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Jim And Lisa GilbertSarnia Observer |
Hamlet reflects on how quickly all the good deeds his deceased father had performed throughout his life were so quickly forgotten. In Shakespeare’s...
Taking a boat ride from downtown Chatham to downtown Detroit was a popular thing to do 100 years ago. Although taking a boat ride from downtown...
When we lived in Chatham, we lived next door to 500 King St. W. owned by Bill and Bernadette Craven. When we lived in Chatham, we lived next door to...
Each Remembrance Day we honour all those military men and women who gave their lives to keep Canada free. Each Remembrance Day we honour all those...
I came across a charming story about a man named Jimmy Wealch from R.R. 5 Thamesville and his prized 1913 Ford Model T. While looking through an old...
As Halloween approaches, it’s unfortunate that we can’t magically whisk all interested parties to area places where supernatural, spirit-related...
Once you know about their colour and ornate ornamentation, you'll spot them in many Victorian-era cemeteries in our area and across North America....
Our all new Cemetery Strolls for 2024 feature new characters, some new actors and some very interesting scenarios. Our all new Cemetery Strolls for...
Experience what the streets of Chatham-Kent have to silently whisper in our ears this year. The wind strangely whistles around ominous-looking...
I'm exploring two other aspects of Chatham-Kent’s fascinating history that a lot of people may not know about. Continuing with a theme, I’m...
Chatham with all its great natural advantages as an industrial location, had not within itself the resources to build anew. “Chatham with all its...
This week marks the beginning of the school year so, let's travel back in time to the early days of schools in Chatham-Kent. This week marks the...
It was the most palatial building of its kind west of London, Ont., and remnants of it still exist today if you are sharp enough to recognize them. It...
Sometimes, we foolishly think that, living in today's modern world, we have little in common with Chatham-Kent residents of the 1920s. Last week, I...
Bird infestations, farmer groups, bad luck individuals and global warming all may have modern connotations, but also had attention in the early 1920s....
Earlier this month, we told you about a delightful little book describing a tour of the Thames River in 1880, by Professor Blot. Earlier this month,...
We are exploring our downtown and telling you all about the strange paranormal happenings over the years, but we're adding an historical component. On...
It might not surprise you to know that Jim and I (mainly me) are book collectors. Our house is full of bookshelves. It might not surprise you to know...
If you are of a certain age, the mere mention of Boblo Island Amusement Park will bring back fond memories of summer afternoons spent in the middle of...
If you are of a certain age, the mere mention of Boblo Island Amusement Park will bring back fond memories of summer afternoons spent in the middle of...
Robert Spence from Highgate and one of his crew members (John Wood), set out from their crashed Wellington bomber in the desert of Libya and Egypt....
I cannot believe I've never heard of this bona fide Highgate hero before. I cannot believe I’ve never heard of this bona fide Highgate hero before. ...
Local farmers tried to ban them on weekends, horse breeders and sellers opposed their growing popularity, carriage makers were upset by their careless...
Do you sometimes get the feeling the government does not really want people to visit Rondeau Provincial Park, preferring this virtual Garden of Eden...
I know a lot of people, if they found a beat-up, bedraggled circus poster from the 1900s, would toss it in a dumpster without hesitation. I know a lot...
In the last year or so, there has been consternation, fear and helplessness with regards to Chatham's downtown, amid reports of young people and the...
I first heard about mastodons in our area when reading a small volume entitled The Recollections of Edwin Bassett Jones. Imagine looking out of your...
In a December 1922 issue of the old Chatham Daily Planet, there were a number of articles I found interesting. In a December 1922 issue of the old...
In a late 1922 issue of the Chatham Planet, I found a number of rather interesting articles. In a late 1922 issue of the Chatham Planet, I found a...
The year is 1838 and the once-prosperous, fertile farms of early French Canadian settlers near the mouth of the Thames River are in deep water. Any...
In early days of rail travel, delays were the rule rather than the exception. “The scene presented after the collision was a horrible one....
Continuing my recent theme, I'm exploring two other aspects of Chatham-Kent’s fascinating history that I suspect many people don't know about....
Local farmers tried to ban them on weekends, while horse breeders and sellers opposed their growing popularity at every turn. Local farmers tried to...
I've decided to ease the winter blues by providing some short, but very interesting historical facts about Chatham-Kent history. I’ve decided to...
Years ago, I was skimming through the Chatham Tri-Weekly Planet editions from the late 1870s and an odd headline caught my eye. Years ago, I was...
I’m launching Did You Know?, a new series of columns over the next few weeks that will make you a hit at all the events you’ll surely want to...
In the past I have talked about James Couzens who was born in Chatham but made a real name for himself working for Henry Ford in the very earliest...
A month or so ago, I was musing that the origins of Halloween were “a delicious blend of pagan and Christian traditions.”
The very earliest Europeans to our area celebrated Christmas, if they celebrated it at all, in very simple ways. The earliest Europeans to our area...
The first thing most Canadians think of when they think of holiday greenery is the Christmas tree. The first thing most Canadians think of when they...