A Remarkable Achievement

The County of Hastings Museum was officially opened at 2 o’clock on Wednesday the 9th of August 1961. County Warden Harleigh Hamilton cut the ribbon on the door of the old county Land Registry Office on Church Street in Belleville and in his remarks paid high tribute to the Society’s president Gerald E. Boyce (extreme right).  The City of Belleville’s Mayor MacLean Haig termed the museum a “remarkable achievement” on the part of the dedicated members of the Hastings County Historical Society. (image from the Society’s collection.  Research by Katharine Mills)

Educational Outreach

Since its founding the Society has worked with many students and school groups.  Shown left, a student displays an exhibit on Marmora’s pioneering iron works at St Theresa Catholic Secondary School's Renaissance Society’s first student conference in 2006.

Hastings County Historical Society volunteers have participated in the Renaissance Society’s annual conference since that conference’s inception in 2006 and Renaissance Society members continue to participate in the Historical Society’s events. (image from Society’s collection. Roll 510-Image 13A, research by Mary Jane Throop)

Buildings Research - Belleville’s Heritage

In 1977 I was one of a group of seven women from the Historical Society who decided to research all the pre-1880 buildings in Belleville.  Each of us took an area of Belleville to study and research.  After many hours in the registry office, in the vault at city hall with the Assessment Rolls and in the library’s Canadiana Room - the booklet “Belleville’s Heritage” was ready in time for Belleville’s Centennial Celebrations in 1978!!!

Although we all had moved to Belleville as adults, by the time we had compiled our second booklet in 1983 we felt we had always been a part of this beautiful city and have been very protective of its past and future. (image from Society’s collection. Story by Lois Foster)