The Richmond Hill Historical Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, January 20, 2019 at 7:30 pm in Wallace Hall at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church.
Please join us in voting in the 2020 Executive Committee for the New Year and hear how well we are doing as a Community Society.
After the official voting is completed our favourite annual Bring & Brag begins. Bring along your precious treasures that you would like to BRAG about! Any items of interest – Old or new, if you think we’d be interested dust ‘em off and share with the members!
NOMINATIONS
If you would to nominate someone (or yourself!) for a position on the Executive Committee please send them to r.hillhistsoc at hotmail.ca before December 31st, 2019.
ANNUAL MEMBERS EVENT- Now open to friends and family too!
Monday, December 9, 2019 6:30 PM (1 hour earlier than normal meetings) $30.00 per person
Join us for a good old fashioned Holiday Dinner and Party. A delicious dinner will be catered by 3 Sisters Catering Company with all the trimmings and dessert. Door prizes, a raffle, entertainment and caroling to complete the evening. Chorus York will be providing the entertainment after dinner.
If you are unable to purchase your ticket at the November meeting, please call Andrea Kulesh at 905-884-2789 to make a reservation to be paid at the door on December 9th, 2019. Reservations must be made through Andrea Kulesh by December 4th to ensure the caterers have the final number for dinner.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is very excited to welcome back journalist and author Ted Barris. Ted will join us on Monday, November 18, 2019 at 7:30 to talk about his latest book The Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen and the Secret Raid Against Nazi Germany.
On May 16, 1943, 133 airmen took off in 19 Lancaster bombers on a night sortie, code-named Operation Chastise. Hand-picked and specially trained, the Lancaster crews flew at treetop level to the industrial heartland of the Third Reich and their targets – the Ruhr River dams – whose massive water reservoirs powered Nazi Germany’s military industrial complex. Dam Busters recounts the dramatic story of these Commonwealth bomber crews tasked with a high-risk mission against an enemy prepared to defend the Fatherland to the death.
Ted is a perennial favourite, having presented to the Society in the past on some of his earlier books. The Dam Busters is Ted’s nineteenth book, the latest in a long line of critically acclaimed publications.
In 2011 Ted received the Veterans’ Affairs Commendation and in 2012 the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. His book The Great Escape: A Canadian Story received the 2014 Libris Best Non-Fiction Book Award.
Please note that this is a fundraiser for the Society so there will be a $10 admittance fee for both members and guests attending Ted’s talk.
For more information about Ted and to learn about his other books, please visit his official website at tedbarris.com.
The Richmond Hill Lodge cordially invites you to their Open House on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 1:00 pm. The Richmond Hill Masonic Hall is located at 112 Crosby Avenue. For more details, see below…
INVITATION
The City of Richmond Hill has proclaimed Saturday, the 21st of September to be a day to “Commemorate the Bi-Centennial Visit of the Duke of Richmond to Richmond Hill”.
To celebrate the namesake of our city and our lodge, Richmond Lodge is inviting our friends and neighbours in Richmond Hill to our Open House at 112 Crosby Avenue. We are opening our doors at 1:00 PM on Saturday, the 21st of September. For three hours, we are holding tours of our Hall to share our history which spans almost 200 years. Sample food commonly eaten 200 years ago. There will be prizes as well as other events.
To mark our celebration, Mayor Dave Barrow and will be present to unveil a commemorative plaque.
We are remembering the bi-centennial visit of Charles Lennox to Richmond Hill. Charles Lennox was both the Duke of Richmond and the Governor General of British North America. The Governor General visited our city in 1819. He died one month later. His memorable visit and His selfless service to our country made an indelible mark on our hearts. Our city and our lodge are so named to remind us of His good deeds.
Come out and be a part of our celebration. Everyone is welcome! W. Bro. George Brown, georgebrown2 at gmail.com
A special ceremony at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church in 2013 honours the Richmond Hill veterans who participated in the War of 1812. The graves were re-dedicated and identified. – York Media files
Originally published in the Richmond Hill Liberal (August 31, 2019) by Jim Vollmershausen, Vice-President, Richmond Hill Historical Society
The men of Miles Hill responded well to Gen. Brock’s call to arms, writes Jim Vollmershausen
In 1812, most citizens of Miles Hill, then a small community a couple of days travel north of York in Upper Canada, were aware of a war that Great Britain was engaged in with France. Many of them also knew that Britain’s naval blockade of France had angered the United States and dragged the young country into the hostilities, against the British.
Britain’s military leadership in Upper Canada, fearing an American attack, was busy fortifying strategic locations along the border, including Kingston and York. As part of this effort, in 1812, Gen. Isaac Brock called for the muster of all available men in the Miles Hill area, and he came to Miles Hill to inspect them. They were formed into a company of the 1st Regiment York Militia, and their superior officers included Capt. John Arnold, Lt. James Miles, and Sgt. John Langstaff.
A special ceremony at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church in 2013 honours the Richmond Hill veterans who participated in the War of 1812. The graves were re-dedicated and identified. – York Media files
The York Militia was heavily engaged in the war, and saw early action at Fort Detroit and Queenston Heights, and later at Fort Niagara, Chippewa, Lundy’s Lane and Fort Erie. In the winter and spring of 1812-1813, the regiment was in York, waiting for an American attack. When it seemed that an attack was not imminent, most of the Miles Hill men in the company were allowed to return to their homes, a day or two away up Yonge Street, to prepare for spring planting.
On April 27, 1813, the Americans did successfully attack York, and though there were many killed and injured on both sides of the battle, most of the Miles Hill men missed the action. Capt. Arnold was involved in the fighting but was captured and kept as a prisoner, though later released. Another Miles Hill resident, Capt. David Bridgford of the 3rd Regiment York Militia, was injured when the Fort York magazine exploded.
A special ceremony at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church in 2013 honours the Richmond Hill veterans who participated in the War of 1812. The graves were re-dedicated and identified. – York Media files
The men of Miles Hill responded well to Gen. Brock’s call to arms, and they acquitted themselves well in the fighting at a number of locations. By 1815, the war was over, and the Miles Hill veterans were able to get on with their lives, and many of them made lasting contributions to what was to become the City of Richmond Hill.
— Jim Vollmershausen is vice-president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society. The society can be found online at http://www.rhhs.ca.
Unveiling of the Richmond Hill Cenotaph on August 5, 1923 during the Reunion of the Old Boys and Girls. (Photograph courtesy of the Richmond Hill Public Library)
The Richmond Hill Historical Society and Richmond Hill Legion are looking for your help. In particular, if you are aware of any Richmond Hill military links to the Wright, Dunlop and Palmer family names please let us know.
We are collecting a file on the history behind our street names, especially those with some historical contribution to the town, province or country, as well as those who served in the military and that should have a Poppy designation.
Please pass any information to Ross Toms, the Branch Historian of Richmond Hill Branch 375 of the Royal Canadian Legion. He can be reached at treasurer at legion375.ca or by phone (647) 224-1615.
Exciting news as the David Dunlap Observatory is declared one of eight new national historic sites by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Read the full article online by Sheila Wang of the Richmond Hill Liberal.
Photograph by Peter WilsonPhotograph by Peter Wilson
Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea at the Heritage Centre in the Gardenview Room overlooking Amos Wright Park. During the summer months, you can also enjoy tea on the patio, while taking in the views of the beautiful gardens in the park.
Fresh baked goods are served along with Richmond Hill’s exclusive Signature Private Blend Tea or one of our other loose blend teas. To register, visit the City of Richmond Hill’s Heritage Centre webpage.
‘The tenure of the French aristocrats in Richmond Hill was short-lived’
Originally published in the Richmond Hill Liberal (May 30, 2019) by Jim Vollmershausen, Vice-President, Richmond Hill Historical Society
The de Puisaye Settlement 1799 – Erected by the Ontario Archaeological & Historic Site Board at 12125 Yonge St. (positioned in front of St. John’s Anglican Church). – Richmond Hill Historical Society
Over 220 years ago, in 1798, a group of royalist exiles from revolutionary France arrived in Upper Canada and settled in what is now Richmond Hill. They were led by the Comte de Puisaye, a younger son of minor French nobility. De Puisaye, who fled to England during the French Revolution and subsequently led two unsuccessful military forays into France, was able to convince the British government to fund a plan to settle a group of French royalist officers in Upper Canada. Under this arrangement, this group of 41 settlers would receive the same land grants and assistance as the United Empire Loyalists who migrated to Canada following the American Revolution.
Comte de Puisaye (in his later years). – Richmond Hill Historical Society
While some colonial officials were skeptical that these new high-born arrivals would be suited to the hardships of pioneer life, they nevertheless received Crown grants along both sides of Yonge Street between Elgin Mills and Stouffville roads, along with transportation, tools, and rations. Their arrival at their new holdings coincided with winter in late 1798, and the settlers, along with their servants, began the job of building cabins and clearing land under less than ideal conditions.
When spring arrived in the new settlement, named Windham in honour of the British official who had facilitated their new venture, some progress had been made — a number of cabins had been built, enough land had been cleared to think about crops, and a church was being planned. Spring, however, also turned Yonge Street into a quagmire. Supplies were much delayed, and a number of servants chose to abandon the primitive settlement for better opportunities. Progress ground to a halt as 1799 wore on, and the royalist pioneers seemed to be losing interest in pursuing their future in the wilderness. Early skepticism about their ability to prosper in Upper Canada’s hinterland was borne out.
Within a year of their arrival, a number of settlers simply left Windham for larger centers in the colonies or returned to Europe. Ten years after the first royalists arrived to start their new lives, only two families remained. Michel Saigeon became a successful farmer in King Township and Laurent Quetton St. George prospered as a fur trader in York. The tenure of the French aristocrats in Richmond Hill was short-lived.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2019 Bert Hunt Heritage Award is Burr House.
Burr House is being recognized for the remarkable achievement of 45 years of enrichment to the community, helping to shape the Cultural Heritage of the City of Richmond Hill. From the early preservation and subsequent restoration of Burr House, established in the Town of Richmond Hill in 1974 ~ through to 2019, Burr House along with The Richmond Hill Spinners & Weavers and Hill Potters Guilds, has made an ongoing contribution to the conservation and preservation of Richmond Hill’s heritage and an effort to raise awareness about the value of that heritage to the community and its citizens, making Richmond Hill a better place.
The Guild Hall at Burr House (photograph P. Wilson)
The Society offers this award as a Public Declaration to the citizens of the City of Richmond Hill, of Burr House’s continual and ongoing cultural service to the community.
This award acknowledges outstanding contributions to the preservation of Richmond Hill’s past and efforts to raise awareness about the value of that past to the community and its citizens. It also acknowledges the contributions made by the late Bert Hunt to heritage conservation efforts in Richmond Hill over many years. For complete details about the award and the outstanding contributions of Bert, please visit our awards page.
Burr House Spinners and Weavers (Photograph P. Wilson)
The award was presented to Burr House at the Society’s Strawberry Social held on the evening of June 17th, 2019. Learn more about Burr House and all of their events and activities by visiting their website.
Richmond Hill Historical Society 