Historic posters captures the eye of Guelph columnist

 By Liz Dadson

13/01/2009 04:25 PM

In honour of its great heritage, Kincardine's downtown has been adorned with historic posters which grace the windows of the corresponding businesses.

That project has captured the interest of Chris Clark, Guelph Tribune columnist, who wrote about it in the newspaper's Aug. 22 edition.

He said Kincardine, like most Ontario towns, is feeling the pinch from external commercial pressures. To stem this tide, the municipality is
"walking people through the core's past to its present.

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Downtown shop windows are adorned with more than 80 heritage posters that feature historical postcards, photographs or advertisements. With the artwork is a chronological history of each block/building. They list owners and the nature of each store from the mid-to-late 1800s to the present."

Clark said Guelph should consider this type of poster program for its downtown core. "Its merits are many, the least of which is that it firmly illustrates that our downtowns are from whence all communities came," he writes. "It also shows that our old, stately buildings have served rich and varied roles. Furthermore, it shows that our heritage lives, breathes and is ever-changing. ... The posters work wonderfully in Kincardine and I think they would do the same in Guelph. As downtowns evolve and change, what better way to hold promise for the future than by celebrating the past."

The poster project was initiated and funded by the Kincardine tourism committee, and compiling the downtown's history was a "labour of love" for local historians Bill and Marlene Pace. It was more than a decade in the making, as the histories were gleaned from old newspapers, directories and local lore.