By Ashley Harper At the end of February 2020, a small group of women met at the Chesterville and District Heritage Centre to discuss compiling an update to The Time That Was, a Tweedsmuir history published in 1978 by the Heritage Committee of the Chesterville Women's Institute. It chronicled the village's history from the early 1800s to 1977. The committee also printed a supplement to the book a decade later.
But the committee pushed on. Meetings were held over the phone until they could be done in person. Plans for how to tackle such a large project were laid out, and a few months later the committee began sending out letters to local businesses, organizations, and individuals asking for information or submissions of written articles. For many in the community, the book became a "pandemic project"—something to pass the time while they were stuck at home. It encouraged people to reminisce about years past and put down their memories in writing so they could be carried on for the future. The lockdowns were also a very isolating period, and the committee is grateful that this book project kept them in contact with their friends and neighbours. In the fall, the committee enlisted the help of Bruce and Kim Henbest to edit the book. Since then, the pair have volunteered countless hours to pouring over the manuscript and reaching out to the almost 200 contributors that have taken part in this project. As the content came together, the next task was to design the book. In the spring of 2021, the Book Committee hired Susan Marriner, owner of Marriner Design in Finch, to do the job—and what a beautiful job she's done! Susan has brought the text to life with over 350 photographs sourced from the community. The Book Committee is happy to announce that Bridging the Centuries: The History of Chesterville: 1988-2020 is now complete! They are incredibly proud of both the book and the community that helped to create it. This project would not have been possible without the generosity of those who submitted articles and gave donations.
A book launch is being held on December 5th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Chesterville Legion (167 Queen St., Chesterville). The ceremony will begin at 1:30 with a few short speeches from the committee and local dignitaries. COVID-19 meeting protocol will apply. The book will be available for purchase at the launch for $50 (cash sales only). If you miss the launch, no worries! You can also by your copy at Scotiabank (5 Main St.) during banking hours until the end of December, as well as at the Heritage Centre (14 Victoria St.) from 1:00 to 4:00 pm during the weekends of the 11th-12th and 18th-19th of December.
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CDHS publishes articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of Chesterville and District. If there is something that you would like to see, email us at [email protected]
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