Glencoe & District Historical Society

06/23/2026

In 1977, Quebec became the first jurisdiction in the world to prohibit discrimination in the public and private sectors based on sexual orientation. And with these photos of the graduating class of 1977, we bid that school year adieu.

06/16/2026

1977 was a legendary year in Canadian music, marked by the release of future classics and breakthrough local stars. Canadians, including these Glencoe District High School students, also enjoyed the music of Peter Frampton, Barbra Streisand and Fleetwood Mac that topped the charts that year.

06/15/2026

Dr. Cody Groat, Assistant Professor in History and Indigenous Studies, has been appointed by UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany to serve a four-year term on the International Advisory Committee (IAC) for the Memory of the World Programme.
Details: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GEatieTbD/.

Dr. Cody Groat shared a deeply personal and powerful presentation about the Sixties Scoop through the story of his late father, Bill Groat. About 45 people attended this moving presentation. Cody's story inspired others to share theirs.

A survivor of this dark chapter in Canadian history, Cody's father, Bill, was a Kanyen'kehaka (Mohawk) child raised in a foster home in Newbury, Ontario, before returning to his biological parents—survivors of the Indian Residential School System—in London, Ontario. Here is Dr. Cody Groat and Reta Hart after presentation at the Glencoe Library.

06/15/2026

Friday, June 12, 2026 was a gift — one of those days when you set out to explore and come home knowing you’ve made connections that will last. The Heritage Day in North Middlesex brought together some of the most vibrant archivists, artists, and community builders in this region. Here's the full report: https://glencoehistoricalsociety.ca/event/june12/

Final stop: My final stop was the Presbyterian Heritage Centre in Carlisle, where Ian Mason welcomed me warmly. I had missed the three mini organ concerts held earlier in the day — but I did get to play the organ myself.

06/09/2026

While some of these Glencoe District High School students may have just been learning to drive, Gilles Villeneuve made his Formula One debut in 1977 at the British Grand Prix. He was the first Canadian driver in the top formula.

06/04/2026

Save the Date: Join us on July 26 for the Willey Cemetery Memorial Service. Re-enactors from the UTMRS will be in attendance to honour the fallen. Please bring lawn chairs.

06/02/2026

The Toronto Blue Jays become Major League Baseball's second Canadian team in 1977, something that was no doubt enjoyed by members of the Glencoe District High School student body.

05/26/2026

On October 17, 1977, the proceedings of the Canadian House of Commons were televised for the first time. Perhaps these Glencoe District High School students of the day were not glued to the screen to watch it but the decision made Canada an early adopter of broadcasting the proceedings of a national legislature.

05/21/2026

The means of moving cattle has changed greatly over the years. While transports or trucks with trailers may be used in 2026, in the early 1900s there was no means of getting animals between fields or to the cattle pens at the Train Station other than moving them across fields and down roads. In this photo taken looking south from the tracks, a herd is moved on Glencoe's Main St. Photo courtesy, Harold Carruthers Collection

05/20/2026

Twenty-five folk gathered at the Glencoe Library for Kae Elgie's presentation on her book, This Land: the Story of Two Hundred Acres in Kent County, Ontario.

Drawing from extensive research preserved by her ancestors and combined with her own deep dive into census and land records, archaeological findings, and historical texts, Elgie told the remarkable story of 10,000 years of food gathering and agricultural production on the 200-acre farm in Chatham-Kent where she grew up. Her narrative began with the melting of the ice at the end of the last Ice Age and moved through several eras of Indigenous occupation before arriving at the story of her own family's place on the land.