Book rich with Milford and area history

The rich history of the Milford area won’t be lost to future generations thanks to the labours of a group of dedicated historians, genealogists, and researchers of the present.

The book Through the Woods: A Collected History and Reflection of the Milford Area & Communities began as a project to digitally preserve pictures, stories, letters, and newspaper clippings at the Milford House, a local resort which has been in continuous operation since the mid-1800s.

In 1999 a small group of volunteers formed the Milford and Area History Group in an effort to catalogue, document, and share this and other local history and genealogy. In 2000 the Milford House was lost to fire and with it, much of its physical history. The history book project took on new significance, and after the new Milford House was rebuilt and opened in time for the next season, the Milford History Centre was able to return copies of the documented material for their archives.

UNIQUE AND PERSONAL

This volume is a unique and personal account of life in that part of Annapolis County (Milford, South Milford, Lake Munroe, West Springhill, Graywood, Victory, and the surrounding lands), telling about the people who first arrived there, some seeking an independent existence, while others were looking for sport and recreation in the wilderness.

The stories begin with the early labourers, followed by settlers with their families. They show where and how they built their communities, what impact they had on them, and where they are today. There are photos, letters, newspaper articles, genealogies, maps, archival excerpts, songs, narratives, and more -- all collected, researched, and written over a five-year period by volunteers who have a passion for and attraction to this area.

EXHILARATING EXPERIENCE

Collecting oral histories and sorting through family photo albums and shoeboxes, was a rich and exhilarating experience. It was difficult to choose what to include. The editors endeavoured to respect the voices of the contributors and their narrative style. Though producing this history book was the main focus, the process of researching and collecting took the group through many other projects including numerous genealogies, calendars, a cookbook, a photo gallery, and other smaller books that grew from the data. One such volume is What Happened to Charlotte Hill which contains newspaper articles chronicling the true story of the murder of Charlotte Hill in 1880 at Munro Meadow and the subsequent trial of Joseph Thibault. The Milford History Group presented a short dramatization of this story in the Crossroads play in 2005.

400th ANNIVERSARY CONTRIBUTION

Originally published in 2005 as the group’s contribution to the 400th Anniversary of Port Royal, Through the Woods... has been reprinted this year on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Tent Dwellers by Albert Bigelow Paine, 1908, which describes a wilderness canoe trek through that part of Nova Scotia.

The official launch of Through the Woods: A Collected History and Reflection of the Milford Area & Communities took place at the Milford House on Oct. 11 in conjunction with the Tent Dwellers Homecoming lunch.

This history book sells for $40 with proceeds supporting the Milford & Area Community Association which includes the Milford C@p site and Milford History Centre. You can order a copy of the book by e-mailing milford@xplornet.com, or visit www3.ns.sympatico.ca/milford/ for other venues.