Featured image (from left): Mayor Scott Aitchison, resident Anne Shorn, Councillor Jason Fitzgerald, HHS student Elora Middleton, HHS teacher Jeff Brady, HHS students Byron Boothby and Nicholas Drewery, District Commissioner of Engineering and Public Works Fred Jahn and architect Duncan Ross (missing from photo: Teri Souter).
Today, students from Huntsville High School sealed a time capsule containing items that will give residents 50 years from now a look at what life was like in 2017 in our town.
The time capsule – a wooden bench – was created by students and was installed in a new swing bridge master’s cabin that was also built by students. The existing cabin will be removed and the new cabin will be installed on the swing bridge sometime in the next month, according to Fred Jahn, the District’s Commissioner of Engineering and Public Works.
It all began when resident Anne Shorn, 93, who lives adjacent to the swing bridge called Teri Souter, the Town of Huntsville’s Manager of Arts, Culture and Heritage, to complain of the cabin’s deteriorating state. That set into motion a project to replace the cabin with a structure built by high school students, and which enlisted the help of the District of Muskoka, which is responsible for the swing bridge, the Ministry of Transportation, the Town’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee, and architect Duncan Ross.
Shorn was happy to see the project almost complete. “I am so glad. The town deserves it. It’s thanks to the high school students – they did a beautiful job.”
Souter is happy to see the project come to fruition as well. “I’m really happy we’ve come to this stage, the final thing is installation,” said Souter.
She joked that she won’t be here to see the time capsule opened in 50 years, but said she hopes that those future people will read the Town’s strategic plans, which were included, and recognize how forward-thinking the Town is in 2017. Among the other things included in the capsule, some of which were suggested by local residents, are history books, buttons from various events, and a 1986 ashtray that commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the village of Huntsville. “(The ashtray) isn’t so socially acceptable so I put it in to confuse them,” laughed Souter.
There are also photographs of the students who worked on the build, identified by name. “Odds are very good that when people open the capsule, they will have some people in real time that they can talk to about this time,” said Souter.
Some of the items that were suggested but not included were the mayor’s phone, money, and gold.
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- Teri SouterTeri Souter shows one of the more unusual items in the time capsule – a 1986 ashtray commemorating the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the village of Huntsville
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- Teacher Jeff Brady (left) and students Elora Middleton and Nicholas Drewery seal the time capsule
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- Elora Middleton and Byron Boothby place the time capsule inside the new swing bridge master’s cabin
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- Mayor Scott Aitchison presents flowers to resident Anne Shorn who suggested that the swing bridge master’s cabin needed repair
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- Those involved in the project received socks depicting carpenter’s joins as thanks for their efforts
Mayor Scott Aitchison thanked Shorn for “being engaged and recognizing that we should do something”, the students who were involved in the build, Jahn for working with the Town to get the project done as the bridge “belongs to the people of Muskoka not just Huntsville”, and architect Duncan Ross who provided the architectural drawings for the new swing bridge master’s cabin.
Aitchison and Souter presented socks depicting carpentry joints to the students and guests as a thank you for their efforts.
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