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Barrie Garden Club celebrates 140 years By Carol Dunk


Presentation of OHA Special Anniversary Recognition certificate to members of BGC Executive. Left to right: Judy Johnson, Marie Sawick, Joan Nieman-agapas, Russ Talbot, Holly Wells.


its 140th Anniversary. Last year the club held 10 interesting meetings and hosted a wonderful seminar day. That’s what The Club is all about – beautify- ing Barrie and offering educational and interesting public meetings. And Barrie’s Garden Club has been


T


doing that for 140 years!! Barrie’s Garden Club was born in


1874 when: • The Industrial Revolution was in


full tilt • 30 artists including Renoir, Degas,


Monet and Cezanne held the first exhi- bition of impressionist art in Paris • Queen Victoria was in the 37th year


of her reign • Wilfrid Laurier was in his first term


as Prime Minister • Ulysses S. Grant was in his 2nd


term as President of the United States • General Custer led his first attack


against the Lakota nation • Alexander Graham Bell explained


his idea for the telephone to his father And among notables born in 1874


were Winston Churchill, Somerset Maugham, Herbert Hoover, Harry Houdini, Robert Frost, Lucy Maud


www.localgardener.net


his past spring, Barrie’s Garden Club volunteers planted 1,440 daffodil bulbs to commemorate


Montgomery, Robert Service, and Gertrude Stein. The society was one of the first Horti- cultural Societies


in Ontario. It was


known as the Barrie Horticultural and Town Improvement Society, shorten- ing its name to the Barrie Horticul- tural Society when Barrie became a city in 1959. The Club adopted its alias, Barrie’s Garden Club, in 2002. Through two world wars and the


Great Depression, the Club continued to operate without a gap. A smattering of projects


Since 1874, the Club has been busy


making Barrie beautiful. In 1906 the Club took over its first


two gores, one at Dunlop and Louisa Streets and the Dymont gore opposite the old Canadian Tire store. Gores are pieces of land too small for a full lot. You can see them throughout the city usually at corners and ends of streets. At one time, the Club maintained 20 gores. In recent years, City of Barrie Parks has taken over their maintenance but for many years volunteer members of Barrie’s Garden club gardened the gores of Barrie. In 1928, the Club established Memo-


rial Square located at the southeastern end of the Nine Mile Portage.


Daffodil display with Barrie city skyline in background.


In the 1940’s, the club created a rock


garden adjacent to Central Collegiate. The garden was enjoyed for many years until it was taken over by the expansion of the collegiate. In 1998, the Club created the Read-


ing Garden at the new library. In 1974, when the City acquired


the land at the corner of Cundles and Anne, the Barrie Club took over the maintenance of a parcel of that land and created the Barrie Arboretum. Annu- ally, members turned out to maintain the arboretum and to add to its gardens. The club celebrated 25 years of arbo-


retum care with a wonderful tea party on the grounds of the arboretum in 1999. Barrie’s Garden Club maintained the arboretum for 28 years. In 2012, the Club created a garden


for Hospice Simcoe It is a testament to the people of


this community that our garden club has existed for 140 years. I think it is a lot like the Eveready Bunny – Barrie’s Garden Club keeps going and going and going. Well done and Happy Birthday, Barrie’s Garden Club. h


Carol Dunk is past president of the Barrie Garden Club.


Home and Gardener Living • 7


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