County of Brant Heritage Series

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County of Brant Heritage Driving Tour
1-888-250-2296
After years of research, writing and documenting, the heritage brochure covers over 130 properties, with a total tour length of over 200 kilometres. The tour has been broken into sections covering various areas of the County. The tour lists only some of the highlights found within the County of Brant such as the Bell Homestead, the Battle of Malcolm Mills, site of the last land battle on Canadian soil against a foreign power and the home of poetess E. Pauline Johnston on Six Nations and the beautiful downtowns of St. George, Paris and Burford. As you travel, you will also see many sites not listed, but of equal value and a rich and diverse architecture and landscape. The Brochure will be distributed to area stores, museums and tourist attractions free of charge - click the link to order your free copy! (Design: Karen Piovaty Designs, www.karendesigns.com)
Or view the brochure in PDF format: (section 1) (section 2) (section 3)

Bell Homestead
www.bellhomestead.ca
Phone: (519) 756-6220
In 1910, the house and surrounding lands became a memorial to Alexander Graham Bell's achievements in telephone history, opening its doors to the general public. Restoration and an extensive collection of Bell family heirlooms, including furniture, paintings, china, silver and books, have revived the home's 1870's appearance, affording visitors a glimpse of a lifestyle led by this conservative, upper-middle class family.

Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Homestead
www.adelaidehoodless.ca
Phone: (519) 448-1130
Visit the birthplace of the co-founder of the International Women's Institute Movement!
Travel back in time at this interactive historic house! Visitors have the unique opportunity to view original artifacts from the mid-1800s, dress in period costumes, play the antique organ, amongst other activities.
Special programs can be arranged for group visits including old-fashioned ice cream making or picnics on the front lawn.

Cobblestone of Paris
www.cobblestonefestival.ca
(519) 442-0729
Paris is home to 13 cobblestone buildings. A truly magnificent architectural sight unique within Southern Ontario! Mason Levi Boughton inspired Paris' Cobblestone technique in the mid to late 1800s. The cobblestone structures are a testament to precision and skill. Cobblestones are approximately the size of a sweet potato; when counting researchers estimate over 14,000 cobblestones were required to build a traditional farmhouse.

Paris Port Dover Pipe Band
Proud ambassadors of Brant County and of Norfolk County, the award-winning Paris/Port Dover Pipe Band has garnered a reputation for excellence - locally, nationally, and internationally. Wearing the Lamont Tartan, the band has impressed audiences at parades, school events, concerts, legion events, festivals, and ceremonies. It has participated in local and international competitions and tattoos. The band has performed at the Virginia International Military Tattoo, Highland Games throughout Ontario, numerous stage performances in Port Dover, Paris and Brantford, the Marymass Festival in Scotland and the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Since the band's formation in 2000, it has grown rapidly from its modest beginnings of only ten pipers and one drummer to close to 100 members made up of pipers, drummers, and learning students ranging in age from seven to seventy five. Visit www.parisdover.ca for more information and performance dates.

Paris Performers Theatre
http://parisperformers.blogspot.com
Area actors perform plays written and directed locally on a yearround basis. See our special events page for a list of upcoming performances.

Paris Plains Church Concert Series
http://www.sentex.net/~charlesc/paris_concerts.html
Musical performances in a traditional cobblestone church throughout the summer and fall.

Community Museums
For those visitors interested in tracing their genealogy or learning more about the history of communities within the County of Brant, there are a variety of community museums open to the public:

Burford Township Historical Society - The Burford Township Historical Society was registered as an affiliate of the Ontario Historical Society in November 1986.
The Society holds monthly meetings in Harley Hall, which is now known as the Burford Township Museum and Archives. We are primarily an agricultrual museum, with displays that change throughout the year. We have three events each year, a Heritage Day in February, a Strawberry Social in June, and a Christmas Open House in December. Check our website: www.burfordtownshipmuseum.ca for this year's dates. We also have special events, so check our website regularly for updates. Throughout the year the Museum and Archives is open to the public by chance or by appointment. E-mail: info@burfordtownshipmuseum.ca to arrange a time to visit. Researchers may come and have our members assist them in their research (primarily local genealogy). located at #141 Harley Road in the Brant County community of Harley.

Brant Museum & Archives - Located at 10 Charlotte Street, in Brantford, you are welcome to explore the story of the people, places, and events, that shaped Brantford and Brant County. The museum contains galleries that reflect the cultural, social, commercial, and industrial heritage of our community. For hours of operation and admission information visit www.brantmuseum.ca or call 519-752-2483.

The Paris Museum and Historical Society: Visit the museum and archive operated by the Paris Museum and Historical Society located at 51 William St. Paris, Ontario in the Syl Apps Community Centre. The museum showcases thematic displays and artifacts depicting the history of our community and surrounding area. Extensive research material is available in the archive. Hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 1-4pm. For information call 519-442-9295 or visit www.parishistoricalsociety.com

The St.George Museum also known as the South Dumfries Historical Society, located in downtown St.George, invites visitors to explore their family history and trace the roots within the agriculturally based community of St.George and the Township of South Dumfries.
P.O. Box #472, St. George, ON. N0E 1N0 519-448-3265
or visit southdumfrieshistoricalsociety.blogspot.com

Visit the "Brant County Heritage Committee" page for information about historic architecture and its importance in our community.

County of Brant Public Library Digital Historical Collections
http://images.ourontario.ca/brant
Explore local history online, including photographs, maps, personal letters, and more that tell the story of the County of Brant!

County Of Brant Official Town Crier
Mr. Larry Davis was officially the Township of Burford Crier prior to amalgamation, and was appointed as the County of Brant Town Crier in 1999. Larry is a member of the Ontario Guild of Town Criers, providing community cries For Events and Functions, charity cries For Fund Raising Events, and commercial cries For Business Openings and many other notable occasions. For more information please Contact Us.

Six Nations Tourism
A glimpse into the Six Nations aboriginal culture can be found at www.sixnationstourism.com

City of Brantford
The City of Brantford provides visitors with unique history and culture, great museums and art galleries!

If you would like to submit your information for consideration on the County of Brant website, please email us.