The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to announce a new partnership with the City of Richmond Hill’s Heritage Services for their Walk and Learn Tours.
Enjoy fresh air, exercise and a healthy walk through a historic building, neighbourhood or park while discovering Richmond Hill community heritage with a knowledgeable guide. Tours run rain or shine. Wear appropriate attire for walking outdoors. Duration 1.5 – 2 hours. No registration required. Free admission.
Upcoming Fall tours include:
North Yonge Street – A Vibrant Village! Sunday, September 22, 1 p.m.
Meet up Location: Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts – 10268 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill
North Yonge Street in the village core is a unique part of the city. Enjoy this tour featuring a history of politics, education, medicine and the arts!
Arrive at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (10268 Yonge Street) and look for the Walk and Learn sandwich board.
Sports History Sunday, October 6, 1 p.m.
Meet up Location: Elgin Barrow Arena – 43 Church Street South, Richmond Hill
Sports and recreation have played an integral part of Richmond Hill’s history. From the annual Spring Fair to organized sports, this walk will focus on the historic locations, celebrated championships, athletes, teams, and supporters who have shaped the sports community in our City. Includes a guided tour of the Richmond Hill Sports Hall of Fame.
Arrive at the Elgin Barrow Arena (43 Church Street South) and look for the Walk and Learn sandwich board.
Mill Pond Industry and Commerce Sunday, October 20, 1 p.m.
Meet up Location: Mill Pond Park Gazebo – 321 Mill Street, Richmond Hill
Mill Pond, named for the sawmill operation that used the pond for power. Today’s Mill Pond is a place of recreation, but did you know when it was first created in the mid-1830s, it was a hub of industry and commerce and an important component of Richmond Hill’s culture heritage.
On this walk, participants will explore a place of natural beauty while learning about the many industries that made the heart of Richmond Hill an attractive place to settle in the early 19th century.
Arrive at Mill Pond Park Gazebo (321 Mill Street) and look for the Walk and Learn sandwich board.
RHHS President Jim Vollmershausen awarding the Bert Hunt Heritage Award to Vera Tachtaul at the Society’s June 2024 meeting. (photograph by Chris Robart)
Each year the Richmond Hill Historical Society acknowledges the outstanding contributions of an individual or group in preserving and raising awareness of the value of Richmond Hill’s history, through the Bert Hunt Heritage Award.
During his lifetime, Bert Hunt made active contributions to heritage conservation efforts in Richmond Hill. As a leader in a project to preserve individual peoples’ Richmond Hill stories and his personal efforts to capture them in the hopes of creating a Richmond Hill Museum, he was an outstanding resident. He was recognized as a community volunteer and Citizen of the Year by the City of Richmond Hill and the Province of Ontario.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to announce that the 2024 award has been bestowed on Vera Tachtaul, who began and continues to administer the highly successful and engaging Richmond Hill/GTA – Then and Now Facebook page.
In our modern world where social media has become the norm, Vera has reached out to Richmond Hill residents, past and present, for the last 12 years. With over 6,700 followers and climbing, the site has an array of historical and nostalgic stories about people, places and events occurring in Richmond Hill over many decades. Initially Vera started with her own photos, but as interest grew, contributions are regularly received by community members.
Photos, ideas, brochures, class pictures, business memorabilia and many other items are provided by previous residents, as well as those living in the area. Stories are shared and the comments serve to enrich our history even further. The page is such an incredible opportunity to learn about the history, heritage, and the famous and not so famous people who have lived in Richmond Hill.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society posts on this page to promote all its endeavors such as monthly meetings, articles about heritage and other items of interest to the community. Meeting the criteria of tangible and intangible heritage it demonstrates all the reasons worthy of the Bert Hunt Heritage Award.
Vera Tachtaul, with her enthusiasm for history and heritage, as well as encouraging the nostalgia of family, friends and acquaintances, maintains a vibrant, versatile place where Richmond Hill can be seen as a positive, fun and lifelong home, while providing information for so many people.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased and humbled by the work and effort by Vera. Giving her the Bert Hunt Heritage Award has been our pleasure and honour.
Previous winners: RH Presbyterian Church; RH Lawn Bowling Club; Burr House; and the Archives Committee at St. Mary’s Anglican Church.
Richmond Hill Historical Society President Jim Vollmershausen with the world’s tallest lumberjack? (Photograph by Vera Tachtaul)
Another year and another successful Mayor West’s Maple syrup Festival. On Saturday April 6th, the Richmond Hill Historical Society joined in with this annual event at Richmond Green. Weather is always a consideration for outside activities and this year we were able to enjoy the day both inside and out. The event began at 10:00 a.m., continued through to 3:00 p.m. and was very well attended. The activities were expanded including wagon rides, taffy tasting and demonstrations for everyone to enjoy seeing how maple syrup is made. There was great entertainment, raffles and pancakes served with delicious maple syrup. Carrick Bros supplied the maple products we were selling this year for our annual fundraiser. They expanded their product list to include yummy maple cream, maple sugar and flavored syrup aged in bourbon, cherry brandy, apple brandy and even tequila barrels!
My personal favorite was the fellow on stilts dressed as a lumberjack. He was very entertaining, performed throughout the event, and was popular with young and old.
A special cameo appearance by the Winter Carnival’s own mascot Ookpik (Photograph by Vera Tachtaul)
At the planning committee, numbers were being estimated to be more than last year. It was hard to tell this year with the surges of people entering the event but there were lots and lots of families enjoying the free pancakes and learning about how to make maple syrup. There will be a tally at our follow-up meeting but I’m sure it was well over 2000 people.
Our booth was very busy, and we were selling all day long. We had a bit of inventory returned at the end, but we did very well in a 5-hour fundraising effort. Jim will make a report when we get the final numbers tallied.
Thank you to members who attended and supported the Society and thank you to all of our wonderful member volunteers who made the day such a success! We thank Mayor West and his great team once again for including us as part of the event.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 7:00 pm The Knights of Columbus Council 14411 Speaker: Francis Gabriel, Knights of Columbus Room B, 2nd Floor, Central Branch, Richmond Hill Public Library 1 Atkinson Street
Join us as Gabriel talks about the history of the Knights of Columbus in general and about Our Lady Queen of the World Council 14411 in particular, including present-day activities of the council.
Mrs. H. H. MacKay unveiling the Women’s Institute plaque with Edna Izzard representing the Library Board. The plaque commemorates the Institute’s contribution to the library in 1949. (Richmond Hill Public Library, Tweedsmuir History Fonds)
The first Women’s Institute (WI) was formed in Stoney Creek, Ontario on February 19, 1897 by Erland and Janet Lee, who invited approximately 100 women to hear educational reformer Adelaide Hoodless. Ms. Hoodless turned the personal tragedy of the death of her 14 month old son into a movement that encouraged women to see the importance of domestic science education and to be advocates in areas of health, education and community service. Since its inception, there have been upwards of 1,500 branches of the WI across the province of Ontario. While most have disbanded over the years, the Institute continues with 220 active branches across the province. Their motto “For Home and Country” was adopted by the Institute around 1904.
RICHMOND HILL WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
Head table at the 40th Anniversary of the Richmond Hill Women’s Institute, January 8, 1953. (Richmond Hill Public Library, Tweedsmuir History Fonds, 079a)
The Richmond Hill branch of the Women’s Institute (RHWI) was formed in 1913 and held its organizational meeting on January 27th at the Masonic Hall on Yonge Street. The first keynote presentation was delivered by Dr. Lillian Langstaff, who spoke on the topic of “Facts about Flies,” beginning a long history of talks on home economics and health. Presentations and demonstrations included sewing and dressmaking, baking, canning and preserving, flower arranging and more. Monthly meetings presented opportunities to socialize, learn and develop skills, pursue personal interests, but perhaps most importantly, to plan and carry out work to the benefit of the entire community.
Richmond Hill Women’s Institute Program for 1914-1915 (Richmond Hill Public Library, Tweedsmuir History Fonds, 075-01a)
The lasting impact of the RHWI was in their educational, charitable and civic-minded pursuits. Some key highlights included: the introduction of medical inspections in schools resulting in the appointment of school nurses; actively working towards obtaining the rights of women to vote; advocating for playgrounds for children; the introduction of litter receptacles on Richmond Hill streets and the beautification of village in cooperation with the Richmond Hill Garden and Horticultural Society; and the donation of pianos and other furnishings to our elementary and secondary schools. The Institute also undertook years of advocating and fundraising for a new public library building, which culminated in a donation in 1949 of over $1,700 dollars. That library would eventually be built on Wright Street in 1959.
The Women’s Institute also undertook war and relief work, which began in 1914 with the purchase of cloth to be rolled into bandages for a women’s hospital ship. In that same year, food was gathered for soldier’s families in need. Collections were undertaken for Belgian and Armenian relief. Members helped support the Red Cross as well as providing donations for war relief. During the Depression, they undertook relief work, in cooperation with teachers, for the unemployed.
Richmond Hill Women’s Institute float during parade to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Richmond Hill Agricultural Society, May 24, 1949. (Richmond Hill Public Library, Tweedsmuir History Fonds, 080a)
Representatives of the Richmond Hill WI were appointed to a number of boards across the community, where they were able to add an important voice to decisions being made for the benefit of all. Their focus on women’s issues and education positioned them well for having a profound and valuable impact to the lives of residents. Their spirit and drive helped them support many in need, not just in our community, but around the world. Their accomplishments and impact on people’s lives is impossible to fully articulate here.
TWEEDSMUIR HISTORY OF RICHMOND HILL
Postcard of Yonge Street looking north from the steeple of the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church in 1908 from the Tweedsmuir History of Richmond Hill. (Richmond Hill Public Library, Tweedsmuir History Fonds)
One of the most valuable and enduring legacies of the RHWI is the Tweedsmuir History of Richmond Hill. The Richmond Hill Public Library holds the original and digitized copies. The Tweedsmuir History Books, chronicles of local history, were created all across Ontario in the name of John Buchan, The Right Honourable The Lord Tweedsmuir, Governor General of Canada from 1935-1940.
The Tweedsmuir History of Richmond Hill was begun in April 1949 and transferred into its final form in 1957. The work was coordinated by their Tweedsmuir History Committee and is in the form of a scrapbook with a mix of typed and scrapbook pages. It contains a number of photographs, newspaper clippings, postcards, letters, family histories, and other ephemera covering a wide variety of current events of the day, local individuals and families, and historically significant local events.
Members of the Richmond Hill Women’s Institute in costume to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Richmond Hill Agricultural Society, May 24, 1949. Left to right: Mrs. W. Sayers, Mrs. O.L. Wright, Mrs. J.P. Wilson, Mrs. H.H. Mackay, Mrs. Rabinovitch, Mrs. Blanchard, Mrs. Pipher, Mrs. N. Glass, Miss Annie Stong. (Richmond Hill Public Library, Tweedsmuir History Fonds, 080b)
They say that all good things must come to an end and this is what transpired for the RHWI, officially disbanding in 1964. For a write up of the end of the Institute, see “Richmond Hill Women’s Institute,” in The Liberal, June 25, 1964, p. 2 (https://history.rhpl.ca/3216109/page/3). For home and country and for everything (and everyone) in between; our lives and communities have been made better from their enduring legacy.
Peter Wilson is a librarian at the Richmond Hill Public Library and editor of the Richmond Hill Historical Society’s newsletter and website.
• a history and records of achievement of the Institute
• recounting the early days in Richmond Hill
• biographies of early settlers: Abner Miles, Hugh Shaw, Col. Wilmot, John Stooks, Col. David Bridgford, James Miles, John Stegman, the de Puisaye settlers, Quetton St. George, Col. Robert Moodie, the Playters and the Langstaff family
• a history of Yonge Street
• a history of early mills in Richmond Hill
• biographical sketches of notable past residents: Amos Wright, William Wright, William Powell, Susannah Maxwell, Matthew Teefy, Alex Hume, Thomas McMahon, Nicholas Miller, William Trench, Francis Boyd, the Wilkie family, Robert Marsh, John Switzer, David Boyle, Samuel Thompson, John Coulter, Leslie Innes and Robert Hopper
• listing of the village residents of 1871
• listing of Reeves and Councillors
• school and church histories
• history of the mechanics’ institute and library
• unique historical documents related to Thomas Kinnear, murdered with Nancy Montgomery in 1843
• residents who served in First and Second World Wars
• histories of the Atkinson and Trench families
• reminiscences of Dr. Rolph Langstaff (1950s)
• extensive coverage of current events of the 1950s
The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to announce the confirmation of their Executive for the 2024 year. They are as follows:
Jim Vollmershausen, President Andrea Kulesh, Treasurer Vera Tachtaul, Secretary Marion Vollmershausen, Membership Kevin Dark, Programming Barbara Di Mambro, Publicity
As we continue to celebrate the Society’s 50th Anniversary, we are sharing articles from past issues of our membership magazine. In honour of our anniversary, we look back to the Christmas 1994 issue of Heritage on the Hill and this article by Jim Monkman looking back to Christmas work at the post office from 1945-48.
The Toronto Postal Delivery Building at Bay Street and Lake Shore Boulevard. It was commissioned by the Federal Government in 1938 and designed by architect Charles Dolphin. Completed in 1940, it was immediately taken over by the Department of National Defence. It was returned to Canada Post near the end of 1946 and was refitted for its intended use. Part of the building has been incorporated into the Air Canada Centre, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. (Photograph: Toronto Harbour Commissioners / Library and Archives Canada / PA-098562)
Recently Avonelle and I attended a Band Concert at Roy Thomson Hall with Nancy and Bill Price.
I insisted on driving to the concert because some years ago, when I retired, from work in downtown Toronto, I vowed that I would try and avoid ever using the subway system again- thus it was that we were all sitting in the car waiting for the traffic light at Lakeshore Boulevard and Bay Street to turn green. That was when Nancy pointed to a building on the north west corner and said ‘that looks like the building where I used to work sorting Christmas mail.’ I replied that indeed that must have been the building because that was where I had been similarly employed at Christmas when I was in High School.
I was a teenager in the middle to late 1940’s. Mail handling and sorting was done manually. No computer sorting and postal codes in those days. To handle the volume of mail at Christmas the Post Office would hire part time help.
As I recall in those days there wasn’t much part time work for students throughout the school year, except for paper routes and family businesses. None of my associates had part time jobs and any opportunity to make some money for Christmas was eagerly sought. When I was about fifteen my parents finally gave in to my pleas and agreed to let me try and get a Christmas job with the Post Office. The procedure to get such employment was simple. One went to Jack Smith’s Richmond Hill Liberal Newspaper Office, which was located in an old building on the east side of Yonge Street, immediately south of Bill Neal’s and opposite the Public School. The person at the front desk usually knew every one by name, often it was Jim Grainger, and you told him you would like a job at the Post Office on the midnight shift and your name would be put on the list.
For the next few weeks my parents never had to remind me to pick up the mail at the Post Office on the way home from school at noon. All who had applied for such work checked every day to see if a letter notifying them when to start had arrived. At last the notification for me and my compatriots came. Eagerly we checked the details of our employment. This was important to us as we had to attend our regular classes at school. The day shift was of no use to us and the 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. was no good because classes did not end ’till 3:30 which didn’t leave us enough travel time. We always applied for the 11:00 p.m to 7:00 a.m. shift which allowed us some time after school for study and sleep before leaving for work about. 10:00 p.m. and enough time to get back to Richmond Hill for school at 9:05 a.m. Classes commenced at 9:05 to enable students who travelled to school via the 9:00 a.m. street car to arrive in time.
The Richmond Hill Post Office (ca. 1950) at the corner of Yonge and Centre Streets. The new building was officially opened December 6, 1936 by the Honourable Colonel William Mulock, M.P. for North York and Postmaster-General. It was designed by architects Forsey Page and Co. and built at a cost of $40,000. (Photograph courtesy of Richmond Hill Public Library, 102a)
Robert Hirtle and I always travelled together. We were, and still are the best of friends. Rob’s father, who was the Minister at the Presbyterian Church let Rob have, what seemed to me to be, unrestricted use of his car. Indeed he secured a driver’s licence for Rob when he was fifteen. It allowed him to drive only the one car which, if I remember correctly, was noted on the licence.
Rob, using his father’s 1941 Dodge sedan transported a carload of us to and from the Toronto Mail Sorting building at Bay and Lakeshore Boulevard. That first year, it was exciting to leave for work at what a short time before, was my curfew for getting home. Our route was down Yonge Street to the top of Hogg’s Hollow Hill. There we would swing off to the right over the viaduct where the road curved to the south to meet Avenue Road at about Wilson Avenue. Highway 401 and the Avenue Road cloverleaf approximately follows that stretch. We travelled Avenue Road to Front Street where we would turn left and then south on Bay Street to Lakeshore Boulevard. If my memory is correct there was ample free parking on the west side of the building. The trip was fairly quick as traffic was light and traffic lights were few. I believe the first one was at Sheppard Avenue and the next at Eglinton.
On reporting to work Robert and I and some of our friends, were given our time cards and assigned to sort mail for the streets of Toronto that began with the letter ‘L’. We each faced a wooden case divided into cubicles. Each cubicle was labelled with the name of an ‘L’ street. The labels were in alphabetical order starting at the top left hand corner of the case. The letters to be sorted were dumped onto the front part of the bench on which the cases rested. We spent the entire shift sorting an endless supply of letters into the appropriate cubicle. We could work standing up or sitting on the high stools provided. It was dangerous to sit on the stool too long because often one tended to go to sleep and fall off.
It didn’t take long for Rob to realize that some streets had more mail than others. Following this observation we moved the labels so that the streets which received the most mail were immediately in front of us and at the easiest height to pop the letters into their cubicle. This change made our work much easier. That it also helped us to sort letters faster was not of great concern to us because there was never an instant when the supply of letters on our bench ran out.
Every evening when we reported for work we found that the street labels on our cases had been put back in alphabetical order. Each shift, before we picked up a letter, we reorganized the street labels to make our work easier. Needless to say this did not give us a very high opinion as to the efficiency of the Post Office supervisors or the employees on the other shift. Maybe we were just lazier than the others.
Our employment ended the morning before Christmas. As school had usually closed a day or so before that, we had caught up on our sleep and were able to enjoy Christmas and following week of holidays. Our pay cheque would arrive, we could repay our parents the money they had advanced us for work expenses and the purchase of Christmas presents and still have some left over for ourselves.
We did this almost every Christmas during our high school years. Of course our teachers knew what we were doing, and thinking back I realize how much patience they exercised in dealing with a bunch of students, who if not falling asleep in class were exceedingly dopey from lack of it. For most of us it was our first experience working in Toronto for people who did not know us and our families. I’m sure it helped prepare us for our future careers away from the secure environment of the Village of Richmond Hill.
A reminder that our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 7:00 pm in Meeting Room A at Central Branch of the Richmond Hill Public Library.
This is an important meeting when you will hear from your current Executive members about their various activities during 2023. You also have an opportunity to elect the Executive for the 2024 year.
Once again our annual bring and brag will follow the AGM. This is chance for you to showcase interesting objects and stories to other RHHS members.
We are excited to welcome our own Cameron Telch to the next regular meeting of the Richmond Hill Historical Society. Cam will be presenting Breaking the Silences of the Archives: Humanizing the Shell Shock Experience of the Great War at 7:00 pm in the Event Room on the 3rd Floor of Central Library at 1 Atkinson Street, Richmond Hill.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Free to RHHS members, but we welcome anyone interested in this fascinating topic. There is a guest fee of $5.00.
As we continue to celebrate the Society’s 50th Anniversary, we are sharing articles from past issues of our membership magazine. In honour of our anniversary, we look back to the September/October 1998 issue of Heritage on the Hill and this article by Jim Monkman looking back at 25 years of the RHHS. Article edited by Janet Fayle and Doris Leno.
In 1974, members of Richmond Hill Council visited Rowland Burr House and are pictured with Historical Society President Janet Fayle, Acting Clerk William Rice, Society member Malcolm Jardine, Chief Librarian Patricia Hart.
On October 18th 1973, at a meeting held at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, The Richmond Hill Historical Society was founded. Its objective “To Preserve In Our Present Community An Awareness Of The Culture Of Our Forefathers ”
On January 18th 1974, at the first annual meeting, an election of officers installed Mrs. Donna Bales as President., Mrs. Dorothy Gummersall as 1st Vice President, Mr. John LeClaire as 2nd Vice President, Mrs. Janet Fayle as Secretary, and Mr. Brian Cowan as Treasurer.
The first project undertaken by the newly organized Society was the restoration of Burr House, saved from demolition at the insistence of Mrs. Patricia Hart, Chief Librarian and historian. In June of 1974 The Society urged the Town to acquire Burr House and advised that they were prepared to lease and restore it. The Town was receptive to the Society’s proposal. While the legal technicalities and paper work were in progress restoration work was begun.
Richmond Hill Historical Society members Alice Dewsbury, Helen Barclay and Doris Leno during the early Burr House renovation.
In February 1975 The Society was incorporated as “The Richmond Hill Historical Society” and also was designated as a Charitable Organization for tax purposes. In May 1975 the Society entered into a lease agreement with the Town for a period of five years. The terms of the lease required the Society to pay an annual rental fee of $1.00 per year; to restore the said house, at its own expense to a structurally habitable condition before the sixteenth day of May 1976; and to carry out a restoration program of the house, with furnishings appropriate to the period when it was constructed, as funds become available to the Lessee.
By May of 1976 when Richmond Hill established a “Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC)” the task of restoring Burr House was well underway.
The Society applied for and obtained a Wintario Grant. With the assistance of the Hill Potters Guild, the Burr House Spinners & Weavers, and helped by annual financial grants from the Town, Burr House was soon made structurally habitable. Occupancy of the premises was then shared by the Hill Potters, the Spinners & Weavers, and the Society.
Moving the Evangelical Church to the Burr House site, September 1978
By 1978 the Town had acquired the Church of the Evangelical Association in North America, now known as the Guild Hall, but at that time located at the comer of Bathurst Street and Carrville Road. In July of 1978 the Society entered into an agreement with the Town to lease it under terms similar to the Burr House lease. With the assistance of the two Guilds they proceeded to relocate the building to Woods Park and to restore the building. Restoration work on Bun- House was temporally suspended and all efforts were directed to completing the Guild Hall so that the Guilds could vacate Burr House.
To obtain a Wintario Grant for the restoration of Guild Hall, the Society pledged financial funding to the project in the amount of nine thousand nine hundred and fifty-four dollars and the Potters pledged one thousand five hundred dollars. It is interesting to note that although only fifteen hundred and forty dollars worth of donated labour was pledged four thousand eight hundred and eighty-five dollars worth of labour was donated by the three groups.
Fundraising came in various forms for Burr House like this 1978 Stuff ‘n Such sale.
The Guilds potted, spun and wove and as fundraising endeavors conducted craft classes. The Society promoted fund raising projects – Quilt Raffles, Stuff & Such Yard Sales, selling souvenir plates, post cards, hastinotes and ink and water colour drawings of Burr House at Mall displays and at the Richmond Hill Fair. Tea and scones were served regularly at Burr House and classes were offered in such crafts as chair caning, and quilting. Revenue from all fund raising projects was dedicated to the restorations as required by the terms of the Wintario Grants. The Society’s operating expenditures were limited to rental of meeting space at the Richmond Hill Library, an occasional speaker’s honorarium, and publication of a one page newsletter. When the Guild Hall was completed the Potters and Spinners & Weavers moved. At long last Burr House was vacant, restoration work was immediately resumed. It was a formidable task and took many hours of labour in dusty dirty surroundings.
Weaving at Burr House
During the restoration of Burr House the Society sponsored Archeological digs in the yard and under the floor of the Kitchen. “Dig” sessions for students were arranged and over 500 students participated.. Many artifacts were recovered and were added to the Society’s growing collection of histone items which had been donated by local residents. As there was no available storage space Society member’s stored the collection in their homes.
When restoration work was completed and the terms of the Wintario Grants satisfied, fund raising was continued and the money raised used to rent space in the new McConaghy Centre. The artifacts were inventoried, cleaned and placed on shelves and tables which had been donated for this purpose. The rental charge for this facility was $2000.00 per year and when we could no longer afford to pay this amount the Town provided a smaller storage space without charge. When the Heritage Centre opened the entire collection was donated to the Town.
Official opening of the Guild Hall, October 23, 1982
In 1982, while restoration work was still in progress, the Society opened a craft shop and tea room in Burr House. The Shop was very successful and in 1985 the Potters and Spinners & Weavers entered into a partnership with the Society and the Craft Shop became The Burr House Craft Gallery and Tea Room, Much has been accomplished since that first meeting in October 1973. As well as restoring two houses and operating a craft shop, the Society published a book that is now in its second printing. Lectured on local history in schools, taped some oral history, expanded the one page newsletter into a media in which members and non-members can publish their memories of old Richmond Hill. We have participated in many projects and unforgettable fund raising and social events. Strawberry Socials, Christmas Parties held in members homes, Picnics at such far away places as the Museum at Midhurst, Stuff and Such Sales on the lawn at Burr House, a Fall Festival complete with costumes and cider making. Our float in the Christmas Parade; Founders Day Service in the cemetery; and Quilt Raffles! Remember what happened the year the prize quilt was stored in a green garbage bag?
Society members should be proud of these accomplishments and celebrate the 25th anniversary of our founding with glee.
Postscript I regret that in this brief backward glance I was unable to include all of the events and accomplishments of our Society or to mention the names of the many many members who so freely gave of their time and talents to make things happen. Perhaps we should begin our next quarter century by compiling a history of our past. – Jim Monkman
Richmond Hill Historical Society 