TREASURE TROVE
News
95 years ago, Regent public school was built. Recently a time capsule was discovered during demolition of that, one of the area's oldest schools and now Huronia Museum has a historical
Posted By SHARON WEATHERALL
Posted 1 month ago
Almost a century ago a group of students and community members gathered at the construction site of a new Midland school to launch a message into the future.
The recent demolition of Regent School has uncovered the historical treasure that's remained frozen in time for 95 years. Behind the fallen brick, newspapers, a photograph and building plans had laid waiting to tell the story of life when the old school was new.
The precious materials from the 1915 Time Capsule' have been handed over to the Huronia Museum in Midland for safekeeping.
"We had hoped there was a Time capsule and during the demolition process people looked behind the date stone but there was nothing there so they moved it away. Then as the machine went down someone saw something fall," said curator Jamie Hunter.
"Behind the stone several items had been put in loose, not in a strong box or wooden box to protect them -amazing they all survived without damage over the years. A copy of the one newspaper was damaged slightly from the machinery during the demolition but other than that everything was in excellent condition."
When the materials were uncovered two weeks ago by Murray's Demolition Company, they were handed over to Raytheon Alcan Optical Technologies and George MacDonald and Mike Riggins at the company had a meeting with Hunter.
Alcan has acquired the property with plans of future expansion. While the date stone will be used there as some type of monument to honour Regent School, the other materials will be copied, photographed and either returned to Alcan or remain at the museum.
Behind the date stone was one silver emulsion photograph taken in 1891, of students at the Third Street Midland School -where town hall stands today. There was a 1915 Daily Mail & Empire Toronto newspaper, dated Monday May 24.
This was the laying of the stone date but the school was not actually ready until September that year. There was also a Midland Free Press' -the closest local newspaper, dated Thursday May 20, 1915 and bearing front page coverage stories about WWI. The top story entitled Gunner Brown, Ernie Osborne and the Wiles Boys Safe -others Wounded or Missing' featured details of the Langemarck Battle in which only 320 Canadians out of 1,132 escaped.
A nxious Midland parents of missing soldiers were encouraged to keep brave spirits' as letters of those soldiers who made it through outlined the battle, injuries of comrades and themselves.
"The silver nitrate emulsion photograph is one of the earliest school photos the museum has. There were also two sheets containing a nice little history of Midland Public Schools and a blue print plan of the Eight Room School for Midland Ontario' by John Wilson of Collingwood, Ontario -a rolled document that cost ten cents to send by mail from Collingwood in time for the dedication ceremony," said Hunter.
"The museum now has the 600 pound limestone Girls' block which has been nicely cut and chiseled although a couple of chunks broke off one corner during the removal process. Murray Demolition assisted at the location to load this on the truck and at the museum we used leverage to get it off the truck. The Boys' stone was removed from the building in the 1950's when an addition was put on while the Girls' stone was covered up."
Hunter says the Girls stone was donated to the museum by Alcan who worked with the museum through George Mac-Donald and Mike Riggin, to have the other Time Capsule pieces digitized.
"They were very helpful in getting these items to the right place where they will be protected and displayed," said Hunter.
"The Free Press is unique to the museum, as there are many original Free Press Copies here and we don't have that one. The Free Press newspaper is the best social history of the community. It originally began in 1879 and in 1883 changed the name to the Midland Free Press. The museum has about 30 issues from between 1883 -1915 and a much more complete collection thereafter."
Community members are welcome to the view these items at the museum, while several of the originals items will also be displayed eventually at Alcan.
