Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives

Date

1915-1984

Format

textual records

photographic

Collection/Fonds

White Lake Women’s Institute fonds

Description Level

Fonds

Reproduction Location

Digitized Tweedsmuir book in Common Folder

Physical Description

71 cm of textual records and ca. 50 photos (4 boxes).

History / Biography

The White Lake Women’s Institute (part of Renfrew South District) was formed on June 21, 1915 in the Orange Hall at White Lake as “an organization for personal growth and community action ... of rural women from farms, villages, and towns”. It has a W.I. Hall in White Lake, the only branch in the district with its own hall. Its objectives are the following: 1. to assist and encourage women to become more knowledgeable and responsible citizens; 2. to promote and develop good family life skills; 3. to help discover, stimulate and develop leadership; and 4. to help identify and resolve needs in the community. The White Lake Women’s Institute is a branch of a larger organization known as the Renfrew South District Women’s Institute; this District forms part of the larger Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario (FWIO); the FWIO, in turn, forms part of the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada (FWIC); and the FWIC represents the final link to the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW). These Institutes have often been referred to as “the rural woman’s university, a place for women to gather and learn about things that interest all of us”.

Language

English

Acquisition Source

Donated by the White Lake Women’s Institute, c/o Mrs. Sandy McEwen, Secretary, on September 19, 1996; photos of this occasion were taken. Peter Hessel, Past President of the Arnprior and District Archives, and Jean Sadler, Member of Arnprior and District Archives Board of Management and Secretary of Arnprior Women’s Institute, were present at this occasion to accept the records. In December 2016 four bound volumes of Minutes and Attendance were donated via Carole Campbell; Past President.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of clippings, articles, photos, and albums that document the history of White Lake Women’s Institute and White Lake itself covering a period from about the late 1880’s to 1980’s.

BOX LIST:

G15.2

Minute Books. -- 1915-2009 -- 34 cm of textual records.

Minute books (22 volumes) contain minutes of meetings, financial statements and membership lists.

G15.3 Quilt and Craft Fair guest book, 1983

Blue photo album about the Institute

Red, tartan covered album about Institute

G15.4

Federated News is issued quarterly by the Federated Women’s Institute of Canada to keep local institutes informed of events taking place in Canada and abroad.

Federated News. -- 1971-1975; 1979; 1980-1983. -- 3 cm of textual records.

Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario Handbook. -- 1983. -- 2 cm of t extual records.

The Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario Handbook is updated periodically and provides such information as the following areas: origin and growth of women’s institutes, constitution and by-laws, procedures and proper form (for elections, committees, resolutions, motions, and meetings), hymns, colours, badge, and opening ode.

Home and Country. -- 1947; 1980-1984. -- 1 cm of textual records.

Home and Country is published quarterly and provides information on the activities and events of local institutes across Ontario.

Programs. - 1947-1948; 1956-1957; 1965; 1975-1976. -- 1 cm of textual records.

File contains programs of the Ontario Women’s Institute Officers’ Conference, Eastern Ontario Area Conventions, and South Renfrew District Women’s Institutes.

Financial Records. -- 1978-1982; 1984-1985. -- 6 cm of textual records.

File contains receipts, bank books, and cheque books recording the expenses to maintain the Hall and to finance events and activities of the Institute.

G15.5

History. -- [before 1983]. -- 15 cm of textual records and ca. 50 photos. Many of the photographs are itemized in separate records of this database.

8 Files contain such information as the following: manual for compiling Tweedsmuir Histories;

Golden Jubilee-A History of Renfrew South Women’s Institute 1913-1963; clippings and accounts that document history of White Lake Women’s Institute, White Lake itself, its people, its economy, and its history, covering the period from about 1879 to the 1980’s. This information was gathered for the purposes of formally putting together a Tweedsmuir History of White Lake. Some names, places and events mentioned include the following:

-John Paris

-Bolton Cunningham (liquor store on Bellamy Road)

-Murray and Edith Barker (metal shop)

-blacksmiths

-White Lake McNab Park (lot 5, concession 3)

-Waba Cottage Museum

-Archibald McNab

-McNab Township

-Waba Lodge (built in 1835)

-McKay family (lot 13, concession 3)

-White Lake village (surveyed in 1852)

-history of ownership of lot 19, concession 3, by Mrs. Douglas Langford

-century farms recognized by the Junior Farmers of Ontario, Renfrew County Branch, in the townships of Horton, McNab, Bagot, Brougham, Adamston

-history of part of lot 3, concession 4 (property of Majaury family)

-history of part of lot 1, concession 2 (property of Stewart family)

-Robertson’s Corners (notes by John Box Campbell)

-Yuill house and Jessie Maude Yuill

-Public School Section No. 1 McNab, 1952-1964, Minute book

-diary and notes of events, 1961-1965

-Clay Bank Women’s Institute

-fiberglass business (old schoolhouse in Burnstown, owned by Mike Osbourne)

-White Lake Library

-100th anniversary edition of Arnprior Chronicle, 1879-1979

-Arnprior Chronicle, March 1, 1967

-100th anniversary edition of Arnprior Chronicle, 1888-1988, features the new Town Hall and its politicians (for example, James Goldie Cameron, Joseph McDougall, Peter McGonigal, John Tierney, Archibald Campbell, and R.G. Moles) and Arnprior Lions Club

-White Lake’s post office

-”Dove” retirement apartments owned by Bud Lindsay

-White Lake Sweet Shop owned by Barbara Langford and later owned by Lois McLellan

-Waba Cheese Factory

-Waba Creek bridge (completed August 29, 1984)

-McNab’s new fire truck at White Lake Station (August 30, 1978)

-freak storm hits White Lake (August 5, 1979)

-article on Anita Hamilton (potter)

-Presbyterian Church at White Lake

-St. George’s Church, Anglican

[see also file “St. George’s Anglican Church — Waba” in Peter Hessel Collection.]

-White Lake Baptist Church

-letter from solicitor to John S. Box about conveyance of lands to White Lake Women’s Institute (lots 22, 23 and 24 in the Village of White Lake)

-postcard of Arnprior Public School (1913?)

-picture of Adelaide Hoodless

-invitation to the 50th anniversary of Burnstown Women’s Institute (1911-1961)

-article on the 68th District Women’s Institute annual of South Renfrew Women’s Institute held at Calabogie

-Timbertown (a theme park proposed for Upper Ottawa Valley)

-John McGill of White Lake (disabled person goes on vacation)

-rescue on White Lake, Jim Monnette and Harold Turner (1979)

-McLachlin Mills and lumbering

-Burnstown Women’s Institute

-Renfrew postmaster Harold Eady, Smith Falls Stage Coach

-Bernie Bedore article on Arnprior and District

-Hoffman Concrete Products Ltd., operated by Donald Gary and Reginald Hoffman goes into receivership (1981)

-modern Luxo hospital lamps installed at Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital

-Harry Toop honoured, St. John’s Ambulance

-70th District Annual Meeting of Renfrew South Women’s Institutes-photos: Orange Hall, dance pavilion built by Billy Ostler, White Lake Women’s Institute Hall, White Lake members, Presbyterian Church, White Lake Church, Ostler’s store, view of White Lake, Waba School (Cedar Hedge School), Ethel Stewart, and John S. Box

-invitations to various events of the women’s institutes

Access Restriction

Tweedsmuir Books - please use digitized version rather than original. Searchable online through the FWIO Virtual Archives.

Accession No.

1996-0075

Less detail