Heritage

A century ago Alexander McLachlan was one of the best known citizens of these hills, widely admired, respected and praised for his poetry. Today hardly anyone has heard of him. How did this happen?

Headwaters’ antiques and auctions experts offer an irresistible way to connect with the history – and value – that comes with well-made furniture and nostalgic collectibles.

Don Reinhart is known beyond Headwaters for his stint as the no-nonsense auctioneer on two seasons of TV’s “Storage Wars Canada”.

Beyond Joanne and Martin Woudenberg’s busy floral counter are rows and rows of antique furniture, wall decor and collectibles.

Jon Medley, a lifelong antique hunter and collector, took over the sprawling, packed-to-the-rafters Inglewood Antique Market in 2018.

Alanna Babka and Bonnie Schneider met playing in a baseball league, and have bonded over breathing life into cast-off collections.

At John Wright’s new Erin antiques outpost, artwork and chairs hung on pegs fill every inch of wall and English-country vignettes cover the floor.

Settlers in the 19th century came here to farm, and to do that they had to clear the trees. Their success with that was thorough and dramatic. So was the impact on the landscape.

Facing a crisis was part of daily life for the settlers of these hills and they had no outside help to see them through. What they depended on instead was inner strength, creativity, resources at hand and good neighbours.

A new museum exhibit called Our Voices, Our Journeys celebrates local black history through the personal stories of a Caledon congregation’s pioneering contributions to Headwaters.

For 75 years Ontario students had to pass demanding provincial exams to get into high school. Preparation was rigorous and it was widely believed rural teachers weren’t up to the job.

Live entertainment flourished in these hills a century and more ago. Before new technologies like the cinema changed everything, the stages of our local town halls were filled with performances that appealed to every taste.