At Trent Valley Archives, we recognize the importance of helping people learn about their history. To this end, we host a variety of events throughout the year to help people access their past– and we do it in ways that are always informative and entertaining!
We run workshops on a variety of subjects, including history writing, interpreting land records, and caring for your archival documents. Our guided tours are also very popular — learn about Peterborough’s heritage on foot, by bus, or by bike. Other events bring history to life through re-enactment.
Planning a special event? Private tours are available for groups of 15 or more. Our guided tours are popular for birthdays as well as workplace socials. A tour with Trent Valley Archives will show you a whole different side of Peterborough that you won’t soon forget! To view some of the events we’ve run previously (and will likely run again), please visit our past events page. Contact us today to plan your event.
TVA Annual General Meeting
— Presentation by guest speaker Dennis Carter-Edwards
At Highland Park Cemetery Visitor Centre
Dennis Carter-Edwards is a local historian and the author of the recent Peterborough Historical Society Occasional Paper “From Tap to Toilet: The Introduction of Water Works and Sewers to Peterborough” about the development of Peterborough’s water and sewage systems. Though taken for granted today, the supply of safe water and the treatment of human and industrial waste had a major impact on the quality of life for Peterborough citizens and the progressive development of our community.
Although essential, these improvements were frequently the subject of endless debate at city council where community leaders argued about whether or not these services should be public or private. In the end, Peterborough acquired a sewage and water system that put it at the forefront of municipal development, but not without some contention. Using new images and documentary sources, Dennis will tell the full story of how these systems arrived in (and completely transformed) our community.
Free Tickets Thursday, May 22 at 7pm
The Irish Arrive: 1825 Tour
— Led by Elwood Jones
A downtown walking tour that paints a picture of what life was like for the Peter Robinson emigrants when they first arrived in Peterborough in October of 1825.
Tickets Sunday May 18 at 2pm || Tickets Sunday May 25 at 2pm
Tragic Tales Little Lake Cemetery Tour
— Led by Mona Wilkes
A Little Lake Cemetery walking tour featuring tales of woe from turn-of-the-century Peterborough.
Tickets Friday June 20 at 7pm || Tickets Sunday July 20 at 2pm
Peterborough Perpetrators True Crime Tour
— Led by Maddie More
Learn about the robberies, murders and other crimes that captivated the attention of the Peterborough community in the 19th and 20th centuries on this downtown walking tour.
Tickets Friday July 11 at 7pm || Tickets Friday July 18 at 7pm
Tickets Friday July 25 at 7pm
Peter Robinson’s Peterborough
— Led by Elwood Jones and Don Willcock
A downtown walking tour that outlines what Peterborough looked like in 1825, when it was referred to as “The Depot” by Peter Robinson.
In partnership with Nine Ships 1825.
Tickets Friday August 1 at 9:30am || Tickets Friday August 8 at 10am
Peterborough’s Pioneer Cemetery
— Led by Elwood Jones and Don Willcock
A downtown walking tour telling the story of Peterborough’s first cemetery, which opened in 1825 and was in use until 1854.
In partnership with Nine Ships 1825.
Tickets Monday August 4 at 10am
Beyond the Ships’ Lists: The Peter Robinson Settlers and Their Descendants
— Led by Gillian Holden and Maddie More
A St. Peter’s Cemetery walking tour telling the stories of some of the Peter Robinson emigrants who came to our area in 1825 and exploring the impact they (and their descendants) had on our community in the 200 years since their arrival.
In partnership with Nine Ships 1825.
Tickets Monday, August 4 at 7pm || Tickets Sunday, August 10 at 1pm
Women’s History Little Lake Cemetery Tour
— Led by Karen Carter-Edwards
A Little Lake Cemetery walking tour highlighting the women who helped to shape Peterborough into the thriving community it is today.
Tickets Friday August 22 at 7pm
Movers and Shakers Little Lake Cemetery Tour
— Led by Karen Carter-Edwards
A Little Lake Cemetery walking tour profiling some of the “movers and shakers” who played a significant role in the history of Peterborough throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Tickets Sunday August 24 at 2pm
Eerie Ashburnham Ghost Walk
Learn about the happenings and hauntings tied to some of Ashburnham’s oldest buildings on both the west and east sides.
Tickets Wednesday October 22 at 7pm (East) || Tickets Thursday October 23 at 7pm (West)
Tickets Friday October 24 at 7pm (East)
Downtown Ghost Walk
Costumed guides recount spooky tales on this lantern lit tour around Peterborough’s most haunted buildings. A popular Halloween tradition since 2003.
Tickets Wednesday October 29 at 7pm || Tickets Thursday October 30 at 7pm
Military History Little Lake Cemetery Tour
— Led by Don Willcock
A Little Lake Cemetery walking tour featuring Peterborough residents who served their country during wartime.
Tickets Sunday November 9 at 3pm