History to the People

Like many of you, I have been riveted by what has been transpiring in Egypt over the last few days and hope this conflict comes to a speedy and safe conclusion. I know this story is a day old now, but I still wanted to show how vulnerable history and heritage protection can be in the wake of a political and social crisis no matter where it happens.

Reports are coming out of Egypt of how looters have tried to make their way into many locations from the Cairo Museum to the tombs of Saqqara to “steal” back Egypt’s history and keep it from leaving the country. Yet, there are other stories of young people rushing to defend places from looters like the Bibliotheca Alexandria, which contains some of Egypt’s oldest and most culturally significant heritage artifacts. In the wake of political crisis, it is difficult to determine just how truthful any allegations are. Yet, it raises a very interesting question about who is “in charge” of heritage protection. Is it the political system? Is it academics who tell us what is historically important? Or in this case, in the words of Dr. Zahi Hawass, is it the responsibility of all people of the world? regardless, it is an interesting look into the political motivations and values of cultural heritage of a nation whether it is Egypt or anywhere else.

For more about the situation in Alexandria, here is a link to an article by Benedicte Page for the Guardian Newspaper.

Hello everyone,

It has always been a pleasure to have been interviewed throughout my career on various projects I have been involved with. But, when it comes down to being interviewed by a fellow heritage professional on working in the industry…well that surely ranks as a “top 10″ event for sure.

I was recently interviewed by my colleague and fellow “warrior in heritage”, Kayla Jonas, for her wonderful blog Adventures in Heritage. That interview was posted today on her blog and you can read it right here. This is part of series of interviews Kayla is conducting over the next several weeks with people who are involved in many aspects of the heritage industry. Please check it out. And while you are there, read through Kayla’s posts. Adventures in Heritage is a great blog and I applaude both Kayla’s work and insight into built heritage.

Photo Credit: North Vancouver Museum Association

Much has been made in recent years about the war effort on the home front in Canada from 1939 to 1945. Stories are now emerging about war bond fundraising efforts on the Prairies, Ontario hospitals training new nurses to specifically serve overseas and a number of “Rosie the Riveter” type recollections in the ammunitions factories all across Canada. With the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian Navy having occurred in 2010, other home front stories are now getting more attention. Canadian men and women worked side by side during the war years to build naval destroyers, corvettes, and supply ships. One such place that churned out a large number of those supply ships was the Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  (more…)

Photo Credit: Ian Boyle

So, have the Canadian winter blues hit you yet? Are you yearning for somewhere exotic, all inclusive, and away from all the snow, rain, and bone-chilling cold? A recent CBC news story talked about how travel agents are run off their feet every year in the month of January as they book Canadians on holidays to the fun and sun. For many of those Canadian sun seekers, a cruise is what they opt for. Whether it be a Caribbean, Mediterranean, Baltic, South Seas or Alaskan cruise they seek, their ability to partake in these cruises is in thanks due to a very small group of people throughout history who created the cruise ship industry. But perhaps the most influential of them all is a man who was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia over two centuries ago. His name was Samuel Cunard.   (more…)

Photo Credit: Gavin Stevenson

Ever since Robert (Bob) Swanson passed away I’ve wanted to write a story about him. So now that I have this site dedicated to topics in Canadian heritage and history, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tell you a little bit about this remarkable man. His name might not be familiar if you live on the Prairies or even in Ontario or Quebec. Yet, if you’ve ever sailed on a coastal or lake ferry in foggy, rough water anywhere in the world, or heard a train’s shrilling horn as you approach a railway crossing, you have this man to thank. In 1949, Swanson patented the multi chimed air horn which revolutionised how horns are used on trains and ships around the world. This invention has saved thousands of lives worldwide and he was a Canadian from Nanaimo, British Columbia.  (more…)

Photo Credit: Toronto Public Library Archives

In our next instalment in The Great Canadian Architects series, we head back to Toronto where many great architects produced a number of beautiful buildings, many of which are municipal, provincial or national heritage sites. As promised from my story on Casa Loma, this feature will look at the works of Edward James Lennox who built over 70 buildings in the city of Toronto ranging in style from Richardson Romanesque, Neo-Classical, Gothic Revival and Beaux Arts. However, Lennox is most remembered for bringing the Richardson Romanesque style to life and helped develop the growth of Canada’s largest city.  (more…)

For those of you who live around the GTA or in southwest Ontario, there is an upcoming workshop I wanted to tell you about taking place on February 11th. It is the 14th annual Grand River Watershed Heritage Day Workshop and Celebration being held at the Breslau Community Centre from 8:30am to 5:00pm. It is a free event, with a buffet lunch included and the day is capped off with a reception at the Runways Café in the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.

For more information about topics covered and how to register please see the  Workshop Poster. Registrations will be taken until February 4th or until the Workshop reaches capacity. I hope to see you there!

Photo Credit: Brock House

Having done my undergrad in architectural history, I am fascinated by architects in general and one of my favourites has always been the work of west coast architect, Samuel Maclure. The more I learn about and practice the art and methods of architectural renderings and landscape design, the more I come to appreciate Maclure’s work. The previous chapter of our Great Canadian Architects series profiled one of British Columbia’s greatest institutional architects of the early twentieth century, F.M. Rattenbury. So, this chapter will look at British Columbia’s greatest architect of private residences of the same period, Samuel Maclure. The two men often competed against each other for commissions and had even worked on a couple of projects together as co-architects. But, Rattenbury and Maclure could not have been more opposite from each other in almost every aspect from training to achievements to their domestic lives. Maclure was the early “Canadian Dream” in many respects: he was BC born, he was a completely self-taught architect, and his marriage was something that could have made a perfect Hollywood love story. And more importantly, Maclure leaves us a multitude of brilliant examples of west coast inspired Tudor Revival and Arts and Crafts homes throughout southwest British Columbia, most of which are now municipally designated heritage buildings.

Note: Just a fair warning to you all, the following story is a bit long and contains LOTS of photos. When it comes to my love and appreciation of Samuel Maclure, it appears that I just can’t shut up about him!!!  (more…)

Photo Credit: Chris Keen

As Christine showed us in our last posting of Traditional Family Recipes, anyone can take a recipe given to them and pass it down to members of their own family for generations to come. Now, our next recipe in the series looks at how an old favourite can come from a foreign land and become adapted to new environments and food selections.  The spirit of the dish is still present, but its contents may vary slightly based on the local ingredients available. This week’s recipe comes to us from June who was born to Finnish immigrants who fished and lived in a Finnish speaking community along the banks of British Columbia’s Fraser River called Finn Slough.  (more…)

The decorations have been put up, the baking completed and gifts all wrapped. Now, I just wanted to take a moment to write a quick note to wish everyone out there a very safe and Happy Holiday season.  Thank you for your continued support of this site and I look forward to posting new stories soon and, as always, I love reading your comments and suggestions.

So from our house to your’s, the very best  of the season to you all and much health, success and happiness in 2011, no matter what your hopes and dreams are!

Cheers,

Laura