Flamborough Archives & Heritage Society

08/28/2026

Did you know part of the 3rd Concession was never finished because surveyors accidentally drew it straight across the vertical face of the Niagara Escarpment?

Discover the wild engineering challenges of building the eastern section of Dundas Street, bridging Grindstone Creek, and what existed here before Waterdown was even a village. All at our latest blog post!

In September 1806, a block of 80,000 acres that lay beyond the eastern boundary of East Flamborough Township was finally purchased from the Mississauga First Nation for £1,000. During his years in Upper Canada, Lt.-Gov. John Graves Simcoe honoured the Mississauga’s land rights, but finally, an ag...

08/26/2026

Local Legends and Lore

Step back in time to the historic Post Office and the beloved Pause Awater Tea Room - complete with mystical red-haired visitors, and the enduring charm of Waterdown's most iconic 1850s landmark.

While the archives preserve the dates and deeds of the past, the character of our village is found within the walls of its landmarks. Long before its days as the beloved Pause Awhile Tea Room, the landmark frame building at 31 Main Street South stood as a bustling hub of community life and communica...

08/21/2026

🫖 Finding the right balance - and a few extra seats!

When we launched tickets for Pause Awhile: Legacy in a Teacup, we wanted to make sure everyone had a fair shot at joining us, especially long-time community members who prefer picking up tickets in person over buying online.

To protect those local sales, we held back a section of tickets for the Archives and Jitterbug Cafe.

If you were waiting for an opportunity to purchase, a fresh handful is live right now!

🎟️ Reserve your seat online:
https://www.flamboroughhistory.com/legacy/

(In-person tickets remain available at the Jitterbug Cafe while supplies last!)

08/21/2026

Who remembers grabbing a basket of fresh, hot fish and chips from a giant double-decker bus?

Launched at the Twilight Market in 1996, "Friar Tuck’s" was a beloved fixture at the Thursday Farmer's Market and Clappison’s Corners. The bus was sold a decade ago - but do you know where it is today? Help us solve the mystery!

Eye-catching vehicle was named after Kevin Jobb's grandfather John Tuck, a vendor at the original Twilight Market Kevin Jobb digs into a carton of Friar Tuck's French fries at the Flamborough Farmer’s Market.Flamborough Archives - Flamborough Review collection LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE: A double-deck...

08/20/2026

Our Guenther Dollhouse project is officially complete and safely moved to its new location in the Waterdown Library!

If you've spent any time in the archives over the last year, you know this custom doll house took up a significant amount of space. While we're definitely breathing a sigh of relief to have our workspace back, we're also going to miss the magic it brought. That dollhouse was an accidental magnet - it stopped every wanderer in their tracks, sparked conversations, and introduced new faces to the archives who might not have found us otherwise.

A project of this scale took an incredible team of dedicated volunteers showing up in all sorts of capacities. A massive thank you to everyone who lent a hand, from engineering and building the custom white vitrine base to coordinating the heavy lifting and carefully transporting the house to its new home.

It’s a bittersweet farewell from our tables, but it is ready for its next chapter. Drop by the library to check out all the intricate details up close!

08/19/2026

Did you know Flamborough once had a park dedicated to the beloved "People's Princess"? 🌳👑 In our archivist Lyn's latest "Remember This" column, she takes a nostalgic look back at the history behind Diana, Princess of Wales Park.

Read the full story on FlamboroughToday, the source of our screenshot.

What are your memories of visiting this local green space over the years? Let us know below!

08/14/2026

When Governor Simcoe left Upper Canada, his military road almost reverted right back to wilderness. 🪓

Find out how a clever plan involving land grants to the Queen's Rangers (including the local Cope family) saved Dundas Street from 'oblivion' and drew the area's very first settlers. Read more on our latest blog post!

With his surveyor Augustus Jones and accompanied by guide Jean Baptiste Rousseau, who would later settle in Ancaster, Lt.-Gov. John Graves Simcoe selected the exact place where the construction of…

08/14/2026

We've published our speaker lineup for the upcoming season!

This year we’ve put together six very different talks. They run monthly on Thursday nights from October through April.

As always, every presentation is completely free and open to everyone.

Head over to www.flamboroughhistory.com to see the full list of dates, speakers, and topics. Hope to see you there!

08/12/2026

Upcoming Closure Notice

The Flamborough Archives will be closed for two weeks starting Monday, August 24, through Monday, September 7. We will reopen for regular hours on Tuesday, September 8.

If you have research plans or need access to archival material before the break, please get in touch with us by Friday, August 21.

Thank you for your understanding!

08/12/2026

Local Legends & Lore

Midnight explosions and an exchange of gunfire through the bedroom floor was the early morning scene of a private bank raid - explore the dramatic true history of Waterdown's most infamous bank robbery.

History is more than old ledgers and municipal records – it lives on in the dramatic events that unfolded right on our historic corners. Long before other businesses defined this site, the n…