Trent Valley Archives

04/26/2026

Here's a little snippet of Dr. Allan Kirby's musical performance at our AGM on Thursday, April 23! It was enjoyed by all who attended.

04/26/2026

Over 50 Trent Valley Archives members and friends gathered at the Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre this past Thursday, April 23 for our Annual General Meeting. It was a very successful evening and this year's musical presentation by Dr. Allan Kirby featuring the traditional folk music of rural Ontario was enjoyed by all who attended. The crowd even chimed in during the chorus of Johnson's Hotel!

We would like to thank everyone who took time out of their Thursday evening to attend the meeting, particularly those Trent Valley Archives members who stayed on after the presentation for the AGM. We would also like to thank the staff at Highland Park Cemetery for graciously allowing us to use their beautiful centre for our meeting, and to Al for eagerly agreeing to be our guest speaker this year.

If you weren't able to make it to the AGM but are curious to learn more about the topic of Al's presentation, we still have a couple copies of his latest book, "Fowke Songs: Edith Fowke's Search for Canadian Folk Songs", available to purchase in our bookstore for $25. They can be purchased online, here: https://trentvalleyarchives.com/shop/fowke-songs-edith-fowkes-search-for-canadian-folk-songs/ or in person at 567 Carnegie Avenue during our operating hours.

04/23/2026

Our AGM is TONIGHT at 7pm! Don’t miss out!

Our AGM is just two weeks away! Whether you're a Trent Valley Archives member or simply a curious follower, we encourage you to join us at the Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre on Thursday, April 23 at 7pm for a special musical presentation from guest speaker Dr. Allan Kirby.

Dr. Allan Kirby is a musician and music scholar who wrote his PhD thesis at Carleton University on the topic of traditional folk music in rural Ontario, focusing primarily on the recordings of this music made by noted Canadian folklorist Edith Folke at P. G. Towns’ General Store in Douro, and throughout Peterborough County from 1956 to 1964. His presentation will combine musical performances of some of these folk songs with the historical context behind them, explaining how early folk ballads from the old countries, particularly Ireland, were adapted for their new surroundings in Canada.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with our guest speaker, and then our annual general meeting. The presentation is free to attend and open to the public, but the AGM portion of the evening is only open to Trent Valley Archives members. Registering for the event in advance is not required but if you do register it will help us get a sense of how many people plan on attending. You can register for our AGM here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/annual-general-meeting-with-guest-speaker-dr-allan-kirby-tickets-1987021190871?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true Light refreshments will be provided.

If you are a TVA member, we will be sending you an email soon with the agenda and relevant documents for the evening's meeting. If you do not receive this email, please email us at admin@trentvalleyarchives.com or call us at 705-745-4404 and let us know. We're looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, April 23rd!

04/18/2026

Our Annual General Meeting is less than a week away! Join us at the Highland Park Visitor Centre this Thursday, April 23 at 7pm for an engaging and entertaining musical presentation from musicologist Dr. Allan Kirby, who will perform traditional folk songs from rural Ontario. He will also discuss the history behind this music, which was adapted for life in the Canadian wilderness from earlier folk ballads and was recorded extensively by noted Canadian folklorist Edith Fowke throughout Peterborough County in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with Dr. Kirby, and then our annual general meeting. The presentation is free to attend and open to the public, but the AGM portion of the evening is only open to Trent Valley Archives members. Registering for the event in advance is not required but if you do register it will help us get a sense of how many people plan on attending. You can register for our AGM here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/annual-general-meeting-with-guest-speaker-dr-allan-kirby-tickets-1987021190871?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true. Light refreshments will be provided.

If you are a TVA member, an email went out on Thursday, April 9 with the agenda and relevant documents for the evening's meeting. If you did not receive this email, please email us at admin@trentvalleyarchives.com or call us at 705-745-4404 and let us know. We hope you'll join us for a memorable evening!

04/17/2026

Check out this great evening of history, heritage and music happening in Douro next Saturday, April 25! More information about the event is in the post below:

Nine Ships 1825 is pleased to support an exciting event in Douro next Saturday, April 25 at 7pm! Head out to St. Joseph's Parish Hall for an evening of history, heritage and music featuring a presentation from Patrick Leahy entitled "Irish and Canadian: Irish Identity in Times of Conflict," live music from the Kitchen Party Band and a discussion about new research projects underway in 2026. Admission is $5 at the door and both refreshments and a cash bar will be available. We hope you'll join us for a memorable evening!

04/09/2026

Our AGM is just two weeks away! Whether you're a Trent Valley Archives member or simply a curious follower, we encourage you to join us at the Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre on Thursday, April 23 at 7pm for a special musical presentation from guest speaker Dr. Allan Kirby.

Dr. Allan Kirby is a musician and music scholar who wrote his PhD thesis at Carleton University on the topic of traditional folk music in rural Ontario, focusing primarily on the recordings of this music made by noted Canadian folklorist Edith Folke at P. G. Towns’ General Store in Douro, and throughout Peterborough County from 1956 to 1964. His presentation will combine musical performances of some of these folk songs with the historical context behind them, explaining how early folk ballads from the old countries, particularly Ireland, were adapted for their new surroundings in Canada.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with our guest speaker, and then our annual general meeting. The presentation is free to attend and open to the public, but the AGM portion of the evening is only open to Trent Valley Archives members. Registering for the event in advance is not required but if you do register it will help us get a sense of how many people plan on attending. You can register for our AGM here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/annual-general-meeting-with-guest-speaker-dr-allan-kirby-tickets-1987021190871?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true Light refreshments will be provided.

If you are a TVA member, we will be sending you an email soon with the agenda and relevant documents for the evening's meeting. If you do not receive this email, please email us at admin@trentvalleyarchives.com or call us at 705-745-4404 and let us know. We're looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, April 23rd!

03/30/2026

Our "Painter's Portraits" film premiere on Saturday (March 28) was a success! Several TVA volunteers, members and friends came out to Bagnani Hall at Traill College to see Nick van der Graaf's latest short documentary, which highlights the life and body of work of local artist Gilbert Painter.

The screening of the film was followed by a very engaging discussion with Nick, TVA Archivist Elwood Jones, and TVA Board Member Al Kirby (who also created the soundtrack for the film). The audience asked some thoughtful questions and Nick, Elwood and Al provided some thoughtful answers.

We would like to thank everyone who came out to support the completion of this film and to learn more about one of Peterborough's under-appreciated artists. We would also like to thank Nick for bringing TVA and our Gilbert Painter fonds to life in this film. It's an excellent portrait of both!

If you missed the screening and would like to see the film, stay tuned. We are exploring other ways in which we can share this film with the public.

03/28/2026

PLEASE NOTE: The Trent Valley Archives will be closed this afternoon (from 1-4pm) for the premiere of Painter's Portraits.

Today's the day! Join us at 2pm this afternoon inside Bagnani Hall at Traill College for the premiere of Nick Van der Graaf's latest short documentary, Painter's Portraits. The film highlights the life and art of Gilbert Painter, an engineer who spent his retirement painting hundreds of portraits of Peterborough residents.

The portraits now hang on the walls inside the Trent Valley Archives as part of our Gilbert Painter fonds, and are evocative of both the time period and the community they were painted in, reflected in the faces of the subjects.

The film explores the significance of this under-appreciated artist and his body of work through interviews with people like Painter's son Robert (pictured here), TVA Archivist Elwood Jones and local artist Alex Bierk, alongside an up-close look at the portraits themselves.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and others involved in the creation of 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 to see you this afternoon!

[Image Credit: Nick Van der Graaf]

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.