CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE July 3-5, 2018
In a place as old and storied as Shawville, it’s fitting that a group of local volunteers is doing their best to preserve the history of the local region.
From July 3 to 5, the Pontiac Archives held their annual open house, inviting members of the community to come and discover some local history or look up a long-lost relative.
Volunteer Venetia Crawford explained that there is no set program of activities, she and the rest of the archivists help visitors find whatever it is they’re looking for.
“A lot of people do family trees,” she said, explaining that the wealth of genealogy information in one place certainly expedites the process.
The archives also have reams of documents on local veterans, old maps from the days of European settlement and much more.
Gilbert Roy and James Azola of Calumet Island were at the archives on Wednesday and Crawford was able to dig out a map from when their Municipality was first surveyed.
“I do archaeology as a hobby,” said Roy, pointing out different landmarks around the island. He and Azola both added that there is a wealth of artifacts and historical sites on the island that should be preserved.
Crawford noted that the archive’s next activity is a presentation by local genealogist Gloria Tubman, who will be speaking about the history of volunteer organizations in the region on July 18 at 1:30 p.m.
