Bruce Mines and District Historical Society
The Bruce Mines and District Historical Society was incorporated under the Ontario Historical Society in the Fall 2008. This organization was created due to the interests of the residents and former residents of the community, over the concern of preserving what heritage remains after the two great fires - one in the late 1800s and the other in the early 1900s.
This new organization will be active in collecting historical information and materials of the mines involving the Cornish miners and their families, the timber industry and the marine element of one of Canada's oldest settlements.
Rydal Bank Historical Society
The Rydal Bank Historical Society was formed in 1989 and its mandate is to collect, record and preserve the history of Rydal Bank in the Township of Plummer Additional. Artifacts and historical documents are displayed in both the Rydal Bank Church and the Rydal Bank Community Hall.
A listing of additional historical material, including the Rydal Bank Historical Society’s information, may be found through the Bruce Mines & Plummer Additional Union Public Library website.
Bruce Mines and Plummer Additional Union Public Library
The Library has become the hub of the community. Over the years its projects and events have supported the patrons in the community, local businesses and organizations. Being an Accreditation Library since 2003, the library programs and services meet and in some cases exceed provincial library standards.
The Library has an in-house collection of over 10,000 books, audios, DVD’s and periodicals. The collection is constantly changing and growing. The most recent acquisitions are eBooks; electronic books that can be accessed from home computers. This acquisition provides our patrons with a $100,000.00 collection of current, mostly non-fiction material. This collection is excellent for researching information, school projects and developing new skills.
The Library offers programs throughout the year both for children and adults. The Library has become well known for its Teddy Bear Picnic, Cool Kids Camp and Halloween Party, and its partnership with artisans to offer workshops and seminars. Computer skills’ training is offered free to patrons. Many adults enjoy the one-on-one learning environment.
Local history is included as part of the Library’s mandate, and the Library has developed two major programs in this area - The "Historical Indexing Project (HIP)" and "Bruce Mines - A History of Copper". This work has been recognized with the Award for Excellence in Community Capacity Building by the Ontario Library Service – North, and with the prestigious provincial Ministry of Culture’s Award for Innovation. Please see below for further information on both of these programs.
Please also take a vist to the Library's website
Historical Indexing Project (HIP)
HIP combined the historical collections of the following six community partners
- Peterson’s Lighthouse
- Plummer Additional Township
- Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 211
- Rydal Bank Historical Society
- Town of Bruce Mines
- Bruce Mines United Church.
This digital listing of artifacts and historical documents can be used to research history of the local area and assist with genealogical searches for family records.
Bruce Mines - A History of Copper
This virtual display can be viewed on the Virtual Museum of Canada website and describes the development of Bruce Mines and area through copper mining. The site also includes information on the history of shipping, local businesses, railways, churches and schools.
Plummer Additional Township Archives
The Plummer Additional Township Office houses a very extensive collection of newspaper articles and information. This collection is organized in searchable binders which are listed in the Historical Indexing Project. Many community members have discovered a piece of their family history in these binders. For more information on searching the binders, please email the Library.