Caledon Enterprise
Caledon Heritage Foundation purchases a piece of history
Today the old Caledon Township Hall, built in 1875, is home to the Caledon Town Hall Players, the well known local Caledon theatre troupe. But for the first half of the last century, and for part of the century before that, it was the seat of local municipal government. Council Meetings were held, issues of the day were debated, motions were raised and by-laws were passed at the former Township of Caledon. The content of these meetings were transcribed in the quaint language of yesteryear and preserved in a minute book to act as the official record of the Townships deliberations. Recently, one of these bound minute books, containing minutes from 1868 - 1879, was made available by a local collector, and the Caledon Heritage Foundation (CHF) was contacted for interest. It did not take long for the Board of Directors of the Foundation to pass a motion setting aside funds to purchase this unique record of Caledon history. After brief negotiations, a final price was agreed and the transaction was concluded. Upon purchase, the minute book was first loaned for perusal to Alex Raeburn, life-long Caledon resident and a Lieutenant Governor's Award recipient who, at age 97, is the sole remaining member of the last Caledon Township Council. Subsequently, the Caledon Heritage Foundation has donated the minute book to the Peel Archives to become part of the public record for current and future generations.