From the archives: The Maple Women’s Institute

Aug. 21, 2022 10:00 a.m.
City of Vaughan
​Learn more about the city’s history from the Vaughan Archives

From the traditional territories of the First Peoples of Turtle Island, to a farmland community, to a bustling city centre and everything in between – Vaughan's transformation is a story worth telling. As part of a monthly series, the City of Vaughan releases historical content from the Vaughan Archives, Office of the City Clerk.

Scroll through memory lane, learn about the city's past and explore the places, people and events that were pivotal to the development of the Vaughan we know today. This month, the City is highlighting the history of the Maple Women’s Institute.

The Maple Women’s Institute was one of the earliest community groups formed in Ontario that followed Adelaide Hunter Hoodless’s mandates with a focus on domestic reform. It was organized in April 1898 by Miss Maddock. Jennie Rumble served as the first president and Miss F. Thomas (later Mrs. William Cook) was the secretary.

The institute’s first meeting was held in an old shed of a hotel in Maple that was known as Richardson’s. The dances the group organized were also held in this building.

Many members of neighbouring Women’s Institutes attended the 50th, 60th and 65th anniversaries of Maple Women’s Institute. At the 50th anniversary celebration, there were two attendees had been members for all 50 years – Mrs. H.C. Bailey and Mrs. Joshua Manning.

Detailed minute books with the group’s deliberations, decisions and activities from 1920 to 1991 are included in the City’s archives. Included in the two volumes of the Tweedsmuir History’s are photographs from the 19th and 20th century, which depict Maple’s early architecture including the Maple Community Library, Canadian Bank of Commerce and Maple Community Centre, as well as events such as the Superior Propane Explosion of 1962 and institutions and agencies such as Woodbridge and Vaughan Telephone Company and the Maple Flying Club.

Other local women’s groups in the area that also followed Hoodless’s mandates included that of Kleinburg and Nashville, Thornhill, Woodbridge, Burwick, Edgeley, Vellore, Elder’s Mills, the Mark-Vaun, Richmond Hill and Langstaff Women’s Institutes.

The Maple Women’s Institute formally disbanded in 1991.

ABOUT VAUGHAN ARCHIVES
Established in 1988, the City of Vaughan Archives is home to more than 600 collections, consisting of both City records and cultural records about Vaughan from 1860 to the present day. Records include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • City business records with long-term legal and administrative value, such as Council meeting minutes, by-laws, assessment rolls, financial records, reports and official correspondence
  • church, community and school records
  • census records
  • historical photographs
  • land records
  • historical maps, plans and aerial photographs
  • newspapers
  • personal papers of past residents and founding families, such as diaries, family histories, journals and letters
  • records of local organizations both past and present

VIEW VAUGHAN'S ARCHIVES ONLINE!
As part of the City's COVID-19 response, Vaughan City Hall remains closed to the public – but the City's Archival Collection is on digital display for all to explore! The below galleries are now available in the City's online gallery on Flickr:
  • From Township to City: The Evolution of Vaughan
  • Featured Artists of Vaughan
  • Historical Families of Vaughan
  • Historical Figures: Lord Beaverbrook
  • Historical Photography
  • Recollections of Rural Vaughan
  • The Mary Wood Collection
  • The Way We Were: Representations of Vaughan's Past
  • Vaughan Working Environments
  • Vaughan Through the Ages: Medicine
  • Vaughan Through the Ages: Music
  • Vaughan Through the Ages: Sports and Recreation
  • Stories of Remembrance
  • Vaughan's Forgotten Heroes
  • Early Churches of Vaughan
  • Historical Schools of Vaughan

A personal Flickr account is not required to access the City's online gallery, which contains only a small selection of the full archives collection. If you are looking for a particular image, original file, primary source record or more, please visit the Archives’ Online Catalogue, or contact the Vaughan Archives by calling 905-832-2281 or emailing archives@vaughan.ca.

By managing and preserving both City and community records, the Enterprise Information Management Services team ensures that Vaughan's rich and varied history will continue to be available for future generations. Learn more at vaughan.ca/archives.
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