If you are like a great many people, you may not always realize what treasures are in your own community. The Victoria County Historical Society (VCHS) is one such gem.
The VCHS is focused on the collection, preservation, and exhibition of materials that promote the history of the City of Kawartha Lakes – formerly known as the County of Victoria.
I was actually surprised when I really explored this topic – there is so much to see and do at the museum!
On the first floor you can explore…
The history of the First Nations, with artifacts including Early Iroquois beadwork.
World War One memorabilia and facts. For instance, “Did you know, the offer of a cigarette from a German soldier to a Canadian soldier inspired the Christmas truce?”
And how is this for a turnaround? From the Early Iroquois and World War One to Neil Young – with photos, posters, facts and trivia found in ‘Youngtown’.
The first floor also includes the history of the Victoria County Gaol, pronounced as ‘jail’. The museum is the designated heritage site for the County Gaol, used as the Lindsay Jail and built in 1863.
The second floor includes…
Model Railways. “Did you know the first train arrived at the original Lindsay station at St. Paul and King Streets on the east side of the Scugog River on October 16, 1857?”
The Old Camera Shop, providing a history of Kodak. Did you know they introduced the 110 film format to help simplify loading and unloading a roll of film to respond to customer complaints in 1972?
This is a just a small sample of what has been gathered and displayed by the VCHS. But this is only the beginning of uncovering this community icon. There are always a variety of special events as well.
Keep an eye on the website to learn what is coming in the near future.
http://www.oldegaolmuseum.ca/events.html
Bethany Ontario 