North Grenville Historical Society

North Grenville Historical Society Connecting historians of North Grenville, young & old, amateur to expert, and everyone in between! Some local history, a bit of humour & so much to learn!

Perhaps you are a certified history buff, perhaps you've always loved history but find yourself too busy to spend much time seeking it out, or perhaps you've never been into it but are interested in the place you now find yourself living! In any case, feel free to message this page with your comments, contributions and queries, and someone from the NGHS will do his or her very best to answer them!

..as for a description of the Society itself, the following is an excerpt from the Collections Canada website:
"The North Grenville Historical Society is a new organization resulting from the amalgamation in the year 2001 of the Oxford-on-Rideau (1982) and Kemptville and District Historical (1986) Societies. The North Grenville Historical Society's mandate is to collect and preserve the histories of all parts of North Grenville Township, to promote and preserve the heritage of the area and to provide research materials for anyone with an interest in local history or in genealogy. The North Grenville Archives is operated by the North Grenville Historical Society. Their collection includes: microfilm containing records from the Weekly Advance, early township records, census records, voters lists, school registers, etc. Their Web site contains a transcription of the diary of 1791 diary of Jesse Pennoyer, the Deputy Provincial Surveyor for Upper Canada as well as notes on the diary." Finally, don't forget to go to www.ngtimes.ca to find archived copies of North Grenville's local newspaper and all of the local history articles inside of it, as well as the NGHS website at www.northgrenvillesociety.ca where you can find archived copies of the Journal and Quarterly for your enjoyment!

05/29/2026
NEXT PUBLIC MEETING - 22 APRIL 2026American eel (Tiawerón:ko) abundance has decreased over 99% in the rivers and streams...
03/25/2026

NEXT PUBLIC MEETING - 22 APRIL 2026

American eel (Tiawerón:ko) abundance has decreased over 99% in the rivers and streams of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa watershed over the past 50 years. Dr. Mary Ann Perron, Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow on the Research and Community Engagement team at the River Institute, in Cornwall, and Abraham Francis, a Mohawk from Akwesasane and Vice-President/Director of the Aronia Collective, will speak on this endangered species once plentiful in our waters and an important food source for indigenous peoples throughout history.

Meeting starts at 7:00 pm, 22 April, doors open at 6:30. All welcome. Refreshments.

03/11/2026

Hub closed today and Public Meeting tonight postponed due to unpredictable weather. We regret having to make this decision, but freezing rain is tricky..

Once again this year, the Society will be participating in the Downtown BIA Bunny Hop. This year the craft will be asse...
03/03/2026

Once again this year, the Society will be participating in the Downtown BIA Bunny Hop. This year the craft will be assembling and decorating a traditional pinwheel. There will also be candy for the kids, of course. The event lasts from 10:00 am to 12:00, but we will be glad to see you anytime after 10:00 am while supplies last. See you then.

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Public Meeting 11 March 2026Dr. Forrest Pass, of Library and Archives Canada, will give a talk on John Condell. This lo...
02/27/2026

Public Meeting 11 March 2026

Dr. Forrest Pass, of Library and Archives Canada, will give a talk on John Condell. This local cabinetmaker also had a side gig inventing and making artificial limbs: he took out two Canadian patents in the 1850s and 1860s, won prizes at provincial exhibitions, and even engaged an agent in Montreal to market his prostheses there and in the United States. Eventually the side gig became his main occupation and he relocated to New York City, where he manufactured artificial arms and legs for maimed veterans of the American Civil War. His company passed to his son, Kemptville-born Archelaus, who kept it going into the 1920s. A neat convergence of craft and disability history, with some unusual asides.

The meeting will start at &:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm). Refreshments. All welcome.

The next public meeting of the Society will be held later this month than usual to co-incide with Heritage Week. The th...
02/02/2026

The next public meeting of the Society will be held later this month than usual to co-incide with Heritage Week. The theme of the importance of all aspects of heritage will be explored by our Historian Emeritus, Dr. David Shanahan. The meeting will start at 7:00, doors open at 6:30. Refreshments. All welcome.

Our first public meeting of the year will feature a talk by our own Director of Archives, Amanda Gould, and Mylène Lerou...
12/27/2025

Our first public meeting of the year will feature a talk by our own Director of Archives, Amanda Gould, and Mylène Leroux. For months, these two professional paper conservators have been working on restoring an issue of Kemptville's earliest newspaper, The Progressionist. You will see an image of the front page during the restoration process in the centre of the attached poster. The newspaper was dated 20 October 1858, a mere four years after the first printing press arrived in town, The other two images on the poster show details from the only other copy of this publication known to exist, now in the collection of Library and Archives Canada. Amanda and Mylène will tell us how they rescued this rare document revealing Kemptville's past.

Talk begins at 7:00 pm, on 14 January 2026; doors open at 6:30; all welcome; refreshments.
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Address

148 Prescott Street, Post Office Box 1239
Kemptville, ON
K0G1J0

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 3pm
Thursday 11am - 3pm
Friday 11am - 3pm
Saturday 11am - 2pm

Telephone

+16132584401

Website

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