunday, November 19 at 5:30 p.m.!
The Newcastle Village and District Historical Society will have a float in the parade and we are looking for volunteers. We need two men as loggers and two people to carry the banner and help to assemble the float on Nov. 11th. Call Shelly at (905) 987-7259 if you can help.
The Newcastle Santa Parade is a wonderful event starting with a fantastic fireworks display at 5:30 p.m. followed by 70 entries that range from marching bands, to clowns and beautifully lighted floats that children (and adults) of all ages enjoy. We are all in great anticipation for Santa’s next magical visit to Newcastle with sounds, lights and marching bands of a night time parade. This year the theme for the Parade is “Canada 150th.”
Please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Clarington East Food Bank. Grocery carts will be collecting items along the parade route.
More information at newcastlesantaparade.com
A celebration of the family farm
On Saturday, September 30, we will be hosting Culture Days featuring what it would have been like to live on a farm in bygone days. Come out and see our tractors! Take our “What is it?” quiz. Visit the other displays in the History Room.
As part of Culture Days, Storyteller, Kathleen Smyth, will be presenting ‘The Massey Story‘ at 1 p.m. at the History Room. Please come out to see the Massey Tractors and stay to hear the storyteller. A unique perspective on storytelling, told in the first person, Kathleen will wear many hats during her presentation! A must for anyone interested in local history.
Hours: Saturday, Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Come visit us in the arena at the Orono Fair, September 7-10. We’ll have a fun “What is it?” quiz featuring items found in a historic farm kitchen. Come and test your knowledge and find out a bit more about your community history!
