New Art Exhibit In Peterborough Features Photos Of Abandoned Houses & Buildings In Rural Ontario

Peterborough artist Julie Douglas and Brighton artist Mark S. Gagne have teamed up for a unique photo exhibit at Ashburnham Ale House in East City for the month of November. Entitled "Chasing Shadows", it features stunning photos of abandoned buildings and spaces throughout Ontario, including several from Peterborough. Here are just a few...

1. "Old Telly"

(Photograph was taken in an abandoned farmhouse near Colborne, Ont. Many articles were left behind such as couches, chairs, an antique stove, and vintage televisions.)

Mark S. Gagne

2.  "Ascension"

(Photograph was taken in the Mount St. Joseph Convent in Peterborough.)

Mark S. Gagne

3. "21 Steps"

(Photograph was taken in an abandoned farmhouse near Peterborough. In older homes such as this one, you'll find that stairways have shorter risers and more steps compared to newer homes.)

Mark S. Gagne

4. "Old Trike"

(Photograph was taken in an abandoned house near Campbellford. Many vintage children's toys were found in this home, including dolls, board games and this lonely little trike.)

Mark S. Gagne

5. "Traces"

(Photograph taken in an abandoned farmhouse near Warsaw.)

Julie Douglas

6. "Waiting"

(Photograph taken in an abandoned house near Hastings.)

Julie Douglas

7. "Spirit of the Piano"

(Photograph taken in an abandoned house near Campbellford.)

Julie Douglas

8. "Alice Hastings 2"

(Photograph taken in an abandoned house near Hastings.)

Julie Douglas

For more info on the exhibit, click here.

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Take An Aerial Tour Of Lang Pioneer Village

First there was Lakefield, then Peterborough, then Bridgenorth... and now Mark Nelsons has captured this excellent aerial footage of Lang Pioneer Village—a living history museum in Keene where costumed interpreters demonstrate the life and trades of an early settler. Have a watch below...

Arial Video Tour of Lang Pioneer Village

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Amazing Historical Video Of The Construction Of The Little Lake Fountain

This film below on the design and construction of the Centennial Fountain in Little Lake via Chex Daily is some of the best historical footage you'll ever watch.

The fountain, installed in 1967, is the highest jet fountain in Canada. This is ingenuity at its finest.

Watch this video below...

Post by Chex Daily.

[via CHEX Daily on Facebook]

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Here Is Colonel Sanders In Peterborough Back In The Day

This is Colonel Harland Sanders with Peterborough's Del Crary at the opening of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Peterborough back in the day. Col Sanders, who founded KFC and served as its global ambassador, is not divulging KFC's secret recipe in this photo below. Though it kind of looks like it.

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13 Historical Facts About Indigenous People In Peterborough Area

Peterborough and the Kawarthas has an amazing native history and culture. Thanks to Rosanna Haroutounian for compiling this listicle for us...

Hiawatha church, 1954

1. Peterborough is the native territory of the Anishinaabeg, a group of indigenous people comprised of the Ojibwa, Odawa, Potawatami, Chippewa, Mississauga, Algonquin, and Delaware communities who controlled the Great Lakes Basin since the late 1600s.

2. Before it became known as Peterborough, the area was called Nogojiwanong, Ojibwa for “place at the end of rapids.”

3. The shores of the Odenabe River were a gathering place for indigenous people. Odenabe, or Otonabee, means “river that beats like a heart.”

4. Anishinaabemowin was widely spoken by the indigenous people in the area before indigenous languages and cultural practices were replaced by English and Christianity through the residential school system.

Eagle painting

5. Through the treaties and land claims processes, Hiawatha First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, Alderville First Nation, and the Mississaugas of Scugog First Nation have been established in the Peterborough area. These nations refer to themselves officially as Mississaugas.

6.  By some accounts, the Mississaugas moved to southern Ontario, including the Peterborough area, from their homeland north of Lake Huron at the start of the 1700s. According to Curve Lake First Nation, however, the Mississaugas were originally from the Peterborough area. They migrated to the Mississauga River at the North shore of Lake Huron in the mid 1600s. They lived there temporarily to avoid disease and conflict resulting from British and French competition over the fur trade.

7. When Elsie Knott became chief of Curve Lake First Nation in 1954, she became the first Anishnaabe Kwe O’gimaa, or Native Female Chief, in Canada.

8. The first Mission House in Peterborough County was built at Rice Lake, present-day Hiawatha First Nation, in 1823. The Mission house, or church, was Methodist. It became Hiawatha United between 1925 and 1929.

Hiawatha Community Hall, 1954

9. Nathan Baggs, the first Methodist Missionary in Western Ontario, baptized Chief Paudash and most of his band at present-day Hiawatha First Nation in about 1820.

10. When Trent University established the Indian-Eskimo Studies Program in 1969, it became the first university in North America to have a department dedicated to the study of Aboriginal people. The program became the Department of Native Studies in 1972, leading the way for other native studies programs in Canada.

Hiawatha school, 1954

11. In 1978, Trent became the first Canadian university to establish a four-year Indigenous Studies Bachelor of Arts honours program, and in 1986, the Department of Native Studies at Trent worked with the Trent Frost Centre for Native Studies and Canadian Studies to develop the first Master of Arts program in Native Studies.

12. The first Native Studies PhD program in Canada was launched at Trent University in 1997. Its first graduates were awarded PhDs in 2005. In 2006, the Department of Native Studies changed its name to Indigenous Studies.

13. As part of the new four-year indigenous studies program, courses in the Anishnaabe and Mohawk languages were offered for the first time at a Canadian university. Trent University hired elders as course instructors to teach language and indigenous culture courses.

—guest post by Rosanna Haroutounian

[photos via hiawathafirstnation.com]

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2014 Peterborough Jane's Walk Is This Saturday

Jane's Walk is a yearly celebration in memory of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs, who promoted getting out and learning more about your community.

“No one can find what will work for our cities by looking at … suburban garden cities, manipulating scale models, or inventing dream cities. You’ve got to get out and walk.” 

—Jane Jacobs, Downtown is for People, 1957

The Peterborough walk has a timely subject of Old Growth Forests in Jackson Park: Exploring Treasured Trees, Transitions, and Terminology. The walk starts at 9 a.m. Saturday (May 3rd) at the playground under the tall white pines of Jackson Park (top of Monaghan Road). It will be two hours long, and is family and dog friendly. There are steep hills and uneven terrain, so wear proper footwear.

"What makes a heritage tree? How does geology influence forest ecology? How old is old growth?

Join Chris Gooderham—Urban Forest Ecologist, and John Etches—Educator & Geologist, on an interpretive tour of Peterborough's greatest stand of white pine, maple, cedar, and hemlock. We'll walk through the oldest grove of trees in the heart of Jackson Park, examining tree growth, soil conditions, typography and ecosite transitions along the way.

During the walk, participants will engage in a conversation about why Jackson Park is one of the most cherished, unique, natural urban parks in all of Canada. We will also ponder what Peterborough stands to loose with the construction of the Parkway Bridge through the heart of the Jackson Creek Valley.

Walk will be approximately 1.5 to 2 hrs in duration on a combination of wide and narrow hiking trails, moderately steep slopes, and uneven ground. We'll make several stops along the way."

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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2014 Doors Open Peterborough Is This Saturday

Every year, Doors Open gives you the opportunity to discover first-hand Ontario’s hidden heritage treasures. Doors Open Peterborough is this Saturday (May 3rd), from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will give you the chance to visit...

• Auburn Generating Station (908 Water Street)
• Fallen Firefighter Memorial and Historical Pumper Truck (Del Crary Park)
• Kirkland Engineering (570 Water Street)
• Peterborough Airport (925 Airport Road)
• Peterborough Memorial Centre (151 Lansdowne Street West)
• Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame (151 Lansdowne Street West)
• Peterborough Museum and Archives (300 Hunter Street East - Museum Drive)
• Confederation Square (501 George Street North)
• TV COGECO (1111 Goodfellow Road)

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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