Peter Lockyer

Over 120 people attended the launch of the latest History Moments television series at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario on Friday, October 14, 2016.

With a restored, vintage Halifax bomber serving as a backdrop to the event, 12 more short stories of Eastern Ontario history were shown on a large screen to a crowd of VIPs, municipal officials, members of local heritage organizations, and residents.

Mayor Jim Harrison of the City of Quinte West welcomed visitors to the museum and event noting the rich history of his community and the area. Several stories in the series showcased the military history of Trenton including the construction of the Trent-Severn Canal by British engineers in the 1830s, the building of CFB Trenton as a federal government “make work” project during the Depression Years, and the role of the base as an air training facility for Commonwealth pilots during the Second World War.

“We’re very pleased to have been able to launch our series in such an historic place as the National Air Force Museum of Canada, and for the continued support from sponsors like the City of Quinte West,” says series’ creator, Peter Lockyer of History Lives Here Inc. “Every year our team of researchers, and writers go on a journey of discovery as we search the collections of area archives, libraries, historical societies, and museums to tell these wonderful stories.  As we approach Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, I can’t think of a better gift to Canadians than to tell them these stories from our past.”

The current series will air on CKWS TV in Kingston, and CHEX TV in Peterborough over the next weeks before its re-broadcast on TVCogeco cable stations and before movies at several participating area theatres.

The rich history of the Quinte area will be celebrated at a special event on Friday, October 14th, 2016 from 5 pm – 7:30 pm at the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario.

The event will showcase the premiere of twelve, two-minute stories of the region as part of the History Moments television series now in its sixth season. The series tells untold or forgotten stories from the past from Eastern Ontario communities – stories of early settlement, founding industries, prominent people, and events, which have shaped the history of the area and Canada. The series is broadcast on CKWS TV in Kingston, CHEX TV in Peterborough, TV Cogeco cable, before movies at several participating theatres, online on the websites of sponsors and community partners, and is distributed into local libraries, museums, and schools as learning resources.

Municipalities, businesses and tourism and heritage organizations sponsor the History Moments series. History Lives Here Inc., a Picton communications company, produces the History Moments series.

“These are old stories, but we believe there are new audiences for them,” says journalist Peter Lockyer, the creator of the series. “There was a time when Eastern Ontario was at the very epicenter of Confederation as a driving economic, social and political force. Those days are gone. But as we approach Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations in 2017, it is timely to celebrate the past as a way of preserving it for future generations.”

This year’s series tells the story of Belleville as a railway town, the building of the Trent –Severn Waterway in the 1830s, the construction of Canadian Forces Base Trenton as a work project during the hard years of the Depression era, the restoration of Picton’s historic Royal Hotel, the history of Albert College, a Belleville private school that is older than Canada, the life of Quinte artist Manly MacDonald, and the making of Picton’s Sir John A. Macdonald sculpture to celebrate the life of Canada’s first prime minister and his early years as a “Quinte boy.”

The launch event is open to the public.

The latest installment of our popular History Moments series is currently in production.

These highly – produced, two-minute television vignettes celebrate the history that is all around us. They are short stories from the past – stories of early settlement, founding industries, prominent people, and significant events, which have shaped the history of Eastern Ontario and Canada. These are old and forgotten tales. But there are new audiences for them. And as Canada approaches its 150^th birthday in 2017, now is the time to tell these epic stories of our communities.

This year’s series – our sixth – will be launched Friday, October 14^th at a gala event to be held at the Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario. Current stories include a portrait of Belleville artist Manly MacDonald (1889 – 1971), one of Canada’s foremost painters famous for his canvases of farming, pastoral scenes, and small towns in rural Ontario.  

Another story tells the past of Picton’s Royal Hotel, a landmark historic building on Picton’s Main Street built in the 1880s to accommodate upscale travelers expected to visit the community after the completion of the railway. Over a century later, the Royal was an abandoned building in need of extensive repairs. But today, the hotel is undergoing a massive restoration under the direction of Greg Sorbara, Ontario’s former finance minister, and his family. It is scheduled to re-open in late 2017 as a boutique hotel. 

Other stories in the series include tales from the era when Belleville was a railway town and the catastrophic railway accident in the 1870s that prompted a community effort to build the Belleville hospital.