Peel’s shared archival legacy
“Grandson, you can never hope to understand your world until you’ve understood the past.” Time Masters #1 (volume 2), DC Comics, 1990 To know the past… As an archivist (and comic […]
Category Archives: Collection Highlights
Ghosts of Christmases past in Peel and beyond
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 […]
Photojournalism in Streetsville-Mississauga: The Al Betts fonds
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 […]
Why I love government records
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 […]
Researching the “woodland world”: Historic vegetation in Peel
“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 […]
Letters of loss: A sense of presence
“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 […]
Taking stock and seeing anew: Some highlights from the inventory project
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 […]
Recent acquisition highlight: Peel railway records
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 […]
Halloween in Peel: A look at some selected records
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 […]
Making an exhibition of ourselves: This time it’s personal
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, […]
Excess and evidence: Excuses for speeding in the early days of the car
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 […]
Photographing Brampton: The Betty Odlum fonds
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 […]
“From Hemisphere to Hamlet:” Research on the Indigenous peoples of the County of Peel and North America within the Wm. Perkins Bull fonds
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 […]
The creation of the County of Peel, 1851-1867
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 […]
Peel in 1967
Libraries, schools, a college, a university, demolitions, a hockey tournament, and the end of Toronto Township.
Staff favourites: The Township of Toronto Benchmark Book
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 […]
Controlling disease: the fight against rubella, measles, polio, and typhoid
Typhoid, rubella, polio, and measles: we look through the collection at how these disease were recorded in archival records.
5 things in the Peel Archives about eating
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 […]
From mud to pavement: the early history of Peel roadways as told by our records
“…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 […]
5 environmental things in the Peel Archives
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 […]
5 funny things in the archives collection
From cheeky war posters to the world’s tightest roundabout, we look at five things in the archives that are funny.
Caroline Armington, a Canadian artist in Paris
Caroline Armington struggled to become an artist, in an era where her gender was a liability to art sales.
Unbuilt Peel: What could have been
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 […]
Mapping Peel: An exploration of maps from the Peel Archives, 1805-2013
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 […]
A trip around the world in archival records: A Peel tribute to International Archives Day
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 […]
“Old Friends”: An Archivist Reflects on Treasured Favourites
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, […]
Records Reveal Peel’s Cold War Measures
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 […]
Before Hydro One: electricity records for Brampton and Caledon
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 […]
Peeling the Past 