The Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society is an organization that was formed on January 8, 1997 with a public meeting chaired by Rod French. It was held at the Town Hall. The organization was incorporated on February 9, 1998, and it is a registered charity. It is a group of individuals dedicated to the collection and preservation of the history of Grand Falls-Windsor. It is run by a volunteer board of directors. The volunteers gather information and collect photographs, and other memorabilia such as old hockey sticks. People from our community have donated old photographs. Mill workers have shared infomation about how the paper mill started. The Society has learned lots about our town through interviews with the older residents of our town - the people who know a lot about our town, When we visited the Twin Town Manor for Chesley Collins' project, some of the senior citizens told us about how different it was when they went to school. Every year in February on Heritage Day, the Society hosts an Afternoon Tea for the seniors of our town and they host tours of the centre to the local schools, businesses and government groups.
This year there are two employees for the 100th Year Anniversary Celebrations in Grand Falls-Windsor working at the Heritage Centre. Their job is to help promote their wonderful book Grand Falls-Windsor the Place and Its People, and to show people around the centre. When my class visited the centre to put our Woodland Connections Books on display we met Mr. Walt Davis. He is one of the volunteers with the Heritage Society, and a former hockey player in our town. He put on the old hockey knee pads for us.
One of the goals of the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society was to find and develop a permanent home for the Heritage Society. They have accomplished that goal. During the Founders' Day celebrations it was announced that Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. has donated a piece of land on Scott Avenue, so that the Heritage Society can construct a replica of the old Log House (also known as the Fore House) that was built for Lord Northcliffe in 1906. It will be the Grand Falls-Windsor Heritage Society's new home.
They are still gathering historical facts about our town and they would appreciate any additional information you can provide. Remember, it's your history too!
Tammy Oliver (2004-2005)