Historian Christopher Dummitt will guide us through the complexities and controversies surrounding recent high-profile cases of historical renaming. Why do partial truths so often replace a more nuanced understanding of the past? Why is it so difficult to resist the growing calls for de-commemoration? Most importantly, how can those of us who want to honour Canada’s history be both responsible citizens today and faithful stewards of the heroes and stories that have shaped our shared past. Dr. Christopher Dummitt is a Professor of Canadian Studies at Trent University and the author of a number of books including Unbuttoned: A History of[...]

On Friday, February 20, 1959, 14,000 employees were immediately fired and sent home, after a project they had been working on since 1953, was abruptly cancelled. That project was the military, supersonic, advanced interceptor, the Avro Arrow. Our speaker, Palmiro Campagna, is a retired professional engineer and author of four books. Palmiro has had thousands of records declassified including many that are Secret and Top Secret. Palmiro’s presentation will discuss some of the myths and misconceptions that the documents have clarified. Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, for an informative presentation in Cobourg’s Victoria Hall. Doors open at 7:00[...]

Our May meeting features dinner and a presentation of tales of Cobourg by Tammy Robinson. She will recount tales of historic Cobourg that are true, tales that may be true and others that are decidedly questionable. Tammy has been the CEO of the Cobourg Public Library for the last 11 years and has 26 years of library experience. Prior to accepting the position in Cobourg, she worked at the Oshawa Public Library and the Toronto Reference Library. Tammy was also an instructor at Durham College in the Library Technician’s Program. Prior to her career as a librarian, she spent a[...]

Rebellion boxes are small, handcrafted wooden boxes made by prisoners from the Rebellion of 1837 as they awaited in jail for their trials. Retired teacher Darryl Withrow will present these unique artifacts and their fascinating stories at our March meeting. Darryl first encountered rebellion boxes almost 20 years ago at a display of the palm-sized boxes at St. Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto. This discovery ignited a passion in Darryl and his wife, leading them on an ongoing quest to find these boxes and uncover the stories of the men who crafted them. What began as a display of thirty-nine[...]

There have been four correctional centres in Northumberland County: the Cobourg Jail, Brookside Training School, Millbrook Institution, and Warkworth Institution. Only one remains. The histories of these prisons and their practices point to society’s limited knowledge of how to rehabilitate prisoners and mould them into functioning members of society. Cobourg resident John L. Hill has practiced his specialty of prison law in each of them. Hill obtained an Hon. B.A. and M.A. in political science and a J.D. in Law from Queen’s University. He also earned a LL.M. in Constitutional Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. He taught Prison Law[...]

The Cobourg Garden Club was founded in February 1859, over a year before Victoria Hall was opened. At our January meeting, Sarah Holland will review some projects and highlights of the Club’s history, up to this year, its 165thanniversary. She will explain what gardeners were doing in those early days, who was involved, what they grew, why they grew those particular plants and the great interest shown in attending Cobourg’s annual flower shows. Sarah trained as an auctioneer and appraiser in England before coming to Canada with her husband in the early 1970s. She was the Decorative Arts Specialist for[...]

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[...]