Fall Lecture Series

October 28 at 1 PM - included with admission and free for Grey Roots members.

Some are surprised to learn that body snatching was widely practiced in Ontario throughout the 19th century and even into the early 20th. Repugnant and disconcerting to most, it was viewed by many at the time as a necessary evil. While no one wanted their own graves or those of loved ones to be disturbed, most recognized the importance of fresh cadavers in providing medical students with the hands-on experience they needed to gain competency in their field. This illustrated talk explores the rich and complex history of a subject that was viewed with distaste at the time and is almost unfathomable today. It delves into the long history of the practice and, using examples from urban and rural Ontario, examines whose bodies got snatched and how, what became of them, and who was behind this unsavoury practice.

A more suitable presentation for Halloween would be difficult to find! It will be a perfect accompaniment to our exhibit, Going Out in Style, returning to Grey Roots in October.

Presenter Elysia DeLaurentis is a returning favourite of our Lecture Series. She is a local historian with over 25 years experience in the heritage field. She is the owner of, and principal researcher for, Oakenwood Research Services.

November 4 at 1 PM - included with admission and free for Grey Roots members.

Members of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation were among the many First Nations and Métis soldiers who fought for Canada and the Allied cause during the Second World War.

While the D-Day effort stands out in histories of the war, local First Nations soldiers were most involved in the difficult effort to liberate Italy, and some of the battles took place around the eastern Italian coastal town of Ortona. Join us just ahead of National Indigenous Veterans Day for a conversation between Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation members and their friend, Angela Arnone, M.S.M., a Battle of Ortona storyteller and guide who is a point of contact for Canadians visiting the area.

Angela will join us via Zoom from Italy. Featuring Chippewas of Nawash members Prin Johnston, Carol Johnston, Marleen Vogl, and Pat Johnston, who have twice travelled to Italy to see where their father, uncle, and grandfather fought and prevailed against the Axis threat and successfully liberated Italy.

Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation soldiers in the Second World War. Left to right: Clifford Nadjiwon, Victor Lavalley, Isadore Pedoniquott, John Johnston, Orville Johnston, Jack McLeod.

November 18 at 1 PM - included with admission and free for Grey Roots members.

Late in the nineteenth century, passengers and goods were transported around the many ports of Georgian Bay on wooden steamships. The region was booming with lumber mills and fishing stations. As competition rose for the business of moving these goods, the owners and captains took great risks. Sailing late into the season, braving the severe unpredictable waters of Georgian Bay, many tragic endings came to those travellers. Using descriptive lyrics and music along with rare photographs and newspaper articles collected from regional museums and archives, “Songs of Georgian Bay” unfolds the tragic and sometimes mysterious stories of those lost steamers.

Kevin Moyse is a local singer/songwriter and history enthusiast.