Craigleith Heritage Depot

06/24/2026

Please note we are closed today, as our staff, Board, and Arts & Culture Council come together for a strategic planning workshop.

Thank you for your understanding as we work together to plan the future of your community hubs!

06/22/2026

105 years ago, a devastating fire took place on Main Street in Heathcote. On the night of June 22nd, a fire broke out from the storeroom of Creighton Lougheed’s general store. The fire was so great that its glow could be seen from Redwing. The flames consumed the building, burning it to the ground, and with it, the duplex building next-door, owned by Minnie Dales. Minnie lived by herself and rented the other half of the building to George and Lucy Swannell. Both Minnie and the Swannell family lost all of their possessions in this fire.

Dales was left with nothing but the clothes on her back, so she was taken in by Herb and Laura Maxwell, whom she lived with for the rest of her life. The fire also spread to the Methodist Manse, which was saved through a community effort of constant water buckets. In the aftermath of the fire, neighbors of the Swannell family put out a community collection and gathered enough funds to acquire a building located down the laneway just north of the bridge and furnish it as a home for the Swannell family.

The book "Heathcote 1921" by Jean Flynn provides a captivating retelling of this event, along with so much more on the history of Heathcote.

Pictured is the “Honey House” in the 1930’s, this building located at 236736 Grey County Rd 13 was previously used as an apiary and is the home that was acquired and furnished through a community effort for the Swannell family.
Taken from 2024-023-F01 Collection of the Craigleith Heritage Depot.
Also see page 57 of Heathcote 1921.

06/21/2026

June is National Indigenous History Month, and today is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to celebrate the rich cultures and enduring traditions of the many generations of communities who have resided, respected, and protected this land since time immemorial.

For further information about National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, and a link to events around the country please see the Government of Canada’s website here: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1708446948967

You can also check out the library’s online Indigenous resources page here: https://www.thebluemountainslibrary.ca/online-collections/indigenous-resources
To learn more about Indigenous History in the Blue Mountains, you can visit the Museum's online exhibits here: https://library.biblioboard.com/module/indigenous-history-and-culture
Watch our Reel History Films here: https://www.thebluemountainslibrary.ca/museum/reel-history-films

06/17/2026

Closure notice: Wednesday June 24th

All Blue Mountains Public Library locations will be closed as our staff, Board, and Arts & Culture Council come together for a strategic planning workshop.

Thank you for your understanding as we plan the future for your community hubs!

06/17/2026

Please note:
All Blue Mountains Public Library locations will be closed on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, as our staff, Board, and Arts & Culture Council come together for a strategic planning workshop.

Thank you for your understanding as we plan the future of your community hubs!

06/16/2026

Big thanks to the Collingwood Museum for sharing our Cultural Map in this wonderful post!

120 years ago in June 1906, Osler Castle was listed for sale in the Collingwood Saturday News. Located on the Niagara Escarpment in the area now known as Castle Glen Estates, this striking 14-room stone residence was built between 1893 and 1895 for Toronto lawyer Britton B. Osler and his wife, Caroline Smith. Designed by Collingwood architect Robert Burdette, the 340-acre estate offered spectacular views of the Nottawasaga Valley and Georgian Bay.

The castle was intended as a peaceful retreat for Caroline, who suffered from severe arthritis. Tragically, she visited only once before her death. Following Britton Osler’s passing in 1901, the property sat vacant and was placed for sale in the spring of 1906. Over the decades, the estate was reduced in size and the once-grand home fell into ruin. Today, only remnants of its stone foundations remain on private property, a lasting reminder of one of the region’s most fascinating lost landmarks.

Curious about Osler Castle? Explore the Town of Blue Mountains Cultural Map, created by our friends at the Craigleith Heritage Depot. Search for Osler Castle to discover the rich history of this historic estate and its lasting connection to our region. Click here to access the Cultural Map: https://www.thebluemountainslibrary.ca/museum/tbm-cultural-map

Collingwood Museum Collection, X971.654.1

Image: A gentleman, possibly Britton Bath Osler, stands in front of Osler Castle in this photograph taken around 1896–97.

06/15/2026

New additions have been made to the Cultural Map! One of our newest entries is the Thornbury Standard Chemical Works. A company whose founder was aboard the RMS Titanic during its infamous maiden voyage. The company established their Thornbury plant in 1909 near the mouth of the Beaver River and employed locals to extract chemicals from hardwood that had been shipped across Georgian Bay.

Please check out the Cultural Map to learn more about the Chemical Works and see more new additions, which you can find here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/9af30be38f5f432d93f14910d22c5d8d =id%3Add482b0b230c4780b8586be608fef34b-Library_CulturalMap_2827%3A124

Pictured is the east side of the Standard Chemical Works property, showing the water tower and workers surrounded by piled lumber with the Niagara Escarpment and Georgian Bay visible in the background.
2019-013-002 Collection of the Craigleith Heritage Depot.

06/12/2026

This photograph, taken 120 years ago shows members of the Ravenna baseball team. At the time, there were teams playing out of Ravenna, Banks, Redwing and the Tenth Line. Depending on who you ask, Ravenna was considered one of the best teams in the area. In the early days of the Ravenna baseball team, they played in the front farm field, owned by Willis Camplin and later moved to Ravenna Park.
When the number of players at Banks grew too small to field a team, many went to Ravenna. By the 1940’s, the Ravenna team became the Junior Farmers Ball Team who would go on to compete at the Ontario Junior Farmers Field Day, held in Guelph in 1946.

Pictured is the Ravenna Baseball team in 1906, left to right,
Back Row: Frank Brownlee, John Walters, George Badger (Umpire), Jack Buchanan, Bob Walters.
Middle Row: Angus Rusk, W.I. Fields, Dave Lawrence, C. Gardiner, Wilbert Collins, Tom H. Carefoot, Herb Conn.
Front Row: B.S. Carefoot, Roy Conn (Mascot), Bob Armstrong, Frank Fiegehen.
2016-076-324 Collection of the Craigleith Heritage Depot.

06/10/2026

The Legends of the Lilacs: The Paper Trail

For our final look into the mystery of the Craigleith lilacs, we look at the letters left behind by the women who actually lived at the station.

We have two fascinating clues:

1. Mrs. Wilson, wife of the very first Craigleith station master, wrote that she was gifted lilac bushes by Mrs. Fleming to brighten up the station because she was incredibly homesick for Scotland.
2.Another set of letters from an unnamed woman living at the station detailed how bare the property was, noting she was thinking of going "up to the old Fleming building to get some lilac bushes."

While this story has popped up in local newspapers for decades without official citations, it paints a beautiful picture of early community members sharing plants to make Ontario feel like home.

Today, these floral gems—which once sprawled across vast swathes of land—grace our museum grounds. They are a living, fragrant emblem of our community's history.

Next time you walk past the Museum and catch that sweet scent, remember the homesick pioneers, the historic families, and the whispers of history blooming right in front of you.



This image comes from the Kourey-Knapman Collection. It shows shows lilacs from the Depot Fine Dining property, CIRCA 1980s.