On-line heritage presentations this month celebrate women of Sarnia-Lambton and the legacy of its Irish settlers.
The first is set for March 10, 7 pm, and is part of a series of virtual heritage hours produced by eight museums that make up Heritage Sarnia-Lambton.
The presentation follows International Women’s Day.
“We’re going to look at some of the women here in Lambton County who have made an impact on their community” as well as community groups “driven by female members,” said Dana Thorne, supervisor-curator of the Lambton Heritage Museum.
Woman being celebrated include Beatrice McLaughlin, the first curator at the Oil Museum of Canada, and Catherine Stone, an advocate for women’s rights in the 1850s from Arkona.
“I think history books and museums are really starting to make more of an effort to highlight the stories and the impact of women,” Thorne said. “That’s slowly changing but there’s still lots of work to be done.”
Taking part in the on-line presentation with Thorne will be Erin Dee-Richard with the Oil Museum of Canada, Nicole Azsalos with the Lambton County Archives, David McLean with the Forest Museum, Kailyn Shepley with the Sombra Museum, Laurie Mason with the Moore Museum), and local history expert Greg Stott.
Information on how to register for the online presentation can be found at www.lambtonmuseums.ca.
The first heritage hour was presented online in May 2020 looking back at the impact of the Spanish Flu, just as the pandemic was beginning, Thorne said.
“That was when all our museums were closed and we weren’t welcoming any visitors but we still wanted to be able to engage the public and deliver programming,” Thorne said.
That was followed by several other heritage hours and the upcoming presentation will be the first of three planned for this year, she said.
“It has been great to continue to gather together from our various community museums to share with the public,” Thorne said.
Participation has been good with some online sessions attracting 50 to 60 participants, and others 100 to 110, she said.
“It’s really great to see the reach, as well,” she said. “Because it’s available online, you can participate from anywhere.”
All of the sessions are also posted to Youtube where they can be viewed following the presentations. They can be found online at www.lambtonmuseums.ca/en/heritage-sarnia-lambton.aspx.
The Lambton Heritage Museum is also celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a Virtual Talk: More Than Just Luck – Legacies of Irish Immigrants, March 15, 7:00 pm
Registration for this presentation is also available online at www.lambtonmuseums.ca.
Thorne said she and other museum staff members will “look at some of the major waves of Irish immigration and settlements in Lambton County.”
That includes looking at “the impact of the great famine and exodus from Ireland and how those people made their way across the ocean” to North America before settling in Lambton, she said.
“We’re also going to look at some of the interesting artifacts in our collection from Irish families,” Thorne said.
“We’ve got some beautiful prints of scenery that show off the beautiful landscapes of Ireland.”
There are also dishes shaped like an Irish cottage “that are really cute, and some drinking paraphernalia, as well,” Thorne said.
The presentation will also look at a few of the Irish families that settled locally “and the major contributions they made to the community,” she said.