Provincial plaque commemorates Ball's Bridge in Ontario

AUBURN, Ontario, July 14, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust, the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, the Municipality of Central Huron and the Friends of Ball's Bridge unveiled a provincial plaque commemorating Ball's Bridge, near Goderich.

"There are few surviving two-span bridges in Ontario today with the design features of Ball's Bridge," said Dr. Thomas H.B. Symons, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "Thanks to the efforts of the community, it has been restored and will now be marked with a provincial plaque, sharing the story of its unique design and historic significance."

The plaque reads as follows:

Ball's Bridge

Ball's Bridge was erected in 1885 to connect Goderich, the county seat, with outlying areas to the east. The structure is an excellent - and now rare - example of a two-span Pratt design through truss, pin-connected wrought iron bridge. Its construction shows attention to detail through the 'v-lacing' located at various points on the bridge. Built during the horse-and-carriage age, it continued to serve as a major crossing point on the Maitland River until 1989, when the bridge was deemed unable to support the weight of modern vehicles. In 2006, it was closed to all traffic and faced a bleak future. Due to the dedicated efforts of the Friends of Ball's Bridge, it was fully restored and upgraded, and reopened to light traffic in 2007.

"The unique design and structure of Ball's Bridge not only speak to engineering history, but also make it an attractive feature in the local landscape," said Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan. "I'm delighted that it is being commemorated today, showcasing another fascinating part of Ontario's heritage."

Today's unveiling ceremony took place at Ball's Bridge, where the provincial plaque will be permanently installed.

"The Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh is very proud of our heritage. We honour our roots and celebrate our heritage and are delighted that this provincial plaque will highlight the significance of this site in our history," said Ben Van Diepenbeek, Reeve of the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh. "We are grateful for the support of the Friend's of Ball's Bridge and the Municipality of Central Huron, who also appreciate the importance of this landmark."

The Ontario Heritage Trust's Provincial Plaque Program commemorates significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. The Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

Quick facts:

Since 1953, over 1,200 provincial plaques have been unveiled.
298 provincial plaques commemorate significant buildings and structures in Ontario's history.

Learn more:

For more information on the Provincial Plaque Program, visit www.heritagetrust.on.ca.

Murdoch Mysteries Gets Political with Cameo Appearance by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, July 20 on Citytv

...on location in Guelph, Ontario last summer

Prime Ministers of past and present collide with a special episode of Murdoch Mysteries, involving Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier and a murder that risks national security

TORONTO, July 13, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Murdoch Mysteries fan and long-time viewer, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, makes a cameo appearance on the Citytv original series Murdoch Mysteries, premiering Wednesday, July 20 at 10pm ET/PT (8pm MT, 9pm CT) on Citytv. Prime Minister Harper plays hockey fan, Desk Sergeant Armstrong, a seemingly imperceptive man who ironically doesn't recognize Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier when he walks into Station 4.

The Prime Minister's scene was shot on October 15, 2010, and directed by actor Yannick Bisson, who plays Detective William Murdoch in the popular series.

"Murdoch Mysteries is my favourite program…It's wonderful to meet these people who can take characters of over 100 years ago, make them three dimensional and bring them to life. It's a lot of fun to see them work and try to work with them a little as an amateur," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the set of Murdoch Mysteries.

Set in late 1890s Toronto and based on Canadian author Maureen Jennings' popular series of novels, Murdoch Mysteries explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Bisson), a handsome young detective using radical forensic techniques, for the time, to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders.

In episode 407 "Confederate Treasure," premiering July 20, the discovery of a map and a letter signed by Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, is found on the corpse of a murder victim, sending Murdoch on an investigation that risks national security. When the victim is identified as a former Minister of Defence, Canadian spy Terence Meyers (Peter Keleghan) - Murdoch's nemesis - warns Murdoch off the case. With the help of Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, Murdoch learns the map is thought to indicate a spot in Lake Ontario where a small fortune in gold was sunk - gold intended to influence the outcome of the American Civil War. In a race against time to avoid a major diplomatic dispute, Murdoch and his team set sail under cover of darkness in a desperate attempt to locate the gold before the Americans do.

With a passionate following of loyal audiences in Canada and around the world including the UK, France and, most recently, China, Murdoch Mysteries has been sold to broadcasters in 100 countries and is one of the most successful international co-productions in Canadian television history.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the latest in an elite list of prominent guest stars to the series including Victor Garber, Lisa Ray, Simon Williams, Nicholas Campbell and Lally Cadeau.

Murdoch Mysteries is developed and produced by Shaftesbury in association with Citytv, a division of Rogers Media Inc., ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment and UKTV, and with the assistance of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, the Canada Media Fund, the Bell New Media Fund and the Cogeco Production Development Fund. ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment holds worldwide distribution rights for the series (excluding Canada and the UK). Season four of Murdoch Mysteries premiered in Canada on June 7, 2011 on Citytv. Season five is currently in production in and around Toronto, Ontario.

Full episodes of Murdoch Mysteries are available after broadcast, exclusively on citytv.com.
Can't get enough of Murdoch Mysteries? Watch Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs, an exclusive 13-part original online series on Citytv.com. Created as an extension of the fourth season of Murdoch Mysteries, the web series features the stars of the series and brings to life Constable George Crabtree's first novel, "The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs."

Check out Citytv.com for full episodes and exciting extras from some of your favourite Citytv programming, available 24 - 48 hours post broadcast. You can now also catch up on your iPad by downloading the free Citytv video app on iTunes.

Citytv™ television stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg offer viewers intensely-local, urban-oriented, culturally-diverse television programming. A distinct alternative to other conventional television stations, Citytv engages its viewers with dynamic on-air personalities and delivers an entertaining mix of news, local-interactive formats such as: Breakfast Television and CityLine; as well as local Canadian and US acquired prime time entertainment programming. Citytv is a part of Rogers Broadcasting Limited, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For more information on Citytv stations and programming, visit www.Citytv.com

What Thomas Jefferson grew in his own Vegetable Garden at Monticello

Thomas Jefferson's vegetable garden at Monticello. Photo Credit: Moofpocket, Creative Commons Attribution License.

from TreeHugger.com
by Colleen Vanderlinden

In honor of Independence Day, I thought it would be fun to look into what Thomas Jefferson grew in his own vegetable garden at Monticello. Happily, the official Monticello website has a great essay by the director of the Monticello Gardens and Grounds which takes a look at which veggies the Founding Father was most fond of growing.

We learn, for instance, that Jefferson was especially fond of English (shelling) peas, and that he and other local gardeners had a friendly competition each spring to see who could harvest the earliest pea from his garden. The winner hosted a dinner for the rest of the contestants.

Jefferson was also a trailblazer when it came to growing tomatoes. In the early 1800s, he started planting tomatoes at Monticello. Just a century earlier, it was believed that tomatoes were poisonous, and would either kill those who ate them, or, at the very least, cause them to go insane.

What else did Jefferson grow? Lettuce, okra, artichokes, asparagus, beans, and many other edibles. He was fond of figs, and looked into pressing his own olive oil. If you want to read more about Jefferson's vegetable garden at Monticello, here is the essay in full.

Enter the World of Timeless Tales this Summer at Black Creek Pioneer Village

Cinderella, Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, Pinnocchio and more come to life and bring adventure for the whole family

TORONTO, July 8, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - New this summer, families will see their favourite 19th century stories come to life during Timeless Tales at Black Creek Pioneer Village. Black Creek is Toronto's largest outdoor history museum where visitors can step back in time into a recreated 1860s Village.

Enjoy special activities, performances, character meet- and- greets, and adventures all based around the stories of Cinderella, Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, and Anne of Green Gables.

"We're extremely excited to bring these wonderful children's stories to Black Creek Pioneer Village," said Wendy Rowney, Supervisor of Historic Programs at Black Creek Pioneer Village. "Timeless Tales is about sharing an experience with our families through classic stories that have been around for generations. Times are changing but these simple stories still bring a world of magic to anyone who reads them. If you want your children to be excited about reading these stories, or curious about our past, then this is the place to be this summer."

For a complete list of special performances, family workshops, crafts, activities and activities throughout the Village, visit www.blackcreek.ca

Location: Black Creek Pioneer Village 1000 Murray Ross Parkway, Toronto, Ontario, www.blackcreek.ca; 416-736-1733; bcpvinfo@trca.on.ca

Visitor Information:

Members Price: Free
Non-members Price: $15 adults; $11 children (ages 5-15); $14 seniors and students; children 4 years an under are free. Parking is $7. Taxes not included.

About Black Creek Pioneer Village

Black Creek Pioneer Village is Toronto's premier outdoor living history museum. Visitors can explore 40 heritage homes, shops and buildings restored to re-create an 1860s Ontario village. Historic interpreters in period dress demonstrate how villagers lived, worked and played. The Village hosts learning programs and special events that highlight local heritage and culture. The tranquil setting, rural landscapes, heritage gardens and period farm animal breeds make Black Creek Pioneer Village the perfect place to break out of the modern world and journey into the past. Located in north Toronto, Black Creek Pioneer Village is owned and operated by Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA). For more information please visit www.blackcreek.ca.

How an Elm Tree Helped Win America's Independence

Photo: Boston Public Library

from TreeHugger.com
by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil

The story of America's struggle for independence tells tale of heroic men and women united in their noble quest for freedom -- but one of the most enduring figures at the center of that revolution was not a person at all. Years before the Founding Fathers gathered in stately halls and meetinghouses to shape what would become the Declaration of Independence, the seeds of liberty had been planted and nurtured in a far more humble setting -- beneath the branches of an elm tree.

Just a few short years after the arrival of Puritans to the New World, when the land was yet untamed, an elm tree sapling took root. In the decades which followed, the city of Boston would rise up around that elm tree -- but their humble beginnings could hardly predict the important role both town and tree would have in shaping history.

By the mid-18th century, many prominent colonists in Boston had grown weary of living under British rule, made worse by the passage of a Stamp Act which effectively taxed and censored written correspondences. In 1765, a secretive group of American patriots known as the Sons of Liberty organized a very public demonstration to protest the law, and they chose that elm tree as their meeting spot -- earning it the name 'Liberty Tree'.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

In the months that followed, as pre-revolution angst grew, the Liberty Tree continued to be used as a gathering point for dissenters in Boston, until the tree itself became symbolic of their struggle.

Inspired by that humble tree which had become emblematic of freedom, new Liberty Trees came to be designated across the original colonies as places for early advocates of independence to meet. Indeed, the revolutionary ideals of those in attendance at such gatherings, like Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock and Patrick Henry, were very likely born in the shade of an elm.

So potent was that original Liberty Tree as symbol of independence, it was targeted by the opposition in the opening battles of the Revolutionary War. In 1775, a group of Loyalists chopped down the old tree and used it for firewood. This only served to stoke the passions of early patriots who soon adorned their flags with an image of that tree.

American revolutionary Thomas Paine even immortalized the beloved elm in his song Liberty Tree:

But hear, O ye swains, 'tis a tale most profane,
How all the tyrannical powers,
Kings, Commons and Lords, are uniting amain,
To cut down this guardian of ours;


From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms,
Through the land let the sound of it flee,
Let the far and the near, all unite with a cheer,
In defense of our Liberty Tree.

Nowadays, in a nation made free with the help of an elm, the Liberty Tree continues to be an emblem of patriotism, even if the story of the original specimen has been somewhat lost in metaphor. On a street in Boston, a simple bronze plaque marks the spot where the Liberty Tree grew as the stage for revolution, though its roots still hold firm, even if unseen, in the American psyche.

In light of history and the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence, trees in particular just may be a more fitting monument to tennets of democracy than the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, or any such site -- for they are as stoic and timeless as our inalienable rights. It's a wonder then that shooting fireworks, not planting trees, became Independence Day tradition. After all, bombs bursting in air may have won us our liberty once, but freedom can still be found in the shade of an elm.

... read more story at TreeHugger.com

FamilySearch Adds Free Records for 10 Countries

July 7, 2011 FamilySearch Press Release - Twenty-two (22) collections for 10 countries were updated recently at FamilySearch.org. The Germany and Mexico church records were the two largest collections added.

Collections were also added for Brazil, Canada, Guatemala, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and the United State.

See the records online now at FamilySearch.org.

from Olive Tree Genealogy Blog

A 1955 British Cycling Film Shows the Joys of Countryside Touring

Image via YouTube screengrab

from TreeHugger.com
by Alex Davies, Paris, France



TreeHugger does a lot of work to promote urban cycling, a major step towards developing sustainable cities. But lest we forget how great a day in the countryside on two wheels can be, this short film from 1955 is the perfect reminder. Produced by British Transport Films, "Cyclists Special" follows a group bicycle tour as members of the Cyclist Touring Club take the train out of London and spend what looks like the nicest day ever. And it's worth watching for the 1950s English slang alone.

Check out the full 1955 film
here.

The train the tour uses to get out of the city is equipped with special comparments, outfitted with rubber covered hooks to hang the bikes safely: "the way to carry bicycles by train." They head to Rugby, split into groups (so no one gets "the hump" from being at the back of a large group) follow their tour guides through Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, and visit Kenilworth Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon and the site of the Battle of Naseby.

When one person gets a flat tire, the whole group stops to help him fix it, though he may "get a ragging." They stop for a communal lunch to avoid the "bonk" (hunger-caused fatigue). With no cars in sight, everyone goes at their own pace, and no one "splits their britches trying to keep up."

The narrator tells us that the trip brings together "people of all ages, ranks and stations, who rediscover their common humanity in finding countryside, exercise and companionship, all in one." It's a big claim but not an outrageous one: cycling tours are a great way to bring people together, and that's as true today as it was in 1955.