Trent Valley Archives Theatre Returning in 2026
June 4, 5, 6 and 7 — A Fundraiser for The Trent Valley Archives at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, Peterborough. Click here for more information.
The Kid from Simcoe Street
In our adaptation of this moving World War II era memoir, James Clarke recalls growing up in the poor and alcohol-ridden neighbourhood of downtown Peterborough.
As a boy, his father had been a foot soldier, but after coming home from the battlefields he turned to manic drinking and belligerence, shattering his wife’s dreams, and casting a dark shadow over James’ boyhood.
This story, told with emotion that is unflinching in its honesty, lets us see just how remarkable it is that James Clarke became not only a man esteemed and honoured as a judge of the Superior Court of Ontario, but as a respected poet, too.
Purchase your copy from Exile Editions
Have you seen the updated Heritage Gazette?
We are pleased to continue and expand on the pioneering work of archivist Elwood Jones and Steve Gavard as we explore the near and distant past in this full colour publication.
View the current and past issues
Thank you to everyone who came out to Living Hope Church yesterday evening to attend the launch of Harmen Boersma's 2025 book "Spirituality and Culture in Local Community"! The evening featured an engaging presentation from the author, who spoke about the progression of spirituality and its influence on culture in Peterborough County over the past 250 years, and read passages from the book that illustrated his points. ![]()
![]()
If you missed yesterday's launch, copies of the book are still available for sale at the Trent Valley Archives for $35 each. They can be purchased in-person at 567 Carnegie Avenue (we're open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-4pm) or online, here: trentvalleyarchives.com/shop/spirituality-and-culture-in-local-community/![]()
![]()
[Image Caption: Trent Valley Archives Archivist Elwood Jones (left) who wrote the forward for "Spirituality and Culture in Local Community" with Author Harmen Boersma (right) holding a copy of the book.]
Our "Spirituality and Culture in Local Community" book launch with Author Harmen Boersma is tonight! Check out our post below for more info:Join us for the launch of Harmen Boersma's 2025 book "Spirituality & Culture in Local Community: 1775-2025" at Living Hope Church (1 Consumers Place in Peterborough) next Thursday, June 25th from 7-9pm! ![]()
![]()
Featuring a forward by Elwood H. Jones, Historian and Archivist at the Trent Valley Archives, this commentary on the over 250-year history of Peterborough County explores various kinds of spirituality and how they can affect the daily life of a community, using the County as a case study.![]()
![]()
Following the two communities that established the area many of us call home - the Anishinaabe people who originally inhabited the land and the European immigrants who came to settle on it - the book tells the story of their meeting in the Peterborough area and the evolution of the relationship between them. ![]()
![]()
It also features biographies of five community leaders, each representing a 50-year period in the history of the community. From Chief George Paudash to Mayor Sylvia Sutherland, the role of each one as a spiritual and cultural leader is highlighted and discussed.![]()
![]()
The author, Harmen Boersma, is originally from the Netherlands but came to Canada with his wife after the Second World War. He graduated with a B.Ed and has studied for his master’s degree in history. He has taught in four independent Christian Schools in Ontario, Canada, operated a public relations company with his spouse and in retirement writes about topics that are current and close to his heart.![]()
![]()
Come out to Living Hope Church to hear Harmen speak about the book, the critical themes it addresses, and the process of researching and writing this unique contribution to local history. Copies of the book will also be for sale at the event for $35 each (Please note that we can only accept cash and cheques at this event, so please bring some cash with you if you would like to purchase a copy of the book.)![]()
![]()
Although the event is free to attend, donations are appreciated to support the work we do to preserve the history of Peterborough County and the surrounding areas. To RSVP, make a donation, or pre-purchase a copy of the book that can be picked up at the event, please visit our Eventbrite listing, here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/spirituality-culture-in-local-community-book-launch-tickets-1991870556454?aff...
We're just two days away from the book launch of "Spirituality & Culture In Local Community" on Thursday, June 25th at 7pm at Living Hope Church (1 Consumers Place in Peterborough)! If you missed out on this 2025 release, now is your opportunity to learn more about this unique contribution to Peterborough history and pick up a copy of the book.![]()
![]()
Using Peterborough County as a case study, the book explores how spirituality has changed over the past 250 years and the effect it has had on both the development of local culture and the relationship between the Anishinaabe people who originally inhabited the land and the European immigrants who came to settle on it. ![]()
![]()
Using biographies of five community leaders (a chief, a missionary, an engineer, a literary playwright and a mayor) each representing a 50-year period in the history of Peterborough County, the book traces spirituality and culture from before the arrival of the areas' earliest emigrants to the present day. ![]()
![]()
The author, Harmen Boersma, is originally from the Netherlands but came to Canada with his wife after the Second World War. He graduated with a B.Ed and has studied for his master’s degree in history. He has taught in four independent Christian Schools in Ontario, Canada, operated a public relations company with his spouse and in retirement writes about topics that are current and close to his heart.![]()
![]()
At the launch, Harmen will give a presentation about the book and the critical themes it addresses. Following the presentation, he will also sign copies of the book, which will be available for sale for $35 each. (Please note that we can only accept cash and cheques at this event.)![]()
![]()
Although the event is free to attend, donations are appreciated to support the work we do to preserve the history of Peterborough County and the surrounding areas. To RSVP, make a donation, or pre-purchase a copy of the book that can be picked up at the event, please visit our Eventbrite listing, here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/spirituality-culture-in-local-community-book-launch-tickets-1991870556454?aff...
Happy to host this launch for Nine Ships 1825!We've been working on something special over the past several months, and we're excited to share it with you!Join us at the Trent Valley Archives on the morning of Monday, July 6th for the launch of our second and final book, Bicentennial Reflections. ![]()
![]()
The Bicentennial of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration to our region in 1825 was a landmark event in our community, and was commemorated enthusiastically by many community groups throughout Peterborough City, County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes in 2025. Developed as a lasting tribute to everything our community accomplished to honour those 2,024 courageous Irish emigrants who made the trip across the Atlantic in 1825, "Bicentennial Reflections" captures not only the many events and activities of the year, but also the deeper conversations the commemoration sparked and how the community’s understanding of its own history changed, broadened and matured.![]()
![]()
The book opens with a brief history on the Peter Robinson experiment, which recruited 2,024 people in 307 families to prove that it was worthwhile for the British Government of the day to fully finance an 18-month emigration from a volatile area of Ireland to a fertile area of Upper Canada, ultimately known as the Peterborough area. It then delves into a summary of the events that occurred to mark this historic occasion in both the Peterborough area in Canada and the Ballyhoura Region in Ireland. This summary is enhanced by the contributions of the many community partners who worked with Nine Ships 1825 to commemorate the emigration in their communities, with each one writing about their activities throughout the year. ![]()
![]()
At the launch, you'll have the opportunity to be one of the first to purchase a copy of the book and listen to Bicentennial Reflections Editor Elwood Jones and Nine Ships 1825 Chair Brendan Moher talk about the book and the lasting legacy it will leave behind for future generations. Copies of the book will be for sale at the event and thereafter at the Trent Valley Archives for $20. For more information, head to our Eventbrite listing, here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/bicentennial-reflections-book-launch-tickets-1992361633278?aff=oddtdtcreator
Join us for the launch of Harmen Boersma's 2025 book "Spirituality & Culture in Local Community: 1775-2025" at Living Hope Church (1 Consumers Place in Peterborough) next Thursday, June 25th from 7-9pm! ![]()
![]()
Featuring a forward by Elwood H. Jones, Historian and Archivist at the Trent Valley Archives, this commentary on the over 250-year history of Peterborough County explores various kinds of spirituality and how they can affect the daily life of a community, using the County as a case study.![]()
![]()
Following the two communities that established the area many of us call home - the Anishinaabe people who originally inhabited the land and the European immigrants who came to settle on it - the book tells the story of their meeting in the Peterborough area and the evolution of the relationship between them. ![]()
![]()
It also features biographies of five community leaders, each representing a 50-year period in the history of the community. From Chief George Paudash to Mayor Sylvia Sutherland, the role of each one as a spiritual and cultural leader is highlighted and discussed.![]()
![]()
The author, Harmen Boersma, is originally from the Netherlands but came to Canada with his wife after the Second World War. He graduated with a B.Ed and has studied for his master’s degree in history. He has taught in four independent Christian Schools in Ontario, Canada, operated a public relations company with his spouse and in retirement writes about topics that are current and close to his heart.![]()
![]()
Come out to Living Hope Church to hear Harmen speak about the book, the critical themes it addresses, and the process of researching and writing this unique contribution to local history. Copies of the book will also be for sale at the event for $35 each (Please note that we can only accept cash and cheques at this event, so please bring some cash with you if you would like to purchase a copy of the book.)![]()
![]()
Although the event is free to attend, donations are appreciated to support the work we do to preserve the history of Peterborough County and the surrounding areas. To RSVP, make a donation, or pre-purchase a copy of the book that can be picked up at the event, please visit our Eventbrite listing, here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/spirituality-culture-in-local-community-book-launch-tickets-1991870556454?aff...