Charleswood Historical Society

Members of the Charleswood Historical Society meet 8 to 9 times a year

Membership is $10.00 annually.
Family is $15.00 annually.

For further information contact:
Peg White - 896-5129

The Charleswood Historical Society (C.H.S.) was formed in 1974 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Winnipeg.

The mandate of the Charleswood Historical Society is two-fold:

1. To promote and encourage interest in, and to study and compile a history of that portion of the City of Winnipeg in the Province of Manitoba, formerly known as the R.M. of Charleswood.
   
   
2. To acquire and collect by gift, purchase or otherwise, and to maintain artifacts, memorabilia, articles, mementos, and items of historical interest and significance relating to the former R.M. of Charleswood.

Activities

In September 1975, the Charleswood Historical Society held a tea to honour 45 long-time residents who had settled in Charleswood prior to 1920, and who continued to reside there. Since 1976, the Annual Pioneer Dinner, held every September, honours residents who have continuously lived in the community for 50 years with a complementary dinner and a framed parchment. Other honourees have included former school teachers and early residents who no longer reside in the community. From the honourees, the Society submits the names of pioneer families and individuals of Charleswood to Park and Street Name Reserve Lists with the City of Winnipeg.

Past-President Len Van Roon, has copied over 500 photographs of early Charleswood, on loan from the collections and family albums of local residents. A visual history of Charleswood, assembled in slide form, is shown in local school programs, and to senior citizen groups, among others.

The Society conducts an active oral history program, recording the reminiscences of many of our ‘old-timers" early life in Charleswood. Many of these oral histories are on file with the Assiniboine South School Division for use by local students.

The Society also participates in "Charleswood in Motion" every June, with a parade float based on a, historical theme, and a booth with displays and artifacts relating to Charleswood history.

Major Projects
Their proudest achievement is the preservation and rehabilitation of the historic Caron House. The 2 1/2 storey Queen Anne style home was built in 1906 for George Caron who first settled in the area in 1880. The Caron House is the last original farm house still standing in Charleswood along the Assiniboine River. The Society leases the house from the City of Winnipeg, and in turn rents it to a family who assist with the on-going renovation. Every July, the C.H.S. host the Annual Caron House Picnic, where the general public s invited to tour the historic home.

The on-going research of the Society led to the designation of ‘The Passage" at the foot of Berkley Street as a Provincial Heritage Site in 1992. The Passage was a shallow ford where buffalo hunters and traders crossed the Assiniboine River.

The C.H.S. gathered information on the young men from Charleswood and South Headingley who were killed in action during the First and Second World Wars. This led the Society and the Charleswood Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion to erect a suitable memorial to the fallen soldiers, unveiled October 1995.

The Society has placed historical plaques at Chapman and Pacific Junction Schools. As well as erecting an identification sign for the historic Holy Trinity Cemetery in Headingley.

Please Remember
The C.H.S. is interested in copying any old photographs of early life or landmarks in Charleswood. (Original photographs are returned to the owner)

For further information contact:
Peg White 832-3667

History of Charleswood
Charleswood, a suburban community located in the southwest corner of the City of Winnipeg, was originally bounded by the Assiniboine River to the north, the R.M. of Macdonald to the south, the former Town of Tuxedo to the east, and the R.M. of Cartier to the west.

Photo Gallery
Here are some of the many photos collected by the Charleswood Historical Society.