COMMUNITY

Did you know that the fire of 1865 (one of several notable fires in Paris) was first noticed by a soldier who raised the alarm? He was one of 600 combatants encamped nearby. You might wonder why such a large battalion of soldiers had been stationed here in Paris? Bob did. And he discovered that the British government powers that be were concerned that as the American Civil War neared its end, the victors might decide to turned north in a bid to liberate Canada from the British. The battalion was here ready to repel a possible invasion As for how the fire started. Bob found that it proved to be someone reading in bed whose candle caught the bedclothes alight.

Along with stories of soldiers, fires, wars, businesses, railways and properties that were housed in the Junction, the local historian also heard a tale or two of fraud and murder And he has captured them all in the books. Bob credits his dedicated researcher Barbara Vance for the significant contribution that she made in investigating and verifying the information that he so carefully collected over the years. And there are others whose contributions and support were also invaluable In fact, there are so many that Bob says they are almost too many to mention. Maybe it takes a village to tell a good story. His latest book, “The People Who

Lived in the Junction” has about 4,000 names in it. All alphabetized so that they can be easily found. Maybe it’s fitting that this last book focuses on the people who made their lives in the Junction. Because how can you tell the story of a place without highlighting its people?

The book sells for $45 per copy, with forty percent of the price going to support PMHS. Other books in the series are also available through PMHS. Will there be more books from Bob? He says not. “This is my last book. I’ve been working on this for 30 years My brain is fried,” he laughs.

So, what’s next for the local storyteller? He now plans to delve into boxes and boxes of memorabilia donated to PMHS from the Scott family It’s a veritable treasure trove just waiting to be mined. And that’s another story

Come join us at the Paris Museum, located in the Syl Apps Community Centre, for the launch of Bob’s latest book on Sunday November 24th at 2 pm. It’s your chance to buy a signed copy of the book, chat with the author and help support your local museum.