What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Trent Valley Archives

Home
Canada
Peterborough, ON
Trent Valley Archives

You can subscribe to our newsletter at http://eepurl.com/CA4vD

Some of the resources at the Trent Valley Archives include:
◦Large text collection of regional genealogical and historical resources
◦Cemetery transcripts covering cemeteries throughout the Trent Valley region
◦Family histories
◦Genealogical Research Directory
◦Peter Robinson immigration of 1825: ships lists and land records
◦Local newspapers and extracts from local newspapers supported by significant newspaper indexes (to the Peterborough Examiner, Peterborough Review and Dummer News) and by major runs of obituaries in the 19th century and in the 1990s.
◦Chronologies of significant events in the local area (partially available on this website)
◦Major collection of resources on the Peterborough Irish
◦Extensive microfilm collections of census, church, assessment records,
◦Extensive digital collection of pre-1840 Upper Canada (Ontario) documents.
◦Many of our archival finding aids and indexes to local histories are available in-house and sometimes on our website.
◦The Peterborough County land records, 1867-1950.

03/25/2026

There are many local artists who have left their mark on our community through their extensive bodies of work. Several of them are well known, and have had their art exhibited in local galleries. Others are awaiting their turn for their work to be appreciated and remembered.

One of them is Gilbert Painter, an engineer at GE in Peterborough who, in his retirement, honed his natural artistic abilities by paintings hundreds of portraits of residents from across the region. The portraits are reflective of the time period in which they were painted, and keenly showcase the features and personalities of each subject. Today, they hang on the walls inside the Trent Valley Archives as part of the Gilbert Painter fonds, which is where they caught the attention of local filmmaker Nick Van der Graaf.

Nick's enthusiasm for the artist and his extensive body of work resulted in the creation of his next film, a 15-minute short documentary entitled Painter's Portraits. The documentary, featuring insightful commentary on Painters' life and artistic style, offers a rare look into one of our more unique archival fonds and positions Painter’s body of work within the context of the community that shaped it.

The film is the perfect blend of history and art, and is sure to appeal to history buffs and art connoisseurs alike. If you want to be one of the first to see the film, we're hosting a screening THIS SATURDAY, March 28th at 2pm inside Bagnani Hall at Traill College. The screening of the film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and others who made contributions to the film, and light refreshments will be provided. Tickets cost $10 each and can be purchased on Eventbrite, here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/painters-portraits-film-premiere-tickets-1985405905509?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true or at the door. We hope you'll join us in supporting the film and bringing recognition to this under-appreciated artist.

03/21/2026

We're just a week away from the world premiere of Nick Van der Graaf's new short documentary "Painter's Portraits"! Join us at Bagnani Hall at Traill College next Saturday, March 28 at 2pm to see the film, which features our Gilbert Painter fonds, a unique collection of portraits of Peterborough residents that have captivated all who have seen them. The film explores both the life of the artist himself, an engineer who devoted his retirement to nurturing his creative passions, and the artistic merit of his paintings through the lens of the community that shaped both art and artist.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and others who made contributions to the film, who will speak about both the filmmaking process and the collection of portraits itself. Light refreshments will be provided. Tickets to the screening cost $10 each and can be purchased in advance on Eventbrite, here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/painters-portraits-film-premiere-tickets-1985405905509?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true or at the door.

03/17/2026

The Gilbert Painter fonds at the Trent Valley Archives is a special one. Instead of sitting inside boxes, like most of our archival holdings, the material in this fonds hangs on the walls inside TVA. A collection of dozens of colourful portraits, they quietly look down on everyone who passes by on their way to retrieve a box from our main storage area. The portraits have captivated all who have seen them, including filmmaker Nick Van der Graaf, who was inspired to make them the subject of his next documentary film.

Entitled Painter's Portraits, this short film shines a spotlight on these portraits, which were all the work of one artist: Gilbert Painter. In the filmmaker's words: "Painter's Portraits," is a documentary short about the Trent Valley Archives collection of paintings by Peterborough artist Gilbert Painter. Painter, hailed in his youth as an artistic prodigy, became an engineer and after WWII worked at GE in Peterborough. Post-retirement he devoted himself to painting hundreds of portraits of local people from across the region. The breadth of the collection, and its relationship to the community, are explored in this 15-minute film."

To celebrate the completion of the film and its thoughtful portrayal of one of our more unique archival fonds, we're hosting a premiere at Bagnani Hall on the afternoon of Saturday, March 28 at 2pm. The screening of the film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and others who made contributions to the film, who will speak about both the filmmaking process and the collection of portraits itself. Light refreshments will be provided.

Tickets to the screening cost $10 each and can be purchased in advance on Eventbrite, here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/painters-portraits-film-premiere-tickets-1985405905509?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true or at the door.

03/15/2026

We hosted a very successful book signing event yesterday (March 14) with Irish historical geographer Christy Roche! Christy, who is the author of the 2025 book "From Whence They Came," was pleased to meet so many enthusiastic TVA volunteers and community members and chat with them about their interest in (and connections to) Ireland and the Peter Robinson Emigration.

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came out to our archives building yesterday to support both Christy and the Trent Valley Archives. We appreciate every single person who purchased a copy of "From Whence They Came" and we hope it proves to be both an enjoyable read and a helpful resource in your family history research.

We also want to thank our volunteers who helped this event run smoothly, including our Reading Room Manager Dianne Tedford for setting up a beautiful display of Irish-themed Beleek pottery that added to the afternoon's ambience (pictured in the last photograph), and the Board of Nine Ships 1825 who keenly supported this event and ensured it was a part of Christy's itinerary.

The event was a sell-out, but if you're still looking for a copy of "From Whence They Came," he will be selling a few remaining copies at his talk tomorrow afternoon (March 16) at 1:30pm at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

03/11/2026

Last Thursday, Madison More (the current president of the Trent Valley Archives) met with Sarah Joore (Sales and Marketing Project Coordinator) and Katie Zatorski (Sales and Marketing Coordinator) at Canterbury Gardens to thank the Gardens Retirement Living for their continued support of Trent Valley Archives Theatre and our upcoming production of "The Kid from Simcoe Street" which will be staged at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on June 4 and 5 at 7:30pm and June 5 and 6 at 2pm.

We're pleased to welcome the Gardens back as Trent Valley Archives Theatre's Platinum Sponsor for the third year in a row, especially considering this year's production has a surprising connection to one of their residences. Empress Gardens, originally the location of the Empress Hotel, was where both of James Clarke's parents worked - his mother as a waitress and his father as a bellhop - and both his parents and the hotel are featured in the play. "The link to The Gardens is one that we were very pleased to learn about, and we are delighted to bring attention to the TVAs great work and preservation of our region’s history," said Sarah.

We're equally pleased to welcome kawarthaNOW back as our Platinum Media Sponsor, who is also returning for the third year in a row. Both the Gardens Retirement Living and kawarthaNOW, along with our other sponsors, donors and community partners, are essential to the success of Trent Valley Archives Theatre. Their monetary and in-kind support will help us mitigate the expenses required to stage "The Kid from Simcoe Street" this year, and in turn increase the revenue generated for the Trent Valley Archives. 100% of this revenue will go to support the work TVA does preserving our community's history and making its 1,200+ collection of archival fonds accessible to the public.

It's not to late to become a sponsor! You can follow in the footsteps of The Gardens of Peterborough Retirement Residences and kawarthaNOW and support "The Kid from Simcoe Street" at the Gold, Silver or Bronze level. Each level of sponsorship guarantees you an ad in our Heritage Gazette and "The Kid from Simcoe Street" playbill, and your name and logo will appear in all of our upcoming promotional materials for the play. For more information on sponsorship, email us at tvat@trentvalleyarchives.com or call us at 705-745-4404.

[Image Caption: Madison More (left) and Sarah Joore (right) with a copy of James Clarke's memoir "The Kid from Simcoe Street" that this year's TVAT production is based on.]

03/08/2026

We can't wait to welcome Peterborough St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshall Christy Roche to the Trent Valley Archives this Saturday, March 14 for our book signing event in celebration of Irish Heritage Month!

Christy is an Irish historical geographer and author, and drew upon his background in historical geography to produce his latest book "From Whence They Came: The Peter Robinson Settlers," published in 2025 to correspond with the Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration. The book highlights the Irish towns and villages the Robinson emigrant families called home in the early 1820s, just before they embarked on their life-changing journey across the Atlantic. Each has been given a dedicated two-page spread that contains historical context about the area and two full-colour photographs of buildings that the emigrants themselves would have been familiar with.

Drop by our archives building anytime between 1pm and 3pm to purchase a copy of the book, chat with the author, and enjoy some light refreshments. Both hardcover and softcover copies of the book will be for sale at the signing but inventory is limited, so we recommend you arrive early. Please note that we can only accept cash and e-transfer payments on site so we recommend that you bring cash with you. In addition to Christy's book, we have other books about the Peter Robinson Emigration (like the Nine Ships Bicentennial Souvenir Book) and other local historical topics for sale in our bookstore, so you're sure to find something that interests you!

03/08/2026

Today is International Women's Day! The Trent Valley Archives is proud to highlight the history and achievements of women in our community whenever we can, whether that is through preserving documents and other materials created by women (like those in our Martha Kidd Fonds and our Cathleen McCarthy Fonds), our local history walking tours (like our Women's History Tour in Little Lake Cemetery), or articles about local women in our Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley.

We would also like to thank the many women who have chosen to dedicate their time to volunteering and working with us over the years, whether that's through steering our organization in positions of leadership on our board, assisting with accounting and bookkeeping behind the scenes, developing each issue of the Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, representing us on our walking tours and at other events, ensuring our website, e-blasts and social media channels are always looking great, or assisting researchers and processing archival fonds at our archives building. We would not be where we are today without your contributions.

If there is a local woman who has made a significant contribution to our community that you'd like to highlight, past or present, please share their name and story in the comments. Together, lets amplify the women in our community today!

[Image Caption: "Trent Goalie Takes Time Out to Talk: Erica Metcalfe, Shirley Farquhar, Terry Tabulentus, players on Trent U. women's hockey team." Published in the Peterborough Examiner on January 20, 1971.]

02/28/2026

We're pleased to announce that we will be welcoming Irish historical geographer and author Christy Roche to the Trent Valley Archives on Saturday, March 14 for a book signing! Christy is visiting the Peterborough area to serve as the Grand Marshall of the 26th Annual Peterborough St. Patrick's Day Parade, and has graciously agreed to visit us that afternoon to sign copies of his latest book, "From Whence They Came: The Peter Robinson Settlers."

Published in 2025 to correspond with the Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Emigration, the book examines the history of the emigrations of 1823 and 1825 from the Irish perspective, focusing on the communities the emigrants came from rather than the communities they settled in. The book identifies the towns and villages that were home to one (or several) Peter Robinson emigrant families and provides historical context about what that community was like just before the emigrants' departure. This historical context is further enhanced with accompanying full-colour photographs, two per location, of buildings that would have existed in the 1820s, uniquely linking the past to the present.

The book signing is a drop in event and you are welcome to drop by our archives building at 567 Carnegie Avenue anytime between 1pm and 3pm to purchase a copy of the book and chat with the author. Both hardcover and softcover copies of the book will be for sale at the signing. Inventory is limited, so although this is a drop-in event, we recommend you arrive early. Please note that we can only accept cash and e-transfer payments on site so we recommend that you bring cash with you if you'd like to purchase a book. Light refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there!

02/27/2026

The print edition of our February 2026 issue of the Heritage Gazette is hot off the press!

Inside its full-colour pages, you'll find articles like "Iva Virginia (Wells) Edgar" Mike Dolbey's deep dive into Peterborough postmaster and politician James Edgar and his wife Iva; "The Memos of WWII Radar Specialist and President of General Electric Walter Ward" featuring two of Ward's original letters (transcribed by Alicia Bertrand) highlighting issues he experienced while serving in the British Royal Navy and offering his advice to other Canadians preparing to serve about the differences between British and Canadian culture; and articles from Trent Valley Archives Librarian Carol Sucee and Archivist Elwood Jones about the newest acquisitions to our library shelves and archival holdings.

If you are currently subscribed to the print edition of the Heritage Gazette, this issue will mark the third and final issue of your print subscription for 2025, and will either be readied for you to pick up at TVA or mailed to you, depending on your subscription. If you would like to renew your print subscription for 2026, please do so prior to the release of our April 2026 issue. Subscriptions cost $30 (or $40 if you require shipping) for three issues. Individual copies of this issue of the Heritage Gazette can also be purchased at our archives building at 567 Carnegie Avenue for $15 each, or mailed to you for $20 each. We're open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am-4pm.

02/22/2026

The latest issue of the Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley is here! We're still catching up on our publishing schedule, so this issue (originally intended to be our December 2025 issue) has been dubbed our February 2026 issue and marks the third and final issue of Volume 30.

This month, we invite you to turn your thoughts away from the cold and snow towards summers on the water with the feature articles in this issue, including "Kelly's Island Revisited" Mike Parnell's anticipated second half of his exploration of the cottage on Chemong Lake; "The Steamboat Sturgeon Stem to Stern," Mike Dolbey's investigation into the claims made in an intriguing letter sent to Peterborough Postmaster James Edgar in the 1910s; and "Remembering the Whistle Wing and Henry Calcutt" featuring a Peterborough Times article from 1873 chronicling the author's trip on the newly built Whistle Wing steamboat.

In addition to these articles, there's so much more to explore in this issue, and we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did! If you're subscribed to our mailing list, check your inbox for an email from us with links to download the issue. If you're not already subscribed to our mailing list, you can do so via the link in our bio. The issue (along with past issues) is also available to download on the Heritage Gazette page on our website. Once you've read the issue, we'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment down below with your thoughts on this issue and any suggestions you have for our next issue (which is expected in April 2026; we're hoping to resume our regular publishing schedule for Volume 31!)

02/15/2026

On the eve of Family Day this year, we want to highlight the fact that our 2026 Trent Valley Archives Theatre production, The Kid from Simcoe Street, is a family story at its heart.

Based on the memoir of the same name by James Clarke, The Kid from Simcoe Street focuses on a local family, the Clarke family, who lived in a tenement on Simcoe Street. Navigating the challenges of living in poverty in wartime-era Peterborough, the family (consisting of young James, his two sisters, and his parents) experienced a series of life events that had a huge impact on their lives.

Young James was particularly impacted by these events, especially the prolonged absence of his father who went overseas to serve in the Second World War, depriving him of a father figure and leaving his mother to care for her three children on her own. Although his family was broken apart, community members stepped forward to support him, proving that family extends to those you choose to surround yourself with.

His father returned home from the war impacted by the trauma he had endured overseas and his resulting struggles with addiction, but the support James received from the community at large set him on the right path, a path that would eventually lead him to become an accomplished Ontario Superior Court Judge and poet. Now in his nineties and with a large family of his own, we think the Clarke family story will resonate with theatre-goers from all walks of life and from different family backgrounds.

Written by playwrights Ed Schroeter, Gerry McBride and David Francis Clarke (James' grandson), directed by Drew Mills and stage managed by Barb Mills, The Kid from Simcoe Street will be staged at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in June of 2026. There will be two evening performances on June 4 and 5 at 7:30pm and two matinee performances on June 6 and 7 at 2pm. Tickets are on sale now, and would make an excellent outing for your family and friends.

Tickets cost $30 for regular seating and $40 for cabaret seating and can be purchased by calling the Market Hall box office at 705-749-1146, emailing the Market Hall box office at boxoffice@markethall.com, or visiting their website, here: https://tickets.markethall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=526 We hope to see you in June for this memorable family story!

Address

567 Carnegie Avenue
Peterborough, ON
K9L1N1

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.trentvalleyarchives.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Trent Valley Archives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Peterborough?

03/25/2026

03/21/2026

03/17/2026

03/15/2026

03/11/2026

03/08/2026

03/08/2026

02/28/2026

02/27/2026

02/22/2026

02/15/2026

Address

Opening Hours

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share