Bedford Township Showcases its past and present

Feb 18, 2014

On Family Day, February 17, residents of Bedford Township had a chance to show off both their past and present at an event that was held at the Bedford Historical Research Centre, located at the Glendower Hall on the Westport Road. The event, which was organized by Gerald Stinson, chair of the Bedford District Historical Research Committee, included displays by the Bedford District and Portland District historical groups. Included in these displays were a number of local family histories, books, photos, tools and more. Township resident Wayne Shepherd had on display his personal collection of historical glass and oil lamps and Lois Webster also brought a number of historical artifacts from her own personal collection.

The event included a number of residents in the area who are involved in the arts. Scott White had an assortment of his paintings, many of them based on buildings and landscapes from the area, and Raphael Kerem, of Radiance of the Ordinary Studio in Burridge, displayed his hand-crafted brooms and brushes. Wolfe Erlichman of the Wintergreen Renewable Energy Co-operative had a booth set up advertising that group's interests as did representatives from the Wintergreen Studio, the eco-lodge and educational retreat centre located on Canoe Lake Road. There were also representatives from Eco Tree Care, a business that operates out of Burridge.

Stinson said the event, which also ran last year, is a way for the historical groups in the area to open up their collections to the public and for other organizations and businesses to get exposure as well. Stinson said the turnout this year was not as large as he hoped for and that the numbers were significantly down from last year. That being said, Stinson said it does not mean that the event will not run again next year. Stinson said he got involved with the research centre after looking into his family roots and becoming interested in his own family tree.

“The historical society is a great way for local residents to find out more about their roots and about the local history of the area.