St. Paul, Lindsay has been a part of the diocesan and local community since 1836. Our archival collection is a treasure trove of parish and community history. More than two years ago, plans were made to bring the collection into some order. We realized that simply sorting through the documents was not enough. We needed to have the appropriate materials to store the documents, the capability to digitize photographs, and an archivist who would be responsible for organizing the endeavour.
And so, the committee submitted a grant application to Library and Archives Canada’s Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) for funds to update our archival collection. Unfortunately, we were not successful. However, in late 2023, we applied again and in March 2024 we received confirmation that our application was successful, and we were awarded $20,638 for our project. This has allowed us to provide remuneration for our dedicated archivist, to purchase a laptop and scanner, and to acquire industry-standard archival supplies. This will ensure the preservation of the history that St. Paul’s has stored in our building.
On May 15, our archivist, Ian McKechnie, officially began the task of organizing our archival collection. This will be an ongoing project over many years. We are delighted to have the funds available to carry on the preservation of our role in the history of the diocese and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Submitted by Lorna Green
Take the New Year’s stewardship quiz