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Heritage

This amber vase was specially cut by Robert Hughes, Jack’s twin brother, for his wife. Such one-of-a-kind pieces are highly valued by collectors. The glasses with the ruby-red bases, cut on blanks from a one-off shipment from Czechoslovakia, are likewise valued for their rarity. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Corn Flower Glass: New Life for a Canadian Icon

Mar 19, 2019 | Ken Weber

A stunning display of Corn Flower glass is turning heads in a brand new gallery at the Museum of Dufferin. Why this impressive collection has its home in Dufferin and how it got there is a remarkable story of creativity, commercial success and delightful coincidence.

The More Things Change …

Mar 19, 2019 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

In spring 1911, four wardens from neighbouring counties sat down for an informal chat. Their conversation here is imaginary, but the issues they discussed were the hot topics of the day – and eerily familiar.

Robin works with archivist Alison Hird to document the Howard family heirlooms and papers in the dining room of her Caledon home. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Illuminating the Past: Personal History

Nov 20, 2018 | Kira Wronska Dorward | Arts

How private archivist Alison Hird’s work is helping one family reflect on their personal history – and preserve it for the future.

Curator Sarah Robinson (left) and archivist Laura Camilleri between the rolling shelves that house historic documents in the Museum of Dufferin. Laura and Sarah encourage people to talk to them about possible museum donations. “It’s the stories that help us decide what’s vital,” says Sarah. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Behind the Scenes at Museum of Dufferin

Nov 20, 2018 | Anthony Jenkins

What makes your old family heirlooms or bric-a-brac museum-worthy? It’s all in the story they tell.

The walls of the Dufferin jail’s outdoor yard were built with an inward slant to prevent prisoners from scaling them. The slant can be seen in this exterior photo taken in 1986 after the jail was closed to be renovated to house municipal offices. De Ha Josef for the County of Dufferin.

Dufferin County’s Jail

Nov 20, 2018 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

With the notable exception of inmates charged with vagrancy (more on this later), the vast majority of time served at Dufferin County Jail was measured in days, weeks or a few months.

The Humber flooded Bolton in 1950. TRCA documents at least 78 damaging floods on the river between the early settlement years and Hurricane Hazel, every two to three years on average.

Hurricane Hazel’s Place in Headwaters’ History

Sep 18, 2018 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

When Hurricane Hazel finally blew itself out in October 1954, the damage and casualties left behind made it Ontario’s biggest weather event of the century. The flood control plans that followed were even bigger.

Duncan 1890 / iStockphoto

I am shot!

Jun 19, 2018 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

On the platform of a local railway car, 23-year-old David Hunter was an innocent victim in a deadly chain of events that turned deadly one evening in 1872.

An 1870 Media Battle over “Fake News”

Mar 26, 2018 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

The tweets and accusations of fake news in today’s media seem almost dainty compared to the Orangeville Sun’s lambasting of its rival weekly, the Orangeville Advertiser.

This illustration of Mitchell’s childhood home and the setting for the novel, the Yellow Briar homestead on Mono’s 5th Line, is by Alan Daniel, reprinted from the 1970 edition of the book.

Yellow Briar

Nov 22, 2017 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

When The Yellow Briar was published in 1933 it hit all the right notes for a readership mired in the Great Depression.

Overall, the positive outweighs the negative. There is a sense of pride and optimism, even excitement, about the future in the now not-so-little town whose motto is, “A people place, a change of pace.” Photo by Rosemary Hasner / Black Dog Creative Arts.

Shelburne: A Town in Transition

Sep 16, 2017 | Jeff Rollings | Community

According to Statistics Canada, Shelburne is Ontario’s fastest-growing town – and for residents old and new, that’s mostly a good thing.

Symbols of Service for Remembrance Day

Sep 16, 2017 | Anthony Jenkins

Each November, military medals get a crisp autumn airing in the hills and across the country. Behind each is a story. Here are four of them.

The safecrackers’ car abandoned in front of the Imperial Bank in Bolton.

A Community Mourns

Sep 16, 2017 | Ken Weber | Historic Hills

In the winter of 1946 the people of Bolton were drawn together by an incident that began with all the ingredients of a grand farce, but ended in tragedy.

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