Peeling the Past

A blog about Peel's historical records by staff at the Region of Peel Archives

Main Menu

Skip to content
  • About us
  • About this blog
    • About this blog
    • Why Records Matter
    • Collection Highlights
    • Archives How-to’s
    • Archives FAQs and Facts
    • The Cumbrian Connection
    • Archives in pop culture
    • Case studies: Archivists at work
  • About Peel

Ghosts of Christmases past in Peel and beyond

December 21, 2022by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

While not a religious person, I love the Christmas season, and find many of its assorted traditions fascinating and enjoyable (especially Christmas trees, greenery, eggnog, and mince pies!).  A few […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

The case of the mysterious Mississauga Public Utility Commission records

June 27, 2022by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

In this post I will be talking about an interesting puzzle concerning the origin and use of some fascinating government records that were recently transferred to us here in the […]

Read Article →
Case studies: Archivists at work

“Your Friend, Standing Bear”: Coming together through repatriation

June 8, 2022by Region of Peel Archives 7 Comments

Over two years ago, the Region of Peel Archives at PAMA in Ontario discovered in our collections a document of great historical and cultural importance to the Lakota people of […]

Read Article →
Case studies: Archivists at work

An archivist’s night at the movies, part VI: Christmas revisited

December 20, 2021by Region of Peel Archives 3 Comments

In the third entry in the Region of Peel Archive’s ongoing An Archivist’s Night at the Movies series (posted December 20th, 2018) I explored the use and depiction of records […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

Redeeming records: Uncovering the deaths – and lives – of the Whitehead brothers

November 9, 2021by Region of Peel Archives 14 Comments

This story is made of many stories, as stories always are. There is my story, as I gradually uncovered the depth of loss within a single family during the First […]

Read Article →
Case studies: Archivists at work

Photojournalism in Streetsville-Mississauga: The Al Betts fonds 

August 6, 2021by Region of Peel Archives 8 Comments

Earlier this year the Archives was thrilled to accept a significant accrual of photographs to our Al Betts fonds. Betts was a prolific and skilled photographer based out of the […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

The quiet power of ordinary people: Reminders from the archives

December 15, 2020by Region of Peel Archives 14 Comments

I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? -Emily Dickinson In the end, nothing is lost. Every event, for good or evil, has effects forever. -Will Durant As 2020 […]

Read Article →
Why Records Matter

An Archivist’s Night at the Movies, Part V: Spooky Halloween Edition

October 29, 2020by Region of Peel Archives 6 Comments

  I have long maintained that the pervasive power of records as storytelling devices means that they show up in all manner of films, across all genres. To further develop […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

An archivist’s night at the movies, part IV: Science fiction edition

September 10, 2020by Region of Peel Archives 6 Comments

As a lover of science fiction, I have decided to add another entry in our Archivist Night at the Movies series, seeking to boldly explore how creative teams involved with […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

Why I love government records

April 6, 2020by Region of Peel Archives 11 Comments

In celebration of Archives Awareness Week here in Ontario, I have decided to tackle a question I get asked fairly regularly: “What is it about government records that you love […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights, Why Records Matter

Researching the “woodland world”: Historic vegetation in Peel

October 18, 2019by Region of Peel Archives 2 Comments

“To a wanderer in forest solitudes a sense of mystery is often perceived which lures him on and on into the verdant depths of the woodland world.” Alexander Porteous, The […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Letters of loss: A sense of presence

September 12, 2019by Region of Peel Archives 7 Comments

  “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” James Baldwin In this post I want to share some […]

Read Article →
Case studies: Archivists at work, Collection Highlights

The Archivist as detective: The use of “diplomatics” in a municipal archive

May 30, 2019by Region of Peel Archives 10 Comments

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” Sherlock Holmes When talking […]

Read Article →
Case studies: Archivists at work

How can you help archivists to help you? Reference service from our side of the desk

January 23, 2019by Region of Peel Archives 9 Comments

Visiting an archives has something in common with using any public service. In each interaction with a service or a staff person, you’re seeing the small tip of a very […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts, Archives How-tos

An archivist’s night at the movies, part III: Holiday edition

December 20, 2018by Region of Peel Archives 4 Comments

For our last blog post of 2018 we felt it would be fun to turn our archival gaze on some classic holiday movies and television episodes to see how and […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

Archives and modern mythology: The use of archival records in comic books

November 28, 2018by Region of Peel Archives 8 Comments

“…what if comic books were not simply a medium of entertainment, but in fact a form of mythology through which we both tell stories about ourselves and look to for […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

Taking stock and seeing anew: Some highlights from the inventory project

September 25, 2018by Region of Peel Archives 5 Comments

Over this past year one of our special projects here in the Peel Archives has been to undertake a complete physical inventory of our holdings. Archivists Kyle and Samantha have […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

An archivist’s night at the movies, part II

July 4, 2018by Region of Peel Archives 3 Comments

In this post I am going to continue our exploration of how records and/or Archives are used by writers and directors to further the plot of various films.  Part one […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

What do archivists keep (or not)?

April 4, 2018by Region of Peel Archives 24 Comments

On the big screen, archives are generally mysterious places. Archives both hide and reveal secrets that move the plot along. But one of the biggest mysteries in fictional archives is […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts

Recent acquisition highlight: Peel railway records

March 14, 2018by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Prior to the mid-1850s travelling in Peel involved relying on the small but growing road network or using the major waterways such as the Credit and Humber Rivers and Lake […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Halloween in Peel: A look at some selected records

October 26, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 3 Comments

I always look forward to the fall – cooler weather, beautiful foliage, and of course, Halloween. Those of us interested in the origin and history of Halloween generally can make good […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Making an exhibition of ourselves: This time it’s personal

September 29, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 4 Comments

We archivists tend to promote our collections far more than we promote ourselves and our daily work. For one thing, collections are our life’s work and, thanks to that work, […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Excess and evidence: Excuses for speeding in the early days of the car

August 29, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 3 Comments

As the summer wanes many car owners think about enjoying one last road trip and police officers think about managing chaotic long weekends on the highways. As long as cars […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Photographing Brampton: The Betty Odlum fonds

July 21, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 6 Comments

In 2016 the Region of Peel Archives was thrilled to accept the records of Brampton resident Betty Odlum. Betty was a skilled amateur photographer who spent most of her life […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

“From Hemisphere to Hamlet:” Research on the Indigenous peoples of the County of Peel and North America within the Wm. Perkins Bull fonds

June 30, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Note: A version of this article appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of the Archives Association of Ontario’s (AAO) themed issue of Off the Record focusing on “Archives and Indigenous […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Why don’t archivists digitize everything?

May 31, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 88 Comments

Today on the blog we’re tackling one of our most frequently asked questions: “Why don’t you digitize everything?” and its related runner-up, “When will you be putting all your records […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts

The creation of the County of Peel, 1851-1867

April 25, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 5 Comments

This year the Region of Peel is commemorating both the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Dominion of Canada as well as the establishment of our forerunner, the County […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Peel in 1967

January 1, 2017by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Libraries, schools, a college, a university, demolitions, a hockey tournament, and the end of Toronto Township.

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Staff favourites: The Township of Toronto Benchmark Book

December 14, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 4 Comments

Archivists here are often asked “What is your favourite record in the collection?” This can be a challenging question to answer, given that there are so many wonderful records in our […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Controlling disease: the fight against rubella, measles, polio, and typhoid

September 30, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Typhoid, rubella, polio, and measles: we look through the collection at how these disease were recorded in archival records.

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

An archivist’s night at the movies – revealing the power of archival records

August 30, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 8 Comments

          As a follow up to my colleague Nick Moreau’s post concerning the depiction of archives in the 2014 movie Paddington, I thought it might be […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

5 things in the Peel Archives about eating

July 29, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 2 Comments

Peel’s Archives, like many municipal archives, covers the food story from farm to table. Let’s take a bite out of the collection, looking at documents and photographs that tell five stories about […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

From mud to pavement: the early history of Peel roadways as told by our records

June 30, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 7 Comments

“…Driving down a corduroy road, Weeds standing shoulder high…” At The Hundredth Meridian by The Tragically Hip I have long harboured a fascination with the history of the road network […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Why BYLAWS Matter

May 10, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 10 Comments

We spoke in a previous post about the value of council records generally. In this post we shall examine one of the most significant and pervasive types of council records: […]

Read Article →
Why Records Matter

5 environmental things in the Peel Archives

April 21, 2016by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

With Earth Day approaching, can records relating to the environment be found in the Region of Peel Archives collection? While we don’t have the papers of any household names from the Canadian […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Seven Statements about Archives: Best of the Blog 2016

April 6, 2016by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

It’s Archives Awareness Week in Ontario, and that means our blog is celebrating its first anniversary. We launched one year ago this week with the post Why Archives Matter. The […]

Read Article →
Why Records Matter

5 funny things in the archives collection

April 1, 2016by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

From cheeky war posters to the world’s tightest roundabout, we look at five things in the archives that are funny.

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Hiding Darkest Peru: archives fact or fiction in “Paddington”

March 25, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 6 Comments

In the 2014 movie Paddington, based on the popular books about Paddington Bear, the titular character is aiming to find an explorer from the the fictitious British Geographer’s Guild, who […]

Read Article →
Archives in pop culture

Caroline Armington, a Canadian artist in Paris

March 11, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 4 Comments

Caroline Armington struggled to become an artist, in an era where her gender was a liability to art sales.

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

How Do Archivists Describe Collections? (or, How to Read a Finding Aid)

February 29, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 12 Comments

Anyone doing archival research will eventually find themselves using archival descriptions. Archival descriptions are embodied in what are often called “finding aids.” They are the archival world’s equivalent to a […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts, Archives How-tos

Unbuilt Peel: What could have been

January 28, 2016by Region of Peel Archives 5 Comments

Taking inspiration from Mark Osbaldeston’s Unbuilt Toronto books, the Peel Archives is currently showcasing records documenting never-realized planning and building initiatives within the Peel area. The exhibition, now open in […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Immigrant voices in archival records: The Cumbrian Connection, final post.

December 16, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Note: As we conclude our project comparing Peel and Cumbrian records, the County of Cumbria is currently suffering the aftermath of devastating floods which have tragically affected many of its […]

Read Article →
The Cumbrian Connection

Canadian and English archives go head-to-head with their records: The Cumbrian Connection Part 2

November 25, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Archival records function like portraits: taken together, they give us pictures of lives and communities over time. Because records are rare or even unique, we get different views from different […]

Read Article →
The Cumbrian Connection

Old and New World archives share the past, present, and future: The Cumbrian connection, Part 1

October 30, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 3 Comments

The Peel Archives in Ontario, Canada, and the Cumbria Archive Service in Cumbria, UK, were recently brought together by people from the present and the past. In the next three […]

Read Article →
The Cumbrian Connection
A series of maps on a green wall.

Mapping Peel: An exploration of maps from the Peel Archives, 1805-2013

September 11, 2015by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

The Peel Archives is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibition: Mapping Peel: An exploration of maps from the Peel Archives, 1805-2013. Visitors to the Reading Room will […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

How do archivists organize collections?

August 26, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 33 Comments

In our posts on what archivists do and on what it’s like to visit the archives, we promised you a closer look at how archivists organize collections. Here it is: we […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts

What do archivists do all day?

July 16, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 44 Comments

You may have seen archivists on television helping people to discover their roots in old records or talking to historians (or detectives!). But you might be wondering what archivists do […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts

Why Council Records Matter

June 30, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 5 Comments

In celebration of Canada Day, the Peel Archives is highlighting a group of records whose very existence speaks to our cherished status as a free and democratic country: municipal council […]

Read Article →
Why Records Matter

A trip around the world in archival records: A Peel tribute to International Archives Day

June 9, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 4 Comments

To mark International Archives Day 2015, we’re posting a sampling of some of the international fare in PAMA’s archival collections. Now of course we’ve said several times on this blog […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

How to research your Peel family history at the archives: An overview

June 5, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 1 Comment

Like property research, family research is another popular research topic here at the Peel archives at PAMA. People visit and contact us from all over North America and beyond looking […]

Read Article →
Archives How-tos

“Old Friends”: An Archivist Reflects on Treasured Favourites

May 22, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 5 Comments

Here at PAMA, we’re celebrating  over 30 years of service by Peel’s Regional Archivist, Diane Allengame, as she prepares to retire and move on to new adventures. Diane’s unswerving dedication, […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Records Reveal Peel’s Cold War Measures

May 8, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 2 Comments

Here in Canada we’re wrapping up Emergency Preparedness Week. The nature of potential threats to an entire community can change over time. In the 1960s and 70s, the Cold War […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

What’s it like to visit the archives?

May 4, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 6 Comments

When you’re looking for information, you might try the internet first and then maybe the library. But you’ll find information in the archives that isn’t available in either. Here you […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts
Outlines of buildings, as viewed from above, coloured based on their materials.

How to Research PEEL PROPERTIES at the Archives: An Overview

April 22, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 8 Comments

Property research is a popular reason for visiting us at PAMA’s archives. People come here to investigate when their house was built, who once owned pieces of land, or whether […]

Read Article →
Archives How-tos
Hydro truck at intersection, hydro employees walk about.

Before Hydro One: electricity records for Brampton and Caledon

April 16, 2015by Region of Peel Archives Leave a comment

Our archives holds records that show how electricity has been delivered in parts of Peel by publicly owned utilities – a tradition of ownership that seems set to change. This […]

Read Article →
Collection Highlights

Why EDUCATION RECORDS matter

April 10, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 7 Comments

What are they? Peel’s archives at PAMA holds historical public school records dating from 1833 to 1986 for Peel County and Peel Region. Many of these schools began as one […]

Read Article →
Why Records Matter

Why archives matter

April 6, 2015by Region of Peel Archives 8 Comments

Here at the Region of Peel’s archives at PAMA, we’re celebrating Archives Awareness Week in Ontario by launching this blog. We hope you’ll get to know us better as we […]

Read Article →
Archives FAQs and Facts, Why Records Matter

Post navigation

Categories

  • Archives FAQs and Facts
  • Archives How-tos
  • Archives in pop culture
  • Case studies: Archivists at work
  • Collection Highlights
  • The Cumbrian Connection
  • Why Records Matter

Archives

  • December 2022
  • June 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • April 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • May 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 410 other subscribers

Categories

  • Archives FAQs and Facts
  • Archives How-tos
  • Archives in pop culture
  • Case studies: Archivists at work
  • Collection Highlights
  • The Cumbrian Connection
  • Why Records Matter

Recent Posts

  • Ghosts of Christmases past in Peel and beyond
  • The case of the mysterious Mississauga Public Utility Commission records
  • “Your Friend, Standing Bear”: Coming together through repatriation
  • An archivist’s night at the movies, part VI: Christmas revisited
  • Redeeming records: Uncovering the deaths – and lives – of the Whitehead brothers
  • Photojournalism in Streetsville-Mississauga: The Al Betts fonds 
  • The quiet power of ordinary people: Reminders from the archives

Tags

Albion Township archives archivists arrangement artificial collections artwork assessment roles authenticity Batman blueprints Brampton by-laws Bylaws Caledon Caledon Township Canada 150 Chinguacousy Township Christmas City of Mississauga community copying Correspondence council County of Peel cumbria disasters emergencies england Fall family history fonds government records Halloween health hydro-electricity immigration land indexes land records legal description libraries maps measles memory Minutes Mississauga movies Municipal government Newspapers Peel photography Planning plans Popular culture property provenance Reading Room records Region of Peel reliability research schools story-telling Streetsville students teachers Toronto Gore Township Toronto Township Town of Mississauga Township of Toronto train derailment Transportation utilities visiting war world

Archives

  • December 2022
  • June 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • April 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • May 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Peeling the Past
    • Join 410 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Peeling the Past
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...