Wander Local Belleville

10/30/2024

You wouldn't be faulted if you thought we were talking about the Belleville City Hall, designed by John Evans and built by John Forin in 1872-73. I'm actually gushing about the Bogart-Carman arches, built and designed by John Forin at the same time.

I love those arches!

Once I was done gushing I kept talking about the sexiest year in Belleville history. Wanna know more? Why not join us on one of our upcoming in the Belleville Downtown District

Check out www.wanderlocal.ca for ticket details and enjoy the !

Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County City of Belleville | Municipal Government

10/24/2024

It has been said before that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This statement is true by virtue of its logical form; nevertheless, I do not believe that we ever really think about what it means.
Looking back on last weekend’s “Ghostly and Gruesome Historical Walking Tour” (tickets are still available for upcoming walks) I wanted to circle back to something we talked about that resonates with the idea that history is vital to understanding the present and preparing for the future. Elements of our walks (including our non-spooky walks) always attempt to tie local history into the greater tapestry of historical events.
Anti-immigrant racism is not new (and is currently on the rise in Canada), and it has never needed different skin tones to be violent and bigoted. The Irish – well into the twentieth century – experienced oppression, abuse, and disenfranchisement, either for being Irish or for being Catholic. Eventually they would be able to treat the next wave of immigrants with the same treatment that they received themselves. We do not learn from the past, but why? The justification of “it happened to me so it should happen to you” shows a deep lack of understanding about our own history, at a local level and a national level.
This begs the question, why don’t we learn from the past? It is – fundamentally – rooted in how history is taught to us. The teaching of history occurs through Cole’s Notes, that is, the bullet points covering the perceived “Big Events.” While those big events matter, they do not paint the whole picture, and we lose something. We only learn an abridged story.
History, both the learning and the teaching of history, requires relatable stories.
Doing these walking tours reminds me that plaques, statues, monuments, etc do not tell us anything real about history, rather they attempt to glorify something that someone felt deserved it. We do not stop anywhere with one of those, instead we have visited the Archives, we have done the research, and we have considered what we want to say about history.
We try to learn about the things that happened in the past, and we try to see how that impacts today. History is the greatest story ever written, and we write it everyday.

Belleville Downtown District Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County

10/20/2024

It was a beautiful night for our first haunted walk of 2024! We have another walk scheduled for tonight (Sunday) at 5pm with tickets still available - book your spot now online at www.wanderlocalbelleville.ca or come on by the store between 12-4pm!

10/17/2024

There's still time to get tickets and join us for our 2024 season of ! Discover the , and history of the Belleville Downtown District as we explore the exploits of businessmen, politicians, soldiers, and scientists.

Hear stories of sordid romances gone wrong, family intrigue and inheritance, and allegations of deep seated racism resulting in !

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.scalliwagtoys.ca/wanderlocal or visit us at Scalliwag Toys if you want to book a large group or a private walk!

out there and watch out for the beasts lurking in the shadows!

10/11/2024

Its again my ghouls and goblins! Join us this year for our Ghostly and Gruesome ! We've spent lots of time researching new and interesting facts to add to our walk!

Combining elements of our Macabre History & Ghost Hunters walks, this 1.5 - 2 hour walk explores strange and spooky stories from Belleville’s past, the ghosts and supernatural creatures that have been a part of this town's rich tapestry.

Tickets can be purchased in store or through our website at https://www.scalliwagtoys.ca/wanderlocal and these events are only running for a limited time this fall! Join us as we explore the gruesome side of the Belleville Downtown District!

10/07/2024

The downtown is haunted. The hair on the back of your neck stood up when I said that, and you’ve got goose pimples. You know that is haunted. You may not say it aloud – that would be sordid and taboo – but it doesn’t make the truth any less real. This is a liminal space, haunted with what was, what is, and with what could be.
Wraithlike apparitions flit across the end of the carriageways. Was it a creature, dark and foreboding, or that old man who has tea on the bench ever Wednesday? Was that noise a truck backfiring or the Beast of Bellville themselves? You lie to yourself every time and whisper softly that the Beast isn’t real, the Downtown isn’t haunted, but again, you know the horrible, soul crushing,truth.
That old man on the bench hasn’t been there for thirty years, he was a story your mother recounted once. How did you see him?
Trucks don’t snarl, not like that. It was too wet, too fleshy, too salivating and hungry. It was a sound a machine couldn’t make in this world.
Ghosts of the past walk these streets, and creatures only described as “What Could Have Been” lurk in the dark corners. All of it is only frightening if you let it be. The ghosts, ghouls, and creatures that go bump in the night are much friendlier than you give them credit.
Take a walk in the Belleville Downtown District and find your ghosts with us.

🧡🖤🧡🖤🧡

Keep your eyes peeled on this space for our being posted this week!

09/26/2024

a little today, back to when Richard and Karen still owned the store and it was in the hallowed halls of retail closer to Bridge St.

A fun fact about this picture, its used as part of our "Snap shots" , where we talk about the Belleville Downtown District, , and so much more as it relates to historical images of our downtown. This image inspired us to talk bout 1985, the recession, the cold war, and so much more.

isn't going to change the world, but so much has happened in the downtown to change this little slice of the world. You can check out our walking tour offerings at www.wanderlocal.ca

09/14/2024

Its getting closer to which means we are starting to gear up on our in the Belleville Downtown District!
Check out our available tours at www.wanderlocal.ca (you can also book through the link) or visit us in store!

06/30/2024

visit https://www.scalliwagtoys.ca/wanderlocal for dates and times to join Wander Local for one of its fun and informative historical walks through

06/27/2024

Are you interested in the unique history of the Belleville Downtown District? Curious about the murderous and macabre? Or perhaps you are just interested in who built some of and how some of those old dusty names helped build the city we live in?
Join us at Wander Local for our Historic Walks in Downtown Belleville. We currently run two separate walks, but we will also have a in the Fall and with more support we will be able to produce more tours, with more interesting tidbits about

visit https://www.scalliwagtoys.ca/wanderlocal for more details, and wander local.

of Belleville | Municipal Government

06/05/2024

Its starting to become the perfect weather for walking tours in the Belleville Downtown District and what better way to enjoy that than with one of our historical tours, ranging from the murderous and macabre to the uniquely historical?

Check all of our times and dates out at our website (you can also book tickets there) at https://www.scalliwagtoys.ca/wanderlocal

04/27/2024

Last night we had another private walking tour with a lovely group who were keen to hear some of the macabre and ghostly history of . We also spent some time talking about gravestone symbolism and visiting again with the deceased residents of St. Thomas Anglican Church.

We love sharing the stories from Belleville's past and connecting folks with local history!

🚶🚶‍♀️👨‍🦽 Our 2024 walk schedule is coming together, so stay tuned over the next week or so for details on dates and times 😁

02/12/2024

This past Saturday we had a special private walking tour, combining elements from our Snapshots in Time and Macabre History walks, with some custom elements built in to provide our wanderers with more info about their new historically-significant home in Belleville 😊

If you're interested in a customized experience for a walk, reach out to us! We love excuses to go digging for more historical knowledge in the Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County 😁

01/19/2024

What a great opportunity to learn more about the deeper history of the Bay of Quinte region and the Indigenous Peoples who have called it home!

Only 6 tickets left for each session! If you would like to attend, please book your spot soon.

Join us at Glanmore on Saturday, January 27th. Kahehtoktha Janice Brant will be exploring a special Haudenosaunee clay vessel unearthed in Prince Edward County and preserved at Sandbanks Provincial Park, with additional reflections on the era of The Peacemaker.

Janice is an artist and educator from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Onsite donations gratefully received for kKenhte:ke Seed Sanctuary and Learning Centre.

Presented in partnership with Kahehtoktha Janice Brant and Sandbanks Provincial Park

01/04/2024

This week the Bohemian Penguin, also known as the Henderson Building at 397 Front Street goes under the wrecking ball, and loses another . We’re sad to see it go, but we’ll work to remember it once it’s gone. History isn’t just recorded in the bricks of a building, but also in the stories and memories of the people who experienced it.

The building was erected in 1859 and commissioned by George Eyre Henderson (b. 1819 – d. 1895), a Barrister at Law and later Mayor of (1874). The site was previously a Methodist Bishop’s house, and after Henderson sold it in 1874 the building housed a Masonic Lodge, the Knights of Columbus, a lounge and catering business (the Bohemian Penguin), and since 2004 the building has had Historical Designation status and been left empty.

The building stands out against the rest of the downtown thanks to its Second Empire architecture (much of the downtown is strongly inspired by the Romanesque revival style). Second Empire architecture can be identified for its use of modern materials, purpose driven design (the space is built to reflect its use) and the idea that inside left no space undecorated. Second Empire design scaled with the industrial revolution and lent itself to large projects, with rich, stylistic angles and curves. The style went out of fashion around the time of Napoleon III (not that Napoleon, but his nephew, Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte).

The building stands out as something that may have fit in very well with the artists, poets, and musicians of the French Boheme in the later nineteenth century.

Who knows what will sit at the foot of the Sagonaska Bridge after this? Perhaps a park? Perhaps some intrepid entrepreneur will build an equally beautiful building that marries art and architecture? What would you want to see replace this landmark as we watch the downtown change?

Belleville Downtown District City of Belleville | Municipal Government Hastings Historical Society

12/25/2023

and

NORAD's Santa Tracker started on this day in 1955 with a simple typo.

"A local Sears store in Colorado Springs ran a dial Santa ad in 1955. However, the number was a misprint. Instead of listing the number for Sears' Santa hotline, it posted the number for the Continental Air Defense Command Center.

On Christmas Eve 1955, Colonel Harry Shoup began receiving calls while working at NORAD from kids asking to speak with Santa Claus.
Instead of telling the kids that they dialed the wrong number, Shoup said that he wasn't Santa Claus but he could track him on radar.

All night, Shoup and his team fielded calls, giving kids details about Santa's location as he and his reindeer flew through the sky to deliver gifts to children."

This is how a tradition was born. NORAD opened its lines for Santa Tracking every year since.

11/29/2023

Throwback to Santa’s visit to the downtown district last year! Santa will be present for free photos and visits with families this year at his workshop located in the Accelerate Loyalist on Friday’s, and in the market square on Saturday’s!

3-7pm Friday 1st & 8th
11-4pm Saturday 2nd & 9th
Pet Photos from 3-4 both Saturdays! 🐶
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Visit Santa this year in the downtown! 🎅🏻
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11/14/2023

Hey there history buffs, we realized in the flurry of everything we didn't share any photos from our November 4th walks! We had a wonderful collection of audiences for all three tours, and even some aspiring ghost hunters amongst our younger audience members after hearing about the stories of our local ghosts.

Stay tuned for announcements of our future walks - while the colder season is upon us, that doesn't mean we can't stroll together in the Downtown and chat about history ☺️ it might just mean a few more stops to warm up along the way!

11/04/2023

We only have TWO TICKETS LEFT for our Ghost Hunters walk tomorrow night, but still have spaces available for Macabre History! Grab your tickets before they disappear like a ghost into the ethereal night 👻💀🌜

www wanderlocalbelleville.ca

11/03/2023

Join me on a walk of this Saturday at 5:30pm to learn about the macabre, the grisly, the grim, and the of some of the place we call home.
is a rich tapestry of history, and the darker parts of the Downtown only account for a few threads. We'll talk about crimes of passion and acts of bigotry that helped define the cultural history of our beautiful city.

You can buy tickets in store at Scalliwag Toys or on our website at www.wanderlocalbelleville.ca and if you're after group discounts shoot us a message for details ;)

I look forward to sharing some interesting history about the city I now call home

11/01/2023

This Saturday, November 4th is your last chance to experience our Whiskey & Wingtips walk this year in the Belleville Downtown District! A few tickets are still available, so be sure to book yours today.

While you're at it, make it a night out on the town (literally!) and join us for our two Haunted Walks as well 👻 Check out www.wanderlocalbelleville.ca for details, or drop by Scalliwag Toys to chat with us and book your tickets in person!

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10/31/2023

🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃 it's our favourite night of the year, and we hope everyone has a safe and spooky night tonight 👻

Don't forget, we have 3 different walking tours this Saturday, including our LAST Whiskey & Wingtips walk of the year, so be sure to book your tickets online via our website www.wanderlocalbelleville.ca or drop by Scalliwag Toys to purchase in person!

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