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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1998-02-04, Page 16Second Section - February 4, 1998 Donnellys just the tip of Lucan. area's heritage iceberg They're historical. Lucan Area Heritage committee execu- tives Austin Hodgins, Mike Anderson and Linda Thompson hold a few of the many artifacts in the Lucan Area Heritage Museum. Hodgins holds a railroad lantern, Anderson a Scotch top horse collar and Thompson holds harness racing legend Clint Hodgins' trademark hat. Clint Hodgins is also renowned for leaving money to many Lucan area community groups in his estate. Gone not forgotten. Pictured 'here is the former Grand Trunk Railroad station that was located across from the cur. rent Scott's. Elevator. r • - By Craig Bradford • - T -A Repirier LUCAN - While today marks the 118th anniversary of the Donnelly massacre. there's much more to celebrate when it comes to Lucan area heritage. . . Think of Lucan's and Biddulph's history as something like the newspa- per you. hold.in your hands now: on the front: page there's a_major cover story. in Lucan/Biddulph's case the Donnelly . and sonic other colorful information: then you turn the page to a plethora of other hard news sur ries. features. -profiles. columns: special interest stirfitcs. sports: entertain- ment and.so on contained on subsequent pages. • • - Lucan/Biddulph's history. Just like this weeks edition. of the T -A. is more than what's just on the surface- But that'cover story better hook read- ers into reading further. That's the purpose the Donnellys can serve, as• long as those interested in the cover story have the time and interest to delve further. • That's what the three-year-old Lucan Arca Heritage committee hopes people will do once they visit the arca. But just. how the, famous murders should he used to draw people tope area is atouchy issue and is • why the committee is approaching it delicately with balance in mind. "We fully acknowledge' the Donnelly angle is the hook," committee chairperson Mike Anderson said. "I('s.the rest of our history that will bring people hack the second and third times:" Anderson admitted many residents there feel the committee isn't working fast enough or using the Donnellys as a draw to its full potential while others feel they arc moving much too quickly. "We arc progressing but it is extremely important to - display all our history." Anderson said.. "The sad part .is that if you don't talk about the. Donnellys, you don't talk about Lucan's and Biddulph's other rich history." And there is much more than the Donnellys to celebrate. While Biddulph Township was surveyed in 1831 and -became an'official entity a vear later. the first non-native settlement in the arca was founded by free black people_ in about 1828. Called the Wilberforce settlement. the set- tlers -Came from Ohio and other northern 1 S. states -and founded -the first real free black settlement in North Annenca. While they were free by law in most northern states. blacks had to pay a S500.hound to gain their free: dom. a_sumalmost no-one hack then could muster ant the 'main •reason - .why• they looked north to Canada tosetile. -. •- Most of those original settlers returned to the U.S. when the $500 bond was repealed in the 1920x, -Anderson said, and some simply left because they preferred living irr cities over farming or sought more southern climes. Anderson said the exit of Wilberforce settlers was also fueled by the case of fraudulent fundraisers that travelled to. England m secure money to build upon what Wilberforce founders had done. hut drank away all money raised before -they returned, There is one Wilberforce founding famil> Icft:.the Butlers. led by Peter Butler: In .fact. the Butlers boast. another important tidbit in provincial history: Peter Butler III was the first black peace officer in Ontario. Local historian -Austin Hodgins. a committee vice-president, said his ancestors were one of thc founding families of Biddulph and he can trace •back his roots in this arca to 1832. -He underlined the importance Lucan/Biddulph played itt the sports of harness and pigeon racing. The names Clint Hodgins. Leroy Revington. -Andy Hardy. Buddy Gilmour and Ken Hardy (who's still racing) are world famous in harness. racing circles and ScelsterFarnis continues to breed world class horses. Hodgins can talk for hours about Lucan/Biddulph's many claims to fame: Frank Hardy Sr.'s -pigeon racing expertise. brought the Montreal Canadicns to Lucan for an exhibition game versus the Lucan- Irish Six hickey club (Canadicns bigwig Frank Sclke had a soft spot for pigeon racing): Lucan racing pigeons were released as part of the opening core - monies of Expo '67: the Famous Trish Nine haschall toured everywhere - heating ever] opponent in their wake• = they were so famous a cigar. company named one of their stogies atter them: and the list -of Lucan/Biddulph historical attractions goes -on and on. Another commtttcc'vice-president. Linda Thompson. is also a member of a Lucan.founding family. Her great -great-grandfather 'Dublin' Toni Hodgins•suggested the name Lucan when the village changed its name from Marystown in 1860. Anderson said Thompson is a tireless• researcher on area history . "lt's:just absolutely fascinating." Thompson said on why she is so keen on local history. •But the part of Lucan/Biddulph's history that will always garner the most interest will he the .Donnellys and their violent exit from the arca. Right now there are four films in the works about the Donnellys, including one by famed Canadian fringe filmmaker Colin Brunton that will he shot . in a community outside Toronto this year and hopefully he finished for the '99 Toronto international Film Festival. ` While Anderson welcomes the _interest in the -area, he - is concerned about just how the story will he told. "I guess the biggest concern about a Donnelly film is how high the entertainment level is," Anderson said. "We want them to he as factual as possible. We don't want to .be known for a- massacre any more than St. Catharines wants• to he known for the Bernardo crines." Despite ami misgivings. the heritage committee does take advantage of Biddulph's most famous family: they sell Donnell.)T-shirts: they have had Donnelly experts such as author Ray• Fanakas ('The Donnelly Album') and playwright James Reaney speak at their annual dinner; current owner of the Donnelly homestead, Rob Salts. offers a 90 -minute -tour of sites famous .for the Donnellys; bricks left over from the demolition of the Central- Hotel. one of the Donnellys more famous haunts. arc hong sold as a fundraiser: the committee's museum fea •- uues much Donnelly' lore arid artifacts. One of the main goals of the committee is to find a site for a permanent museum that could also 'serve -as a -bigger space for .he Lucan library. The • museum. located at 16.1 'Main St.. hosted over 5.000 people last year. dou- - hle'the number in the committee's first year: But the building. supplied by . -Hank Arnold for a nominal fees isn't up to snuff and requires over $500,000 - in renovations and even then Anderson says it isn't "conducive to he a • museum." • Anderson said the. committee members realize municipalities and the:•, • province don't have extra cash to spend on ventures like the heritage museum and that -they arc on their own when it comes to funding. Anderson.• thanks individuals like :Arnold and local community clubs like the Optimists: i.ions; Scouts. Legion and the Business Association for their past support and hopes for more in the future. - - Anderson said the committee will continue to build -upon what_they'.ve accomplished so far. Thc-'Ride Back In Time' where committee members - re-enact local. historical events will again entertain at the Lucan Community • Memorial Centre race. track in May and the annual Heritage Days will again unfold in. August-knderson said thc second annual Great Canadian , Potato Race will he opt:neel up to anyone who wants to dress up a spud this year since there was a-grcat respinsc to the limited event last year. The bus tours the committee offers for, Lucanites to visit other communities' will continue and Anderson said the committee hopes to add more Lucan his- torical tours for schools -and genealogical -societies. -• Anderson invites anyone interested in the committee_ or the museum to the committee's nionthly meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at 355 Beech Si. The - committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month. - • " The Lucan Arca- Heritage third annual banquet will -be held at Holy.: Trinity -Anglican Church on Feb. .19...7 p.m. The guest speaker will be author -Barbara Attard. Contact Muriel Culbert at 227-4766 for tickets. The Lucan Arca Heritage Museum is open on Saturdays from 1 p.m. -5, p.m. and at .other. times by appointment. Admission is by donation.- For more information on the committee or the museum. contact 227-0756 or . • 227-0465. - irleVIOPVIIP4P VII qv IP IP11P• IP IP Intern IPIirP 11, IP IP IP IP IP IP qr aw4 iwt/40ke*w( put "at tw4 *4e *at /at /at 1w4 /at *w4/at Pat Pat /at kw4Iiw4 iwtt 1, AA AAAAAAAAAAAA �� ,)st ,w s , 4 c _. Does Ours„s A t,s4,„ _' 4 C.ipid like a ,ei rix Cw4/ 104164 wBooks?:t %ASS The Times Advocate has fully restocked shelves te*t` r1:4 C4 V GIVE THE GIFT THAT LASTS ,mss sus r` sr Children's IF Birds & Wildlife 1� s r� r Historical r Health r 4,064_ \w, et 0 ! 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