THE COUNTIES, Ontario – Today a massive online repository of regional newspaper pages and Lost Villages archival photos was unveiled to mark the launch of the SD&G Online Archives.
Some 210,566 pages from 16 newspapers, as well as 2,000 photos from the Lost Villages Historical Society collection, are included in the SD&G Online Archives.
The material is completely searchable, and can be found at: https://archive.sdgcounties.ca.
The project, which took two years to complete, was inspired and led by MP Eric Duncan in a volunteer capacity.
Financial support totalling $181,132 came from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, which also committed staff time to help create and launch the project.
“It is very exciting to finally launch the online archives website after years of work,” said Duncan. “The support for the project from the various newspaper ownership teams, local historical archives and organizations, and from County Council was fantastic. This material is a gift to researchers, and the residents of SDG who now have an online gateway to their history.”
United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Warden Frank Prevost echoed Duncan’s sentiment.
“County Council believed in this project from the outset,” said Prevost. “It is said that newspaper reports can be considered the first rough draft of history. We are now preserving this history online for generations to come.”
County Council was pitched on the idea of the online archival project in 2019. Since that initial approval organizers and local historians have been busily cataloguing material and scanning newspaper pages and photos.
Some of the material dates back to the 19th Century, and includes pages from papers that are no longer part of the local news landscape. The scanning process began in 2020, and concluded earlier this year. More material is constantly being added to the archive, so users are encouraged to check the site often for updates.
Negotiations are taking place with municipal officials and news organizations in Cornwall to create a similar repository of information for the city.