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Jim And Lisa GilbertSarnia Observer |
I know a lot of people, if they found a beat-up, bedraggled circus poster from the 1900s, would toss it in a dumpster without hesitation. I know a lot...
In the last year or so, there has been consternation, fear and helplessness with regards to Chatham's downtown, amid reports of young people and the...
I first heard about mastodons in our area when reading a small volume entitled The Recollections of Edwin Bassett Jones. Imagine looking out of your...
In a December 1922 issue of the old Chatham Daily Planet, there were a number of articles I found interesting. In a December 1922 issue of the old...
In a late 1922 issue of the Chatham Planet, I found a number of rather interesting articles. In a late 1922 issue of the Chatham Planet, I found a...
The year is 1838 and the once-prosperous, fertile farms of early French Canadian settlers near the mouth of the Thames River are in deep water. Any...
In early days of rail travel, delays were the rule rather than the exception. “The scene presented after the collision was a horrible one....
Continuing my recent theme, I'm exploring two other aspects of Chatham-Kent’s fascinating history that I suspect many people don't know about....
Local farmers tried to ban them on weekends, while horse breeders and sellers opposed their growing popularity at every turn. Local farmers tried to...
I've decided to ease the winter blues by providing some short, but very interesting historical facts about Chatham-Kent history. I’ve decided to...
Years ago, I was skimming through the Chatham Tri-Weekly Planet editions from the late 1870s and an odd headline caught my eye. Years ago, I was...
I’m launching Did You Know?, a new series of columns over the next few weeks that will make you a hit at all the events you’ll surely want to...
In the past I have talked about James Couzens who was born in Chatham but made a real name for himself working for Henry Ford in the very earliest...
A month or so ago, I was musing that the origins of Halloween were “a delicious blend of pagan and Christian traditions.”
The very earliest Europeans to our area celebrated Christmas, if they celebrated it at all, in very simple ways. The earliest Europeans to our area...
The first thing most Canadians think of when they think of holiday greenery is the Christmas tree. The first thing most Canadians think of when they...
The pagan custom of decorating with winter greenery was readily absorbed into early Christian culture despite resistance from some church leaders who...
He ran out of the William Pitt Hotel, down Sixth Street toward the Cenotaph and into McGregor’s Creek, where he disappeared under the water. His...
It's November and almost all hockey teams in all leagues are back on ice. It’s November and almost all hockey teams in all leagues are back on ice. ...
On June 12, 1908, a Chatham doctor was called out to do a house call (Remember those? Neither do I) on the Prince Albert Road just outside the city....
People seem to like to go for a stroll in the cemetery near Halloween on cool, moonless, pitch-black nights. People seem to like to go for a stroll in...
Historic cemeteries seem to not frighten us away but instead beckon us to come and visit, and learn about those who went before us! The wind...
If you are of a certain age, the mere mention of Boblo Island Amusement Park will certainly bring back fond memories and endless summer afternoons...
If you are of a certain age, the mere mention of Boblo Island Amusement Park will certainly bring back fond memories and endless summer afternoons...
Ever held a chicken by its wings and watched while your grandmother cut off its head with a butcher knife? Ever held a chicken by its wings and...