Sarnia Historical Society

Remember the old northwest corner of Lakeshore and Murphy?

This brings back a lot of memories - just one of the little neighbourhood stores that disappeared when the chain stores came in. Located on the southwest corne...r of George and Mackenzie streets, it was run by Mr. Stan Wu (sp?) who had two daughters, Grace and Helen. The Ambulance depot occupies the site today. Other stores were Hi-Jo's and Sunnyside Variety stores on the north side of Durand street at Russell; College Variety on the southwest corner of College Ave. and George street; the Berry Box on the northwest corner Cromwell (?) and Russell streets; Campbell's Variety which later was Humpty Dumpty Eggs/Groombridge Sampler on the west side of Russell street between Maria and Essex streets;; the Georgian Shop catty-corner from the General Hospital; and the store on the northwest corner of Mitton and Cameron streets, the name of which escapes me, where Thanks-A-Latte is now. See more

Courtright man completes annual walk across ice, 1959 Brim Bedard is pictured completing his 40th annual walk across the ice along the St. Clair River in this p...hoto from the Sarnia Observer from January 1959. Photo courtesy of the Lambton County Archives, Wyoming. Sarnia Observer Negative Collection 37403-01. See more

A few aerial shots of the downtown area - these scans are colour restored - much better than scan I may have posted previously.

Doesn't look like that any longer. What a great looking gas station.

The cemetery holds the grave of a Sarnia-Lambton war hero. He is a patriot still revered today at the University of Alberta (U of A), and a man who should be much better known locally.

This photograph shows what is believed to be members of the Sarnia Collegiate Literary Society, taken in 1919 or 1920.

Another fantastic historical adventure with Phil Egan.

We are looking for a grey hamburg and a dark porkie to assist with a picture we are trying to re-create from the 40s. If you can help us out, please message us. Need the hats for a day.

Remembrance Day Broadcast

Part 3/3- Sarnia-Lambton’s Stewart Phillips, Ralph Burr, Ernest Nelson and Roy Withers were friends and well know local athletes when they enlisted in WWII. As ...members of the 98th (Bruce) Anti-Tank Battery, they trained in Petawawa. The majority of the 98th was transferred to the 4th Anti-Tank Regiment prior to departing for England in 1941. Overseas, they contributed to war efforts in England, France, Belgium, Holland, Italy and North Africa. Stewart's son, Ellwood shared this story, "It was customary for crew members to sleep underneath their tanks. One night in particular, most of them insisted on sleeping under any tank except unlucky number 13, but my dad went ahead and slept underneath it. That night they were bombarded with heavy artillery, and there were casualties and injuries. Tank 13 wasn't impacted and my dad was unharmed." When the war ended, the four friends returned home where they were coworkers at Imperial Oil. Later on, Stewart and Ralph were inducted into the Sarnia Sports Hall of Fame. The lifelong friends enjoyed spending time fishing at Roy and Ernest’s cottage on Tomiko Lake in Northern Ontario, often recounting their stories and experiences from their time together in the war. #LestWeForget

10 years ago!!!

A beautiful walk and pertetual reminder in Veterans Park this morning. Great continued work from the City of Sarnia.

Branch 62 spokesman Ron Realesmith said although they won’t have the usual large crowd for Wednesday’s ceremony, residents can still honour those who have served and have paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Throughout the day, if you are out in the community, go to Veterans Park and pay your respects and go to the cenotaph and do that, but obviously do it following social distancing guidelines, said Realesmith. We just want the public to know that we haven’t cancelled our service, we are performing a service we just won’t be marching through the street and then making our way to Veterans Park.

History minded person in your life? Head over to The Book Keeper and pick up Phil Egans "Walking through Fire" the history of Sarnia Fire Rescue and "Keeping the Peace" the history of Sarnia Police Service. #supportlocal

A Point Edward connection! https://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com//0da14db2-c391-40f

Went for a haircut today and my barber gave me the only picture I have of my original house. Hmmm a little different now.

This is a photo of the Dairy Queen in Sarnia someplace. We have the Dairy Queen sign from Colborne Rd.

Today, we are sharing another Fair food-inspired recipe for the #historicrecipe: Apples on a Stick! This recipe is from the 'My Favorite Recipe' Cookbook, which... was published by the Sarnia Canadian Observer in 1936. This recipe book can be found at the Lambton County Archives! Apples on a Stick: Choose bright red apples. Wash and dry thoroughly and insert a wooden skewer into stem end of each. Prepare a glace sugar by boiling together two cups of sugar and one cup of boiling water until a little dropped in cold water is brittle. If using a candy thermometer, cook to 315 degrees F. Dip each apple into this boiling syrup having it in a small pan so that apples may be completely submerged. Stand apples on oiled paper to harden the glace. What is your favorite Fair food?

Today's #markermonday features the Founding of Sarnia. You can find it located in Alexander Mackenzie Park at the Foot of George Street. The plaque reads " The ...French-speaking families of Ignace Cazelet, Jean-Baptiste Paré and Joseph LaForge arrived here 1807-1810. Other settlers, many of Scottish descent, came in 1832-1834 following the 1829 survey of Sarnia Township. A community called "The Rapids", renamed Port Sarnia in 1836, soon developed and among its prominent early residents were Richard Vidal, George Durand and the Hon. Malcolm Cameron. Called Sarnia after 1856, the village flourished, stimulated by regional lumbering activity, nearby oil discoveries and the arrival of the Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways in 1858 and 1859, respectively. Later, Sarnia became a significant trans-shipment port for western grain. Incorporated as a town in 1856 and as a city in 1914, Sarnia is one of Canada's important petro-chemical centres." #LCArchives #ExploringLambtonCounty

The original cairn was built in what’s now Veterans Park but was dismantled and lost save the commemorative plaque when a Carnegie Library there was demolished to make way for the current Sarnia Library, built in the early 1960s.

Media Release: 2020 Remembrance Day Announcement - https://mailchi.mp//press-release-2020-remembrance-day-ann

https://www.thelondoner.ca//sarnia-raised-writer-inspired-

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 62 and the Sarnia Historical Society each donated $500 for the maintenance and preservation of the monument. The Monument Committee was surprised and extremely grateful.

#ThrowbackThursday to 60 years ago at Imperial Oil in Sarnia. The site formally announced reaching its Community Chest Red Feather goal of $16,500. Today, the f...undraiser is known as United Way. Our 2020 Imperial UW campaign kicked off this week with a goal of over $400,000. If we reach it, we promise to dress our co-chairs Srdan and Nick up in three piece suits & fancy hats and recreate this photo . See more

Three men are considered to be the official founders of Sarnia despite the fact that three French squatter families were here first.

The passing of the torch celebrated over a scotch. Cory Burke (left) with Ron Realesmith. Cory is taking over as President of the Sarnia Historical Society at the end of September.... Ron: "I'm really looking forward to working with Cory. He has a wealth of knowledge and acumen for celebrating our rich heritage with all generations. Not to mention, he enjoys a good glass of scotch." ;)

Nicole Aszalos, Archivist at Lambton County Archives accepts a donation from Sarnia Historical Society President Ron Realesmith. Photo slides from mid 1940s of various locations in Lambton County. Pictures are documentated and in good condition.