Additional information
by Jim Gilbert (Author), Lisa Gilbert (Author)
In 1895, the bustling town of Chatham, Ontario--then 8,000 strong--celebrated cityhood some 100 years after the first European settlers put down roots where McGregor's Creek meets the Thames River. Carefully curated from the surviving negatives of the Chatham Daily News and other collections of the Chatham-Kent Museum, A Chatham-Kent Tapestry uses photographs to tell the remarkable history of one of the oldest communities in Upper Canada. From its origins as a naval dockyard and its role as an Underground Railroad terminus to the sugar beet fields and the factories of Gray-Dort, this stunning visual history captures the men and women who built Chatham at work and at play, weathering the changes of life in Ontario's industrial heartland. Meticulously researched and handsomely designed, A Chatham-Kent Tapestry: A Visual History to 1950 is a "must-have" book for all who call this city home, and local history lovers everywhere.
Back Jacket
Like the pieces of a patchwork quilt, Kent County's ten townships, together with the city of Chatham, make up the richly-varied municipality we know today as Chatham-Kent. Beginning with records preserved from the mid-19th century, A Chatham-Kent Tapestry carefully curates photographs from the Chatham-Kent Museum and other community archive collections, as well as surviving negatives from the Chatham Daily News, to tell the remarkable story of one of the oldest communities in Upper Canada. From early waterway settlements to the arrival of railroads that stitched communities together, to the sugar beet fields and swaths of corn and wheat, the sugar factories and glassworks, to the rise of the oil, gas, and automotive industries, this evocative collection lovingly honours the parts that form the whole, weaving together the varied identities of Chatham-Kent's communities and the history they share. Meticulously researched and handsomely designed, A Chatham-Kent Tapestry: A Visual History to 1950 is an indispensable book for all who call the municipality home, and for lovers of local history everywhere.
Author Biography
Jim and Lisa Gilbert have been bringing local history to life for almost 40 years, in Chatham-Kent. They have won local, regional, national and international awards for their radio shows, newspaper columns, historical presentations and other heritage programming. Their living history festival - Heritage Days: The Faire at the Forks was the largest of its kind in Canada. They spearheaded a campaign to bring greater recognition to the Tecumseh Monument. They have served on committees, boards and organizations throughout their lives which help to bring recognition to Chatham-Kent's rich history. They hope this book does that as well.
