Blog

May 20, 2025 Meeting; 6:30 pm

Join us for our next regular member’s meeting on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 where Maggie Mackenzie from the City of Richmond Hill will tell the story of Growing Up Yonge. This is the first of two presentations to the Society by Maggie, Heritage Coordinator in the City’s Community Services Department. This first talk will cover the 19th Century.

Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe officially stablished Yonge Street in the 1790s. A military road from the Town of York ( now Toronto ) to Holland Landing, Yonge Street opened up the northern part of York County. Richmond Hill was an essential stopping point along the two-day journey.

Gather to visit at 6:30 pm, talk begins at 7:00 pm. Our regular meetings are held in Rooms A & B, 2nd Floor, Central Branch, Richmond Hill Public Library
1 Atkinson Street

Maple Syrup Festival, Saturday, April 12, 2025

Mark your calendars for my annual Maple Syrup Festival!

Join me for all your favourite maple syrup themed activities, including a pancake breakfast with real maple syrup. This free community event is important to me for two reasons: firstly because after a long, cold winter we can have an opportunity to gather with friends and neighbours and celebrate spring and secondly because I am a passionate amateur syrup maker and love to share this sweet part of our Canadian culture with Richmond Hill residents.

This year we will continue to have our maple syrup making demonstration and tasting booth, samples of delicious uses for maple products, and of course, thanks to our Richmond Hill Historical Society, you can purchase some of the good stuff to take home with you (all proceeds go to the RHHS). Admission is free and we ask that attendees bring a non-perishable food donation for the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank.

Together with numerous community groups, entertainers, and educators, I know it will be a fantastic day celebrating Richmond Hill community and Canadian tradition.

I look forward to sharing this sweet festival with the residents of Richmond Hill. See you there!

Saturday April 12, 2025, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Richmond Green Sports Complex
at 1300 Elgin Mills Road East.
www.DavidWest-RichmondHill.ca/MSF

Sincerely,

Mayor David West
City of Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill Remembers: Artifacts Past and Present

Exhibit on display from February 1 to March 15 at the Richmond Hill Heritage Centre

Explores the theme of cataloging and juxtaposing historical local artifacts with items that define our current identities and stories. Students from Richmond Hill High School explored imagery from the Richmond Hill Artifact Collection as a foundation for examining their own life narratives. We present a collection of objects as a “memory box” with artifacts that have their own story to tell. Through a blend of two and three dimensional techniques and arrangements, the exhibit highlights an intersection of past and present, offering a unique connection on local history and culture. Each memory box allows viewers to explore the rich heritage of Richmond Hill through the eyes of emerging artists. The exhibit offers students a platform to foster personal reflection, growth, communicate their creative expression, and nurture a connection to their community.

The Richmond Hill Heritage Centre is located in the Amos Wright House at 19 Church St North, Richmond Hill.

Gallery Hours:

Tuesdays 1 – 4 p.m.
Thursdays 4 – 8 p.m.
Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Society Confirms 2025 Executive

The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to announce the confirmation of their Executive for the 2025 year. They are as follows:

Jim Vollmershausen, President
Andrea Kulesh, Vice President & Treasurer
Vera Tachtaul, Secretary
Marion Vollmershausen, Membership
Kevin Dark, Programming
Barbara Di Mambro, Publicity

External Representatives

Agnes Parr, Heritage Richmond Hill
David Hunt, Heritage Centre Advisory Committee

AGM Tomorrow Night!

Join us tomorrow night (Tuesday, January 21) for the Richmond Hill Historical Society’s Annual General Meeting and always popular bring and brag!

Learn about what your Society has been up to over the past year and help elect the Executive for 2025. This meeting gives you an opportunity to hear from each member of your Executive about their activities during the course of the past year, and, of great importance, also gives you the opportunity to vote for your new Executive.

After the AGM we will have our very popular bring and brag. Do you have a favourite artifact, family heirloom or item with a unique story? We invite you to bring it to the meeting to share with other members.

The AGM starts at 7:00 pm in Rooms A & B on the second floor of Central Library at 1 Atkinson Street.

See you there!

Find us at the Mayor’s Levee (January 11)

The Richmond Hill Historical Society is pleased to have been invited to participate in Mayor David West’s Levee on Saturday, January 11, 2025. The event will be held, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Langstaff Community Centre on Red Maple Road (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xGeRf4LtN8R1nWNY7).

Come out to chat with us and get the chance to meet and talk with councillors, local MPs, MPPs, executives of the Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services and York Regional Police representatives.

No registration is required for this informal event; the perfect way to kick of 2025!

Curtain Club Fundraiser – January 23, 2025

Thanks to the generosity of The Curtain Club Theatre, the Richmond Hill Historical Society has been given a really great opportunity to fundraise. They have approved our request to be part of their Charity Night Program and offered us 25 tickets for their play All My Sons on January 23, 2025.

The play description:

During the Second World War, Joe Keller and Herbert Deever ran a machine shop making airplane parts. Deever was sent to prison because the firm turned out defective parts while Keller went free and made a lot of money. The twin shadows of this catastrophe lead to an unforgettable conclusion to a play electrifying in its intensity.

The doors open at 7:15 PM and showtime is 8:00 PM.

The tickets are $20.00 each.

If you are interested, or if you have friends or family that might be interested, please contact Andrea Kulesh at andrea-kulesh at hotmail.com, or (905) 884-2789 as soon as possible and we will hold your seats for you. Your tickets will be available when you arrive at the theatre.

Our deep gratitude to The Curtain Club and our thanks for your support.

Notice of Annual General Meeting & Bring and Brag – January 21, 2025

A reminder that our Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 7:00 pm in Meeting Room B 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 2024. You also have an opportunity to elect the Executive for the 2025 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.

2024 Holiday Social!

Join us on Tuesday, December 5, 2024 at 6:30 pm for our annual holiday social. Note the new date and time for this meeting. We will be celebrating in Rooms A & B on the 2nd Floor of Central Library at 1 Atkinson Street.

We will have refreshments and entertainment for the evening. Come out and have the chance to mingle with other Society members as we kick off the holiday season!

The Representations of the First World War in Film Talk with Cameron Telch

Richmond Hill Historical Society’s own Cameron Telch will be giving a virtual talk to the Ontario Genealogical Society’s York Branch on November 13, 2024 at 7:00 pm. The free talk will be delivered via Zoom, but requires pre-registration at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudOChqD8rGN2tokG5iI0LO2Or9D7ZaMTG#/registration

Cameron is a third-year doctoral candidate in Educational Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. His dissertation is on the underrepresentation of shell shock in Canadian war museums within the frameworks of critical theory and difficult knowledge. He is also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Veterans Studies.