Rob Mikel has always called Cobourg home despite living in Toronto for 40 years. He has researched Cobourg’s history for 50 years and is a passionate advocate for the history and architecture of Cobourg. After studying history and architecture at the University of Toronto, he worked for many years at the Toronto Historical Board and later Heritage Toronto. He is the recipient of several awards including the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement. He has authored two books including Cobourg, the Spirit of Place. During his formative years he came to know his neighbour John Weir Foote. Rob brings[...]

At our October meeting Paul Burnham will explore the history and the importance of the family farm in Northumberland. Anne and Paul Burnham opened the Burnham Family Farm Market in 1994 and have been supplying the Cobourg area with local vegetables and produce ever since. Much of their seasonable fruits and vegetables are grown on their sixth-generation family farm, located between Cobourg and Port Hope on County Road 2. The Burnham family were among the first farmers in the Cobourg area. Their family has been influential in Northumberland farming, industry and politics for over two centuries. The history of farming[...]

Our September meeting will explore the importance of newspapers in Cobourg from the perspective of two local news­paper reporters: Robert Washburn and Wally Keeler. Robert Washburn is an award-winning educator in the Journalism Program at Loyalist College where he teaches new and emerging technologies in journalism. A practicing journalist for 40+ years, he is well known locally for his weekly current affairs radio show Consider This Northumberland. Robert worked full-time at the Cobourg Star from 1988 to 1997. He continued to work in the community as a columnist, part-time reporter, and advocate for local news. Wally Keeler, in the 1960s and 1970s,[...]

Join us as we drive/carpool our way to Brighton, Ontario’s Owen Gibb Community Hall on Tuesday, May 28, to hear Brighton resident and historian Dan Buchanan, The History Guy, present the history of the Murray Canal which is a part of the Trent-Severn waterway. It is a story that is both complex and compelling. The presentation will begin at 10:30am at The Owen Gibb Community Hall, King Edward Park Complex, 75 Elizabeth Street in Brighton. Copies of Dan’s latest book – A History of the Murray Canal – will be available for purchase. Following the presentation, we will meet for lunch at[...]

Our April 23 meeting will begin with the Cobourg and District Historical Society’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). We will receive several reports on our 2023-2024 activities, have an opportunity to learn the details of CDHS finances and elect officers for 2024-2025. There are further details in this newsletter’s Member Matters section. The AGM will be followed by a Member Show & Tell Members are invited to bring something of historical interest such as jewelry, letters, family diaries, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, medals of family members, unusual old tools and documents or any other treasures to display for fellow members to see and admire.[...]

D'Arcy Jenish is a playwright and writer of magazine features, newspaper commentary, speeches, corporate histories and corporate reports. He has authored three plays & ten books on topics ranging from the opening the Canadian West to The Making of the October Crisis to The NHL: 100 Years of On-ice Action and Boardroom Battles to Money to Burn: Trudeau, Mulroney and the Bankruptcy of Canada. Born in a Montréal hotel room on November 26, 1917, the NHL has endured two world wars, the Great Depression, the failure of numerous franchises and the predations of the short-lived World Hockey Association. Today it is one of North America’s[...]

Father Frances Patrick Duffy, born in Cobourg on May 2, 1871, was a Canadian/American soldier, Catholic Priest and military Chaplain. Duffy served as Chaplain for the US 69th Infantry Regiment in WWI. His exploits were of such renown that a very large statue of him was erected in Father Duffy Square in New York City. Father Duffy’s story will be told by Randy Barber and will include a video produced by local reporter Pete Fisher. Randy resided in Markham with his wife Solveig for over 40 years. Between 1994 and 2000 he served as Ward Councillor for the Town of[...]

Cobourg was first called Amherst and then Hard Scrabble. By the 1820s the name was changed to Cobourg. Some streets were named after prominent early citizens, some for ancestral heritage and some by business people. Commencing in the latter 20th century new streets were often named after former Cobourg Mayors Peter Delanty will present the history of Cobourg as told by our street names. Peter , Mayor of Cobourg 2000 – 2010, is a former school principal and recipient of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. His past and continuing commitment to many organizations and causes, include his position as[...]

Janet Kellough has written and appeared in numerous stage productions that feature a fusion of storytelling and music. As well, she is the author of seven books in the Ontario history based Thaddeus Lewis Mystery Series, the fifth book of which, Wishful Seeing was short-listed for the 2017 Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award and subsequently developed into a play of the same name by Ontario’s 4th Line Theatre. She has also written two contemporary novels and the speculative fiction thriller The Bathwater Conspiracy, which was nominated for a 2019 Alberta Book Publishing Award. As a[...]

Our distinguished speaker, Roger Litwiller, is a Canadian author, historian and lecturer. He has written two books, White Ensign Flying and Warships of the Bay of Quinte as well as numerous articles for magazines and newspapers. HMCS Cobourg was a modified Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic as a convoy escort and was named for Cobourg, Ontario. Roger served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve, working with cadets and his civilian career was as a Paramedic for 37 years. Following his retirement from Paramedicine, the Canadian[...]