Newcastle Village and District Historical Society

Tourism Region: Clarington

The NV&DHS is a not-for-profit society and is operated by volunteers. We are open to the public every Tuesday and Saturday from 9:30 A.M. to noon. The public may reach us at all other times by contacting the President, Secretary or Curator of the NV&DHS.

Our objective is to research, collect & maintain objects;
documents; and history [1796 to present] pertinent to the Village of Newcastle and surrounding area. To that regard many village families have donated directly to us papers, photographs, etc. concerning both them and the buildings, businesses and farms they (or their ancestors) have built or developed over the years.

In 1923 Chester D. Massey (of the Massey-Harris/Ferguson Company ~ which began here in the Village in 1847) donated the Community Hall to the PEOPLE of the Village of Newcastle. This hall is still used by the people of the Village for everything from bowling to weddings & banquets. The NV&DHS is housed in what was originally the Memorial Libary in the Community Hall and is an ideal location to showcase our collection.

About the Collections

1)Community Hall items; among them:
Representative pieces from the original 1923 china, glassware,& cutlery of the Community Hall banquet room.
Original copper plates (printing plates) of architectural diagrams of the Community Hall

2)Local 19th century Village photographers - Elsworth & Chaplin
- photographs by Elsworth
- glass negatives & prints by Chaplin

3)Extensive collection of items from the Massey family &
business.

4)19th century Village doctor - Dr Alfred Farncomb:
account books, personal papers & effects

5) Deeds for various homesteads orginal to Newcastle and surrounding area.

6) Pictures of various years for Newcastle Public School dating back to 1898/1900

7) Voters lists incluidng List for Newcastle Village and Bond Head up to and including 1915.

8) Collections pertaining to Bond Head Harbour, its local residents and industries from 1830 -

9) Tremaine Map of Clarke Township from 1861.

Approximate number of objects in the collections: 1,000 +

Archives

NV&DHS' archival collection includes deeds, indentures, wills, personal letters including letters from Carveth family members; copy of request by Roger Bates for certain lands dated November 15, 1796; architecture plans Massey Estate dated July 4, 1859; of Newcastle Townhall 1920s;, birth and death records of local churches, pharmaceutical records of Fothergill Drugstore; various archives from JASCO (James Anderson Smith Company); personal archival items of Joseph E. Atkinson.

Architectural Records • Cartographic Materials • Electronic Records • Prints and Drawings • Films and Videos • Photographs • Sound Recordings • Textual Records

Decorative Arts

NV&DHS collection includes an 1800 cradle from the Hunter Family, had belonging to Robert W. Walton and other residents; Metal work from various industries including Massey Factory 1860s; and JASCO and household and artillery metal. Glass bottle collection including prescription bottles, diary and other miscellaneous bottles circa 1850s.

Ceramics, Porcelain or Pottery • Costumes • Furniture or Furnishings • Glass • Metalwork, Silverwork or Goldwork • Textiles or Tapestries
Other: Dresses of Olive Wilmot Sanford circa 1870.

Fine Arts

Oil paintings of local houses, commerative wreaths,

Culture:
Canadian • Aboriginal or First Nations

Period:
Contemporary • Modern • Historical

Media:
Mixed Media, Multimedia or Installations • Painting • Photography • Prints and Drawings • Sketchbooks or Albums • Film and Video

Miscellaneous:
War Art

Human History

Agriculture • Animal Husbandry • Archaeological Objects • Communications Devices • Computing Technology • Costumes and Accessories • Electricity • Exploration and Survey • Fisheries • Household Objects or Domestic Technology • Local History • Maps, Charts, Plans or Blueprints • Medical History and Technology • Memorabilia • Oral History • Transportation : Marine : Motorized ground : Non-motorized ground : Railway

Services & Activities

General Information ~ history of a house;family;road; business; etc., explained by 'room volunteers' during our scheduled hours open to the public.
Walking Tours ~ held during special events such as Village Fall Festival.
Participate in Events with Community Partners.
Volunteer Hours for Secondary School Students
Special 'one-on-one' walking/driving tours can be arranged by contacting the curator.

Research Services

Genealogy of 19th Clarke Twp families
House/Business/Farm history
Assistance in determining the original use/purpose of an object.

Archival Records • Conservation or Restoration • Films • Genealogical Research • Information Centre • Library • Video Library

Educational Programs

General Meetings ~ usually four per year are open to all. The February one is traditionally a 'show & tell' where
people bring in items of historical interest.

The others feature a speaker ~ everything from the author of a series of books concerning Rum Running during Prohibition to a building restoration expert.

Classes or Workshops • Demonstrations • Films • Lectures • School Programs : Age 5-11 (k-6) : Age 12-17 (7-13)(Quebec: Secondary 1-CEGEP) • Seniors Programs

Visitor Services

Archives, collections of local families, walking tours, displays of collection and archives, research of area's history.

Films and Videos • Guided Tours : English • Accessible by Public Transportation • Audio Guides : English • Information Centre or Desk • Nature Trails, Walks or Gardens • Parking Facilities : Free : Bus • Reminiscence or Oral History Kits • Special Needs Facilities : Parking : Signs : Washrooms : Wheelchair access • Washrooms
Other Guided Tours: During Newcastle Fall Fair (2nd week of October) NV&DHS will offer a walking tour of Newcastle Village.

School walking tours upon request.

Volunteer Services

Volunteer Services Available • Volunteer Training Offered

Number of Volunteers: 15

Activities: 1) Setting up, transporting and manning displays at events such as:
Port Hope Heritage Day - one day -in February
Orono Fall Agricultural Fair - four days - in early Sept
Newcastle Fall Festival - one day - first Saturday in Oct.
Remembrance Day Display in NV&DHS room - one day - Nov 11
Presentations at local community partners (i.e. Men's Breakfast, Gift of Art, Church Events)
2)Manning the room during the hours we are open to the public to assist visitors to the room in explaining our collection and to answer any questions they might have.

3)Newsletter - published four to six times per year.
Writing, researching, editing, proof-reading, delivering

4)Housekeeping of the NV&DHS room (dusting, polishing, etc.)

5)Cleaning & if needed, restoration or repair work of items
in our collection.

6)Data entry & scanning; Web site set up and maintance; answering e-mail queries; etc.

7)Proof-readers

8) Interviews with citizens of Newcastle and Clarke Township to assemble the memories of the area.

Member Privileges

Members of the NV&DHS

-Receive the Society's newsletter; published 4 times yearly.

-Use of NV&DHS library ~ books on local history and newsletters of other societies (such as the Oshawa/Whitby Genealogical Society and the Ontario Historical Society).

- Hands-on access(with a few exceptions) to the holdings of the NV&DHS .

- Elect the NV&DHS Board of Directors.

- President's Annual Pot Luck Barbecue/Picnic.

- Admission to such things as the Orono Fall Fair or the Port Hope Heritage day is paid for by NV&DHS if they are
one of the volunteers to help man the NV&DHS display at those events.

Food Services

Free coffee on Saturday mornings, courtesy of Tim Horton's.

Picnic Area

Internet Services

General Information • Collections • Directions or Map • Local History • Online Giftshop or Bookstore

Other Services

NV&DHS is currently building a website and cataloguing its collection for access through the internet to help the students, teachers, elected officals and general public gain a better knowledge of the history of the Village and District. NV&DHS provides information regarding local geneology and assists homeowners with tracing the history of their current homes. NV&DHS also offers presentations throughout the year to promote further the local history.

Publications and Products

NV&DHS re-printed Prof. Squair's "History of Darlington & Clarke"; we hold the copyright to it and have copies available $50.00
Also books by local authors
- Schmid & Rutherford's "Out of the Mists"
- Wilson's "1793 to 1813 Settlers of Durham County"
- Brown's "Paper Chase to the Coulson's"
- LACAC's "Heritage Buildings of Clarke"
- LACAC's "Herigate Buildings of Darlington"
- Grandfield's "Bowmanville- Architectural& Social History"
- at times we have other local history books available for sale that have been donated to us but are duplicates of what we already hold.

Books • Monographs • Newsletters • Postcards • Posters
Other: Begining project to copy and offer CD-ROMs - when finished NV&DHS will place itmes on this website.

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Location

Address:	Unit 3, 20 King Ave. W. Newcastle, Ontario L1B 1H7
Telephone:	905-987-5180
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