The Bayfield Historical Society - 20 Main St. North, P.O. Box 161 Bayfield, Ontario N0M 1G0
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The Bayfield Historical Society
20 Main St. North, P.O. Box 161
Bayfield, Ontario N0M 1G0
E-mail: bhsmembers@gmail.com
Website: www.bayfieldhistorical.ca
(519) 441-3224
Annual Newsletter for 2021 Covering the Events of 2020
Painting of the Historical Helen MacLeod II
The online auction of the painting of the historical Bayfield
schooner Helen MacLeod II was held this summer with the
final bid on August 29th at 6 pm coming in at $4,700.
The painting was promoted on various social media outlets
and received outside bids from Toronto, Stratford, and
London.
The artist, Doug Darnbrough, was born in
Bayfield and attended the University of
Windsor and the University of Guelph,
graduating in 1973 with an Honours BA,
majoring in Fine Art Studies.
The successful bidders were Michael and Stephanie
McDonald. Michael has many fond memories of spending
his summers in Bayfield. “My parents would give us five
cents to go to the general store on Main Street for candy.
A little bit later I would come up to crew for some of the
weekend morning sailing races. Helen MacLeod II
Fast forward many, many years and
Stephanie and I stumbled across our “new”
cottage in 2016 which had been continuously
owned by the Orr/Willock family. We are
delighted to support the Bayfield Historical
Society and all the great work they continue
to do. Without history we have nothing.”
Money raised was used for much needed
restoration and painting of the Bayfield
Historical Society & Archives Main Street
Michael and Stephanie McDonald location in Bayfield.
1Bayfield Fishing Shacks and Bayfield Harbour
Painting of Louie MacLeod
by Bruce Stapleton
b. 1910 Stratford, Ontario
By Bruce Stapleton c.1940 “The Fishing Shacks of Bayfield”
Donated by Eligio & Caterina Reina of Woodbridge 2020
Stapleton, 18 years old, and in highschool, was commissioned by Thomas Orr of Stratford to paint
a portrait of Dr William “Tiger” Dunlop. Stapleton married Frances Orr the daughter of (Robert)
Thomas Orr of Stratford who built and owned a summer home in Bayfield. The portrait of Dunlop
and one of Thomas Orr now hang in the Stratford Public Library. He painted many scenes of
Bayfield. Stapleton went on to become a noted Canadian artist.
Douglas Gemeinhardt in
helmet fashioned from a model T
gas tank which was used to cut
fishing nets off the propellers.
It was necessary to have weights
to sink straight down to keep the
air inside.
Bayfield fishing shacks
with the Helen MacLeod
The Helen MacLeod II II after 1938. (Cement
coming into Bayfield wall was constructed in
Harbour. Louie MacLeod 1938.)
at the helm.
2President’s Message 2020
by
Ruth Gibson
Ruth Gibson
We have had a somewhat challenging year with fewer visitors to the Archives as well as government
directives requiring non-essential businesses to shut down in an effort to curb the transmission of the
Covid-19 virus.
We qualified for a government grant for summer student Ben Woodward, and a Huron Youth Job Connection
grant for Chloe Oesch which enabled us to be open most of July and August with restrictions. Ben (second
year Univ.of Waterloo student) among other projects, centralized information previously stored on 13 old
laptops and other devices, updating to one external hard drive. Chloe helped with the organization of displays
and completed a display of identifying fossils found on Bayfield’s beaches dating back to the Devonian
period.
Past President Doug Brown led a committee charged with organizing the development of the Admiral
Bayfield Project. The project will be an excellent tribute to our namesake with an area between the
Archives and the library for gathering to read about the accomplishments of this British naval officer and
surveyor. We qualified for a Federal Heritage and Multicultural Grant as well as receiving money from the
local Bluewater Vibrancy Fund for this project. Due to the pandemic, completion has been delayed but we are
aiming for completion and a celebration in the summer of 2021.
We asked author David Yates to complete a book of Admiral Bayfield’s life and accomplishments which will
be for sale. We thank the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce for supporting this publication.
Our fundraiser this year was an online auction of a beautiful painting of the Bayfield schooner
Helen MacLeod II, done by local artist Doug Darnbrough which raised over $5000.
You will notice that the outside of the Archives is looking very smart ….with a new coat of paint.
This historical building was originally built in 1893. Windows had to be recaulked (wood rot found in many
areas was cut and replaced or filled in); the whole exterior needed to be scraped and sanded (more wood rot
found); eaves troughing cleaned and covered (more rot). Benjamin Moore base and top coats were applied
everywhere. All windows were coated with museum grade light and UV blocking filters. Entire sheets
below the windows were replaced. Anywhere water could seap and settle was sealed. Work started in June and
finally finished late October. We received a Huron County Heritage Fund grant for $4700 which was
supplemented by fundraising to cover this needed project.
The pandemic has halted committee meetings and decisions on the Helen MacLeod II project. We will get this
going again as soon as the lockdown allows.
A sincere thank you to those who were able to donate and support us in various ways this year. The amount of
cash donations received in total during 2020 was $19,000, plus $20,000 in grants (excluding Admiral Bayfield
Project). This means we were able to improve existing conditions and plan for future collections as well as
continue the digitization of the heritage of Bayfield and surrounding area.
I wish to thank the Board members for their expertise and support. With joint community and Board support
it benefits us and all future generations.
3Remembrance Day 2020
No ceremonies were held due to stay-at-home restric-
tions with the Covid-19 pandemic. We supported the
Clinton Legion by purchasing a wreath to be laid In
Remembrance at the Bayfield Cenotaph. We displayed
the WWII uniform of Leslie Bake which was donated by
his daughter Margaret Clydesdale. WWI medals of
Ernest Bake, Leslie’s father, are on
display in the archives.
These medals were returned to us by the
Corunna Legion in 2019 by their research
Leslie Bake’s through the Ancestry website. Ernest Bake WW1 Medals,
WWII Uniform photo courtesy of Stephanie
Talbot
Stories from the Ancestry Tree
From Ancestry research we have made connections with families as far away as Australia who have family
ties to Bayfield.
In 1839 Barnard Pollman Evans with his wife Alice Smith immigrated from London, England with 5 of
their children ages 32 to 18. Three of their married children stayed in England. On the ship coming over their
daughter Catherine met and married Charles White Williams II.
Barnard and Alice settled on the banks of the Maitland River, Holmesville, Huron County (east of what
is now Hwy 8 on Maitland Line) with their family. Barnard died 2 years after coming to Canada while Alice
lived until 87 years of age with the support of her family.
An 1850 map of the area shows the Evans homestead, and beside it is the Williams homestead of their
daughter Catherine and husband Charles. Right beside that is the Lobb homestead. Today the Lobb family
owns their original property and purchased the Evans property. Ben Lobb has been the MP for Huron County
since 2008.
Of the original Barnard Evans children, 3 remained in England, 1 settled in Toronto, 4 remained in Huron
County. The next generation of Evans children from the original 5, saw families spreading out over North
America.
Descendants settled in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Minnesota, California, Washington, Montana, Nebraska,
Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York.
A descendant of the Fahlstrom family from Cloquet, Minnesota got in touch with us through Ancestry to
tell us that she has an original paper with Barnard Evans’ signature on it.
The Person family from Montana paid us originally to research the origins of Barnard Evans and asked
for photos. I drove out to Maitland Line, Holmesville only to be overwhelmed when I saw a plaque erected
by the Lobb family beside the ruins of the original home of the Barnard Evans family. The plaque quotes a
passage on the Evans family from the book “In the Days of the Canada Company” by Robina and Kathleen
Lizars 1840 - 1850.
The Lobb family maintains beautiful walking trails; the lower one follows the Maitland River and has
crossover trails to the upper land trail with the ruins of the Evans family home. In the parking lot is a sign
recognizing the contribution that David Burns (married Ellen, Barnard’s daughter) made to pottery which
was needed at the time. Archaeologists from the Royal Ontario Museum excavated the area in 1979 and
found broken pottery pieces.
The Jorgensen’s of Washington knew that they were related to the Charles W. Williams II family and the
Evans family. On searching through our records found Dr. Ninian Woods is Peter Jorgensen’s great great
grandfather. He has asked that we research the Woods connection to the Downing family - my next project.
I wanted to paint a picture for you of how today we can find meaningful links that join us to the past and
connect us to the future. Ruth Gibson, bhsmembers@gmail.com
4Archives Report
by Julia Armstrong and Claudia Barrett
Julia Armstrong Claudia Barrett
Digital Preservation & Collections Management
Our digitization project continued in 2020, and now more than 5,000 archival records have been
scanned and uploaded to the asset management system PastPerfect (see the report of our dedicated
part-time cataloguer, Stephanie Talbot). We also decided to prioritize the digitization of all photo
albums for reasons of preservation and access. Grant funding enabled us to hire a summer student,
Ben Woodward, to focus on this project (see Ben’s report). Ben did an excellent job of planning and
executing his work. Because he was working with the photos, Julia encouraged Ben, a geography
major, to think about a GIS/web mapping project he might like to build, plotting historic photos by
location. Time didn’t allow during the summer, but he was very interested, and we are extremely grate-
ful that he has been dedicating his spare time to the project. We look forward to sharing the exciting
results in the coming months.
Inventory, Administration & Reorganization
Claudia continued to bring our accession records up to date and create new ones as donations came in.
She also re-sorted our small reference library with the help of volunteers Amy Waters and Laurel
Simonson. Tapping Ben’s excellent organizational skills, we completed an inventory of technical
assets, moved all digital files to a shared network, and established regular backup procedures. We
arranged to meet with former archivist Ralph Laviolette, who provided helpful background as we
delved into the digital files. We are grateful for the extensive work Ralph did over several years to
organize the archives so well and to collect important materials.
Oral History Preservation
Thanks to the forethought of past BHS volunteers, we are fortunate to have several oral histories
recorded on cassette. They need to be transferred to digital format and the contents transcribed. When
Amy Waters, a university student who is interested in Bayfield’s history, offered to volunteer in the
summer, we had just the project for her! We are grateful to Amy for dedicating several hours to tran-
scribing (there is much more to do!) and to past volunteers who have also contributed transcriptions.
Find-a-Grave Project
Gwen Patterson has initiated a project to upload Bayfield Cemetery gravestone photos to the Find-a-
Grave website. Gwen has welcomed the task of inputting the inscription details at home. This ongoing
project will benefit genealogists everywhere and aid with family research.
Donations & Research Requests
Receiving donations from the community is always exciting. Ann Chapman (née Westlake) of London
contacted us about transferring various family artifacts, images, and more to the Archives. Her family’s
farm was south of Bayfield and Ann later lived in the village, where she worked for many years at the
former CIBC branch on Main Street. We often receive research requests and were pleased to provide
St. Andrew’s United Church with digitized photos for an online presentation prepared for the church
anniversary. Julia also assisted the Admiral Bayfield Project team with research and image sourcing for
the forthcoming information panels (see Doug Brown’s report).
5Cataloguer - Stephanie Talbot
My focus this past year as part-time cataloguer has been the ongoing digitization of our
records. I have scanned, photographed, and transcribed numerous letters, newspaper
clippings, books, and other items in our collection. Of interest this year was encountering
the notes of Norma Wallis, one of the original members of the Bayfield Historical Society.
In the late 1960s, she copied by hand any mention of Bayfield from microfilmed
newspapers in the area. Her research, which covers the years 1885 to 1917, includes
articles that are not currently available online through the Huron County Digitized
Newspaper Project. More recently, I finished digitizing over 1,000 negatives that
Stephanie Talbot belonged to Lucy (Woods) Diehl. They date from the early 1910s to the 1970s, and I plan
to share many of them on our social media pages.
I am incredibly thankful for the grants, donations, and support from the community and members of the
Bayfield Historical Society since I started this position in the fall of 2019. I am looking forward to what I
will come across in the coming year as we continue the work to make our collection readily searchable and
more accessible to the public.
Summer Student Reflections
Ben Woodward
Despite the pandemic, I had a very productive summer at the Bayfield Historical Society
and Archives, working Tuesday to Sunday throughout July and August. I was pleased to
help consolidate all our electronic records and digital files in one location. This centralized,
searchable database makes it much easier to answer image requests. My main role was to
scan and digitize the contents of the photo albums in the Archives. I uploaded the scans –
along with their descriptions and metadata – to PastPerfect, BHS’s web-based
Ben Woodward
cataloguing system.
Welcoming visitors into the Archives was also an important part of my summer position. Certainly, this
experience was very different than in previous years because of the need to implement Covid-19 protocols,
but it was still one of the most enjoyable aspects of my summer. Virtually everyone I met followed our
Covid-19 protocols without reminder, demonstrating that if we work together we will beat this thing. I also
quite enjoyed having visitors test my historical knowledge while Chloe was on lunch or had the day off, and
it was especially rewarding to be able to process image requests on the spot thanks to our revamped records
management system.
Those who met me may know that I am a geography major at the University of Waterloo, and while digi-
tizing, I was thinking that it would be nice to understand the photo collection spatially by displaying it on a
map. So, in my spare time this fall, I volunteered to put my major to work and create an online map that does
just that. Users will be able to click on various locations in Bayfield and see corresponding archival photos.
This web map is still in its trial stages, but the plan is to make it available online.
Chloe Oesch
My summer at the Bayfield Historical Society was great! I spent my days reading and learning
so much about Bayfield’s rich history, while simultaneously interacting with visitors to help
educate them about the town’s history. My favourite part was definitely getting to create an
exhibit for the Archives. There are much cooler fossils on our beaches then I ever would have
thought! As someone who greatly enjoys history and is pursuing history in post secondary
Chloe Oesch education, being employed at the historical society was an amazing experience and
opportunity.
6Admiral Bayfield Project - Celebration Aug. 13 & 14, 2021
The Admiral Bayfield Project’s aim is to recognize the work of Admiral H.W. Bayfield, for
whom our village was named. He surveyed the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and bodies
of water around the eastern provinces and subsequently made travelling these waters safer.
The committee with financial support from the Ministry of Heritage, Municipality of
Bluewater, and Bayfield Area Chamber of Commerce, is overseeing the construction of an
area in front of the library that will contain paving stones, a compass rose, playful bollards,
a flower garden, and information plaques and panels. To date pavers have been laid along
with the bollards and the plant material. The plaque has been
installed. It is a bas relief bronze portrait of Admiral Bayfield
and a brief text describing his work. There are two 2-sided
panels that will display original charts completed by Admiral
Bayfield, images and descriptions of nautical instruments that
he used, and a text outlining some aspects of his surveying
work.
Our committee’s next task is to plan for the unveiling
ceremonies with the hope that they can take place without the
restrictions of the pandemic. So we have set August 13 and 14,
2021 for these celebrations. Our plans include visiting ships, historical re-enactments, a launch of a new book
about H.W. Bayfield, a pipe band, and an event with the Canadian author of a novel about Bayfield.
Doug Brown, Chairman, Admiral Bayfield Project Committee, Bayfield Historical Society. Committee Members include Roger
Lewington, Dave MacLaren, David Yates, Julia Armstrong, Kim McCabe and Rick Sickinger.
Speaker Series
It is the mandate of the BHS to promote and share with the community, the heritage of our
village and area. Over the years, that has been done by hosting a variety of speakers who
entertain, educate and share their expertise and experiences at our General Meetings.
Under the guidance of Program chair Joe Gray, an outstanding list of presenters were lined
up to do just that for the 2020 calendar year. We managed to get the first two speakers done
before the Covid-19 pandemic hit and everything was shut down. The speakers were cancelled
and hopefully we will be able to enlist their expertise at a later date.
January 27, 2020 at our AGM, our guest speakers were Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English,
authors of the new book ‘Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes.’
Bonnie introduced the topic by giving a prologue on how the book came to be. While sorting
through old photos, she discovered two small black-and-white photos with the same three girls
in each one. On the back was written simply “Farmerettes,” but no individual names. She
decided to start researching their story. Shirleyan expanded on the topic by giving background Authors: Shirleyan English
to the Farmerette Program and telling some of her own experiences. The Ontario Farm Service & Bonnie Sitter, Graphic
Force initiated the Farmerette program in 1941 and it continued until 1953. Artist: Barbara Durand
February 24, 2020 our guest speaker was Joe Gray. Using a Power Point presentation of slides, Joe
took us on a fascinating tour of Israel. His knowledge is very impressive. On this visual tour, Joe took
us to Mount Carmel, Nazareth, the Jordan River, the archaeological digs at Capernaum, The Mount
of Beatitudes, Jerusalem, and finally to Bethlehem. At each ‘stop’ Joe gave us both the historical and
the religious background information. Joe’s presentation ended with a brief stop at the Holocaust
Children’s Memorial at Yad Vashem located on the western slope of Mount Herzl, also known as
the Mount of Remembrance. This unique memorial, hollowed out from an underground cavern, is a
Joe Gray tribute to the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered during the Holocaust.
7The Bayfield Historical Society
Your 2021 Board of Directors: Contact bhsmembers@gmail.com
President: Ruth Gibson Assistant Archivist: Claudia Barrett
Past President: Doug Brown Publications: Barbara Durand
Recording Secretary: Godfrey Heathcote Membership: Deborah Curran
Treasurer: Graydon Moore Director: Gwen Patterson
Archivist: Julia Armstrong Director: Doug Darnbrough
Next Year Annual General Meeting January 31, 2022
BHS Quadracycle Rentals Bayfield and Area Children
Bill Rowat transferred the ownership of two
quadracycles to Bayfield Historical Society this year.
The “quads” are a big hit with tourists and
locals. This is a good way of touring our historical town
with views of Lake Huron while enjoying the outdoor
air and getting some exercise.
Buy a tour book of Bayfield or download a tour app -
please ask at the Archives - while checking out your
quad. Sanitized helmets available for those under 18 The Bayfield Historical Society is asking children in
years of age. Bayfield and the surrounding area to submit written
stories and/or their artwork about their experiences
during the 2020/21 pandemic year.
THANK YOU TO DONORS
The Board of the Bayfield Historical Society wants to thank everyone who made a donation in
2020. Donations are one of the major sources of revenue that fund the services provided by the
volunteers of the Archives and Heritage Centre. A special thank you goes to Pioneer Park, the
Bayfield Chamber of Commerce, Huron Arts & Heritage and other donations received from
personal contributors.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS APPRECIATED & NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
The Bayfield Historical Society is a registered non-profit charitable organization run by
volunteers. It relies on memberships, donations, and grants to fund the digital input and
safekeeping of artifacts as well as maintaining the Heritage Centre.
The Society will provide official tax receipts for donations and memorial contributions.
#892472366RR0001 Annual Membership fee: Single: $20 and Family $30
e-transfers accepted to bhsmembers@gmail.com
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