It would appear that spring has “almost” arrived with the last few days of March predicted to be a sunny ones.

As of the 29th March, the Heritage and Archives Department will be operational full time which will be welcome news to many individuals who have expressed an interest in accessing the information available in the archives. The interest generated as a result of the “Visit to the Archives” on Heritage Day back in February was quite extensive, and several people have approached the Archives Clerk with the intent on making further visits. We look forward to being of assistance to the
public.

The Municipal Archives is represented on the board of the Iona Connection which is an organization comprised of Cape Breton’s museums, historical sites, and archives. Our Heritage/Archives Clerk is a member of their board and attends approximately four board meetings throughout the year. The most recent board meeting was held on 16th March at the Highland Village in Iona. The long awaited “new” locator map which was a project undertaken by the Iona Connection will finally be a reality in the very near future.

The annual general meeting will be held on Saturday, 17th April in St. Peters. The board will meet on 31st March to make plans for the annual meeting of the organization.

At the March meeting of Municipal Council which was held on the 15th, former Warden and now MLA, Gerald Sampson presented a copy of a photograph of the first Municipal Council in the 20th century ( circa 1900 or 1901). The original picture is in possession of Gordon MacKenzie of Boularderie whose grandfather, Donald MacKenzie was among one of the eighteen councilors at that time. This photograph has been placed in the archives, and will be on display for the public.

Well, that’s the news from the Municipal Archives and Heritage Department for March. April will, no doubt, be busy, so please look forward to the next newsletter.