Welcome to the Prescott Bicentennial Lecture Series
Our 2010 programme focusses on growth and change in Prescott, from its early days as a Fort Town to a booming business centre, one embracing change and technology through the 19th Century. With focal points on the military, manufacturing and personal history, the series offers intimate portraits of a time of hope, of growth, of change, pictures of a dynamic, living town, called Prescott. Gerry Brown Lecture Series Chair |
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Introduction to Prescott’s Heritage Sandra will give an overview of our 200 year history, beginning with a glimpse into pre-settlement Augusta. A further look at the town Edward Jessup created will entail its military significance beginning with the War of 1812, Prescott’s growth as a transportation centre, later industrial and commercial development and finally progress and changes in the 20th century. Sandra Shouldice was born and educated in Ottawa and taught in Prescott’s Central School for 31 years. After retiring from teaching in 1997, she took a more active role in Grenville County Historical Society, Retired Women Teachers of Ontario, Friends of Windmill Point and the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, for which she received the Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. Her real interest in and knowledge of area history comes not only from personal research but from a background of family stories dating back to her Loyalist roots in Augusta. |
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How I Spent My Summer Vacation Mark Jodoin, author of “Shadow Soldiers of the American Revolution: Loyalist Tales from New York to Canada”, will present “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” and pay homage to American and Canadian heritage volunteers and enthusiasts in the St. Lawrence, Hudson and Lake Champlain valleys. Detailing noteworthy loyalists such as Major Edward Jessup, Colonel Joel Stone and Captain John Deserontyon who founded Prescott, Gananoque and Deseronto. The three are among the eleven founders of Ontario whose stories are told in “Shadow Soldiers” published by The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina. A writer of historical fiction and non-fiction, his articles on colonial history have appeared monthly in the Canadian magazine Esprit de Corps. Mr. Jodoin is a member and past president of the Rideau Township Historical Society and a graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism. He began his career as a broadcast journalist with TVOntario and Global Television News in Toronto in 1979 and he later became a marketing entrepreneur working in Montreal, Houston, Los Angeles and New York. He resides in Ottawa. |
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The Forwarding Trade in Prescott Beginning with the activities of the native Amerindianas along the St. Lawrence, the presentation will follow the development of river travel. From the introduction of river craft larger than canoes to the coming of the railroads, and construction of a total system of locks on the Rideau and St. Lawrence, a whole way of life came and went. As interesting as the stories of events, are the stories of the individuals whose fortunes rose and fell with the prosperity of the river trade. John Reynolds comes to us by a roundabout route. Born south of London, England, he has travelled most of Canada as a meteorological technician and a United Church minister. His undergraduate work was in History and English with post-grad Theology. John is retired after 20 years in the Prescott area. He has been active in the Forwarders’ Museum and from this grew his interest in local history. |
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The Battle of the Windmill As a final fling to free Canada from British domination, the Battle of the Windmill serves as a turning point emphasizing the strong ties between Britain and her remaining colonies in North America. The Battle was bloody, short and significant. At present Bob is a historian at the Ontario Service Centre of Parks Canada, with research responsibilities for Parks operated national historic sites across the province. From 2002 to 2007 he was the historian supporting the Fort Henry National Historic Site stabilization project. He joined Parks Canada in 1991 as the Resource Centre Specialist for Fort Malden National Historic Site. There he was involved with archives and collections management, exhibit design and the delivery of visitor experience programming. Bob was educated at McGill University, Concordia University and at the University of Western Ontario. Bob is a past president of the Essex County Historical Society and has had a long time interest in Canadian military heritage. |
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The Brewing Industry of 19th Century Prescott What did our ancestors do in the winter? Besides trying to stay warm, they brewed. Learn how those resourceful people who settled this area managed to transform what they had at hand, like spruce buds, into beer. Present day craft beer will be available for sampling. Donna Warner is the owner of Heritage Brewing and Scotch Irish Brewing located in Ottawa. After working as a teacher, a mother, a software implementer, she stumbled into brewing when her husband and his friends bought the equipment from the Quite Brewery. For the last ten years she has worked to bring craft brewing back to Eastern Ontario where it once flourished. She is passionate about beer, especially the fresh, flavourful beer that a craft brewery can produce. |
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Fort Wellington’s Involvement in the War of 1812 Having been raised in the shadows of Fort Wellington, Paul grew up with a deep interest in local and military history. As a young man he was instrumental in having the doors to the windmill at the Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site opened to the public and later was behind the identification, designation and restoration of the Stockade Barracks on East Street, Ontario’s oldest surviving military structure. Paul spent ten years working as a military curator and historian for Parks Canada and then followed that with another ten years as a manager at the National Archives of Canada. After 20 years he left government work to head his private company Jessup Food & Heritage which has delivered unique food services at historic sites in Ontario from Fort York in Toronto to Upper Canada Village. Today Paul resides in Kingston and recently oversaw the acquisition and transformation of Kingston’s oldest surviving church structure into a modern banquet and event venue operated by Jessup Foods. His love of Prescott and its fascinating history remains strong. |
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150 Years of Railroad - The Building of The Grand Trunk Bill will focus on the growth and importance of railroads for transportation and shipping. As well he will outline stations, both past and present, and will detail Prescott’s rail lines and its role in links with both Ottawa and shipping on the St. Lawrence River. Bill was born and grew up in Lansdowne, graduated from Ottawa Teachers College and Ontario College of Education. He taught 2 years at Poole’s Resort, an eight-grade country school just west of Mallorytown Landing. He joined the Ottawa Public School Board in 1957 teaching Industrial Arts and retired in 1989. Bill is a founding member and past president of Leeds and 1000 Islands Historical Society. |
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Prescott: The River and the War of 1812 Victor Suthren is a writer, seaman and historian specializing in North American colonial history of the 18th Century. After university and summers in the Fort Henry Guard in Kingston, he entered the Canadian Parks Service as an historian, serving in Louisbourg and Halifax. In 1975 he joined the staff of the Canadian War Museum, and from 1986 to 1997 was its Director General. He has written thirteen books, both 18th century naval fiction and non-fiction historical works, including a biography of James Cook as well as a history of the War of 1812. An experienced seaman in traditional tall ships and longboats, he is the Honourary Captain to the Chief of the Maritime Staff in Ottawa. He is also commissioned in the Reserve as a Seamanship specialist. Recently, he has designed and led events featuring ‘tall ships’ and longboats, and has advised a number of film productions. Bilingual in English and French, he recently published a major survey history of Canada’s relationship with the sea, The Island Of Canada, published in October 2009 by Thomas Allen Publishers, also of Toronto. He and his wife Lindsay are residents of Merrickville, Ontario. |
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Love, Lust and the British Soldier in the War of 1812 Love at first sight, loose morals, adultery, prostitution, domestic disputes, and the challenges of raising a family in the army: all were part of the love life of the British soldier. This lecture will reveal some of the strange, funny and entertaining affairs of the heart that occurred to soldiers 200 years ago, and along the way dispel the stereotype of Victorian-like properness at that time. Each attendee will leave with the impression people two centuries ago were not that different from people today. A former military curator for Parks Canada, and archival technician at the then National Archives of Canada, Robert Henderson has spent twenty-five years working in the military heritage field. After graduating from Carleton University, Mr Henderson filled a number of interpretative and educative roles at various historic sites including Fort Wellington and Fort Malden. Since 1995 he has provided heritage products and services to museums, collectors, and the film industry through MilitaryHeritage.com. His interest in preserving and promoting the significance of the War of 1812 brought him to create the website www.warof1812.ca; as well as to publish a number of articles covering a range of War of 1812 topics. |
