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McKeough Local History Room |
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The McKeough Local History Room is tucked away in a quiet area on the second floor at the Chatham-Kent Public Library’s main branch in Chatham. |
| The room is named for William McKeough (1824-1888) who was the Mayor of Chatham in 1871 and who founded J & W McKeough in 1847, which later became McKeough Supply Inc. William McKeough was a devoted member to the School Board. Shortly after his death the Forest Street School was renamed the McKeough School and up until it closed in 2001, medals were given to children who achieved the highest academic standing in grades 5 through 8. After the school’s closure, medals (later watches) were awarded to those with the highest academic achievement in grades 9 through 12 at the Chatham-Kent Secondary School. During this time, McKeough Supply Inc. and Darcy McKeough assisted in equipping the Local History room at the library in Chatham, which is furnished by the table formally used by the Chatham City Council. After 120 years the awards for highest academic achievement were discontinued and a donation was made with the Chatham-Kent Community Foundation, with the income going towards the maintenance of the Local History Room named in William McKeough’s honour. |
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| Housed within the local history room is a comprehensive local history collection with a variety of resources that are only accessible within the library, including: |
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1. Local newspapers on microfilm dating from 1841 to the present, which includes an index of birth, marriage, and death announcements up to approximately 1990.
2. Kent County Census records from 1851-1911.
3. Cemetery transcripts.
4. Chatham City Directories.
5. Black History Collection.
6. Books by and about the people of Chatham and area.
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| Genealogists and researchers can explore this wealth of material by requesting assistance from the Information Staff on the second floor of the Chatham Library. |
Media Release
Date: June 23, 2011
Chatham Kent Community Foundation – McKeough Fund |
The Chatham-Kent Public Library Board would like to express their appreciation for the donation of over $600 from the McKeough Fund held with the Chatham Kent Community Foundation.
The funds will go towards supporting the continued development of the McKeough Local History Room at the Chatham Branch of the Chatham Kent Public Library.
The benefits of the Local History room are two fold. CKPL is able to preserve the heritage of our community ensuring that there is information for future generations about the past.
As well, this room helps to bolster our local economy by providing resources for Genealogists interested in tracing their family roots. Visitors come from all over Canada and the United States. They can spend days using the research materials available. That means that there is also an economic benefit for the community when these visitors use other parts of our community like hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities and local shops.
For more information, please contact:
Tania Sharpe, Coordinator, Public Services
Phone: (519) 354-2940 x 242 | |
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Posting created by: Library group.
Last updated: Thursday, December 29, 2011 |
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