The Whitestone Historical Society was formed in 1998 to “foster the recognition of the unique heritage of the Whitestone area and to encourage its preservation.” Its mandate included the history of a number of closely-knit communities, consisting of Ahmic Harbour, Ardbeg, Balsam, Dunchurch, Fairholme, Maple Island, Sunny Slope, and Whitestone.
“We have had an extremely successful 27 years” says Fay Clelland, President of the Society. Initially, the society had two focuses: an annual calendar which was produced every year from 1999 to 2022; and, an annual history fair which gave way to a major display at the Dunchurch Fall Fair. Early efforts also included: a Walking Tour brochure for the village of Dunchurch; Historic Plaques at the Community Centre and at Maple Island; and a major show of 100 locally made quilts celebrating 100 years of quilt making in the Municipality.
Through time, it became apparent hat the Society needed a way to preserve the information that it had collected and that had been provided to it. This led to the publication of 7 books and book sets: ‘Ahmic Harbour, the Story of Croswell’s Landing”; “Dunchurch, the Story of Newcombe”, “From Butler’s Creek to the Hardscrabble, including Maple Island and Glenila”, “Whitestone, From Gordon Lake to The Bunny Trail”, “Ardbeg, Boakview and The Bunny Trail”, “From Dunchurch to the McKellar Townline” (a two book set), concluding with a two book set “Ahmic Harbour to Dunchurch and Much More”, and “We Must Not Forget, Those Who Served” – a total of over 3,000 pages of information and almost as many photographs of the area.
At the request of the Magnetawan Branch 394 of The Royal Canadian Legion, the Whitestone Historical Society also prepared a Living Book of Remembrance of those who served from the entire area serviced by the Branch. This involved chronicling the service of some 600 people with an association with this area who served in WWI, WWII, and subsequently – over 1,000 pages of records and photos.
As the Society concludes its efforts, it is working with the Whitestone Library to digitize all of the information the Society has compiled into a set of files that is updatable, correctible and available remotely online. . This process is well underway. “When the work with the library is concluded, it will also include making the Historical Society’s books all available online” said Fay Clelland.
“In our first few years, we borrowed money from local businesses like Bell Bus Lines and individuals like the late Devina Crisp, to finance production of our calendars. And then in 2002 we received a one time grant of $3,000 from the Trillium Foundation for the production of the 2 historic plaques and 1 year’s calendar publication.” said Fay.
“We produced the plaques and grew the initial calendar seed money sufficiently to allow for the production of all future year’s calendars, for production of display materials, and ultimately to produce our books and book sets. And, over the past 2 years, those proceeds have allowed us to provide money in support of the Agricultural Society, in support of the Whitestone Cemetery Board, and in support of the digitization efforts by the Dunchurch Library. And as we close our books this year, we are again planning to provide money in support of efforts by the Cemetery Board and to allow for the completion of digitization efforts by the Library.”
As we close we would like to thank all of those who shared information and photos with us and those who supported us through the purchase of our books and calendars. We would also like to extend a special thanks to those who sold our books and calendars as a pro bono – Duck Rock, Bearly Used Books, the former Guitar Pickers Corners, Trader Ted’s, Loggers Restaurant, the West Parry Sound Museum and the Northern Bookworms. And again, a thank you to Steve Bell of Bell Bus Lines, the late Devina Crisp and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“We have had an extremely successful 27 years” says Fay Clelland, President of the Society. Initially, the society had two focuses: an annual calendar which was produced every year from 1999 to 2022; and, an annual history fair which gave way to a major display at the Dunchurch Fall Fair. Early efforts also included: a Walking Tour brochure for the village of Dunchurch; Historic Plaques at the Community Centre and at Maple Island; and a major show of 100 locally made quilts celebrating 100 years of quilt making in the Municipality.
Through time, it became apparent hat the Society needed a way to preserve the information that it had collected and that had been provided to it. This led to the publication of 7 books and book sets: ‘Ahmic Harbour, the Story of Croswell’s Landing”; “Dunchurch, the Story of Newcombe”, “From Butler’s Creek to the Hardscrabble, including Maple Island and Glenila”, “Whitestone, From Gordon Lake to The Bunny Trail”, “Ardbeg, Boakview and The Bunny Trail”, “From Dunchurch to the McKellar Townline” (a two book set), concluding with a two book set “Ahmic Harbour to Dunchurch and Much More”, and “We Must Not Forget, Those Who Served” – a total of over 3,000 pages of information and almost as many photographs of the area.
At the request of the Magnetawan Branch 394 of The Royal Canadian Legion, the Whitestone Historical Society also prepared a Living Book of Remembrance of those who served from the entire area serviced by the Branch. This involved chronicling the service of some 600 people with an association with this area who served in WWI, WWII, and subsequently – over 1,000 pages of records and photos.
As the Society concludes its efforts, it is working with the Whitestone Library to digitize all of the information the Society has compiled into a set of files that is updatable, correctible and available remotely online. . This process is well underway. “When the work with the library is concluded, it will also include making the Historical Society’s books all available online” said Fay Clelland.
“In our first few years, we borrowed money from local businesses like Bell Bus Lines and individuals like the late Devina Crisp, to finance production of our calendars. And then in 2002 we received a one time grant of $3,000 from the Trillium Foundation for the production of the 2 historic plaques and 1 year’s calendar publication.” said Fay.
“We produced the plaques and grew the initial calendar seed money sufficiently to allow for the production of all future year’s calendars, for production of display materials, and ultimately to produce our books and book sets. And, over the past 2 years, those proceeds have allowed us to provide money in support of the Agricultural Society, in support of the Whitestone Cemetery Board, and in support of the digitization efforts by the Dunchurch Library. And as we close our books this year, we are again planning to provide money in support of efforts by the Cemetery Board and to allow for the completion of digitization efforts by the Library.”
As we close we would like to thank all of those who shared information and photos with us and those who supported us through the purchase of our books and calendars. We would also like to extend a special thanks to those who sold our books and calendars as a pro bono – Duck Rock, Bearly Used Books, the former Guitar Pickers Corners, Trader Ted’s, Loggers Restaurant, the West Parry Sound Museum and the Northern Bookworms. And again, a thank you to Steve Bell of Bell Bus Lines, the late Devina Crisp and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Activities
In 2023, the Society partnered with the Whitestone Public Library to digitize information on local veterans. You can read more about the project here. The Historical Society is currently digitizing the contents of their published books to be available online.
Books
The Historical Society is in the process of sharing the information and pictures that it has collected since forming in 1999 by way of books about the area. The Whitestone Historical Society has completed nine books on Whitestone and area, compiled by Andy Houser. The books are available at Duck Rock General Store, and Bearly Used Book Store.
The Historical Society provides a local historical display as part of the Dunchurch Agricultural Society's annual Fall Fair. These displays are available for viewing at the Whitestone Public Library.
Contact Information
| Name | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|
| Fay Clelland | 705-389-3293 | fay_larry71@hotmail.com |