Gail Parker is pictured outside the Heritage Centre in Chesterville with a copy of “The Time That Was” which chronicles the story of Chesterville since its beginning until 1977. Courtesy photo
CHESTERVILLE – A committee of the Chesterville and District Historical Society composed of local residents and members of the CDHS are working together to produce an update of the history of Chesterville Ontario. Led by Gail Parker, the committee includes Maryke DeJong, Shelagh Derks, Carol Goddard, Ashley Harper, Corrie McRae and Pauline van Kessel who are planning to chronicle the history of this small North Dundas community since the CDHS last produced an update to the 1977 “The Time That Was” in the latter part of the 1980’s.
“The Time That Was”, a history of Chesterville and area, was published in 1977 as the village’s Tweedsmuir History to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the local W.I. branch. Compiled by the Heritage Committee of the Chesterville Women’s Institute, this book provides the reader with the history and stories of this North Dundas community and is the Tweedsmuir History of Chesterville.
In 1989, an update to “The Time That Was” which covered the history of Chesterville between 1977 and 1987 entitled “A History of Chesterville & District 1977-1987: A Supplement to The Time That Was” was published.
In early January 2020, the CDHS decided it was time to provide an update to the history of this community and the committee was struck. Over the past few months, the group has met by teleconference to discuss the parameters of the work, researching and reaching out to local businesses and personalities in the Chesterville area. It is hoped the information will be received by the end of June 2020. Compiling and writing the book will subsequently commence, with an anticipated publication date of later this year. For further information, please contact the CDHS at chestervillehistoricalsociety@gmail.com or Gail Parker at tommyandgail@hotmail.com.
