Virginiatown & Kearns, Ontario : Mostly Photographs.

Revised May 17, 2024.

Cheminis Mountain shines in the sun above Kearns, Ontario, December, 2020.
Photograph copyright (©) by Peter Law.

KLCVI Yearbooks | V-Town & Kearns Reunions | Cheminis | Kearns | Kerr-Addison | "I Remember" | Schools & Students | Virginiatown

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Kirkland Lake : KLCVI Yearbooks & Reunion

• In this col­lec­tion of year­books I've scanned all of the text and photo pages (not including adver­tising pages). All names have been tran­scribed as pub­lished, but I'll gladly correct errors if you tell me about them. Regret­ably I've faced the fact that I'll not have time to scan and transcribe more yearbooks, so I've sent them to the Kirkland Lake Museum of Northern History.
• 1955 KLCVI Yearbook. Many thanks to Ron Ross for sending me this book to scan.
• 1962 KLCVI Yearbook. Many thanks to Peter Jovic for sending me this book to scan.
• 1964 KLCVI Yearbook. Many thanks to Peter Jovic for sending me this book to scan.
• 1965 KLCVI Yearbook. – Paul LaDuke emailed me this: ". . . I was on the yearbook committee that year, and in subsequent years. As I recall it the publishing company had a sales rep going around to schools all over Ontario collecting manuscripts and photos. The rep also began collecting money in advance on the sales of the planned book. Apparently the company was not aware of this money being collected. The school year ended and everyone expected the books to be available in the fall. When we inquired about them the company informed us and several other schools that the sales rep had absconded, apparently out of the country, with a ton of cash, their car and all the photos and manuscripts. I believe they returned the money but could not provide the books as the pictures and pages were gone. "
• 1965 KLCVI Commencement Programme. Many thanks to Jo Anne (Pedersen) Ahronson for allowing me to scan this programme. It contains the names of the graduates, scholarship and bursary winners and the teaching staff.
• 1965 KLCVI Commercial Graduates Photo. Many thanks to Jo Anne (Pedersen) Ahronson for this photo. It would have appeared in the 1965 KLCVI yearbook if one had been published. Surnames so far: Emmel, Lazaryshak, Ohlman, Ryan, Sear. Can you identify the others?
• 1973 KLCVI Yearbook. Many thanks to Mike Molotkin for sending me this yearbook to scan.
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• Some former V-Town students at the KLCVI reunion in 1988. Most photos were taken at the dance in the V-Town arena and others at a private residence. Eighteen photos so far.
• Helen Wattie, former teacher at KLCVI, died Oct. 22, 2009. Obituary, two photos and details of the celebration of her life on Nov. 7, 2009.

2006 Virginiatown Reunion :

• 2006 Reunion Photo Collection. 95 photos posted so far, and counting – mostly taken at the Kiwanis BBQ. Better check because you may be there with your face hanging out.

2010 Virginiatown Reunion :

• 2010 Reunion Photo Collection. 82 photos so far, plus a link to a collection of 102 more photos on Picasa.

Familysearch.org records for McGarry Township, Kirkland Lake, etc. :

• Sortable Table of Records, c.1910 - c.1930. A sortable table of more than 1,500 familysearch.org index records of people who were born, married, or died in Chaput Hughes, Cheminis, Kearns, Larder Lake, King Kirkland, Kirkland Lake, or McGarry Township. This table has been re-formatted to display on any size device. Click on a header to sort the data on that column. To discover details about a record, log onto familysearch.org (it's always free) and search for the record, then look at the record image if it is available, to discover details which aren't in the index. One surprise for me was to find two marriages in Kearns in 1911 & 1912. (Re-formatted June 22, 2023)

1921 Census :

• 1921 Census for McGarry & McVittie Townships. Transcription of 153 people listed as living in Larder Lake and McGarry Township at the time of the 1921 census. Plus 25 people living in Arnold, Ben Nevis, Katrine, Ossian, and Pontiac Townships. Trans­cribed more or less accurately by Charles Dobie, from the micro­films which are free for anyone to view on Ancestry.com. Corrections are most welcome. The listing should display properly on your hand-held device.

Historic Newspaper Articles :

• Articles Mentioning Kearns, V-Town, & The Mines. This on-going project will search archival newspaper websites for articles mentioning Virginiatown, Kearns, Kerr-Addison, Chesterville, and other places in the area. Most older items are about the mines, but people-related items (births, deaths, marriages, other good & bad things) are included as published. So far, the earliest item is from 1936, and the latest is from 1996. Surnames mentioned so far: Allaire, Barkley, Billinghurst, Butler, Cameron, Casselman, Colville, Connolly, Demary, Dorfman, Drake, Elliott, Fairlie, Farrar, Fisher, Flynn, Fockler, Ford, Gornick, Graham, Griffith, Hall, Hayden, Hope, Huggins, Hummel, James, Johnson, Kearns, Knott, Labounsky, Ladd, Lafferty, Lamoureux, Levinson, Lough, Lunday, Lynch, Maloney, McCrea, McFee, McGregor, McTavish, Morgan, Nichols, Paquette, Parrott, Pearce, Peever, Pidgeon, Postle, Potter, Rattray, Reddick, River / Rivers, Row, Rusak, Ryhorchuk, Snider, Storm, Swan, Thompson, Waite, Walker, Webster, Weir, Weller, Willard, Wright, Young.

Cheminis & Cheminis Mountain :

• Larmond Family Photos, 1946-56. Thanks to Rick Larmond for these photos and to his mother Germaine Larmond for a short reminiscence of her time in Cheminis. She was postmistress there from late 1950 to 1956.
• Picnic on top of Cheminis Mountain, July 1948. Six photos. Surnames are Dobie, Hawkes, Pearson. (Revised March 5, 2023)
• Aerial photo of Cheminis Mountain, August, 2003
• Photo of Cheminis Mountain, September, 2005
• Two photos taken on Cheminis Mountain, September, 2005
• View from Cheminis Mountain, Aug. 2010. Thanks to Vicha (Ostapiej) Hajdamowicz for this photo.

Eddie Duke Post Cards :

• Most of these Eddie Duke postcards were sent to me by Ron Ross.
• Cheminis Mountain, 1940s-1950s?.
• Kerr Addison Gold Mines.
• Virginiatown Public School. This card seems to be 1950s or 1960s by the look of the school bus.
• Virginiatown view showing public school, etc. This photo was taken from the hill at the base of the water tower so it almost looks like an aerial view.
• Almost complete view of Virginiatown. Taken from a very high vantage point. Shows the town looking south-west.
• Virginiatown, Cockeram Street & Waite Avenue. Taken from a high vantage point. Thanks to Patrick Michiel for this image.

Kearns :

• House Construction, Kearns, 1939 or earlier. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for this photo, purchased by her father sometime before September, 1939.
• Offic­ials at Chest­er­ville Gold Mines, July 1939. The occasion was the pouring of the first gold brick, July 29, 1939. Surnames are: Barkley, Cross, and Johnston.
• Chesterville Gold Mine, 1939, from a postcard.
• Three friends, about 1945/47. Kenny Walker, Donald Cook, Ron Ross. Thanks to Ron Ross for this photo.
• The Denny family in Kearns, c. 1946/47. Thanks to Gary Denny for these two photos. One was taken at their house on Cheminis Road and the other at a house they rented in town.
• Chesterville School Bus, 1947. This bus took the Kearns and Cheminis kids to school in Virginiatown. Thanks to Ed Owens for this original photo.
• Downtown Kearns in 1947. Thanks to Bill Croshaw for these two photos. One features Turcotte's Garage and the highway leading up to Chesterville, and the other is of the Ritz Hotel.
• Chesterville Gold Mine Employees' Hall in the early days. This building has been completely renovated and is now Cheminis Lodge. However, this photo shows it as I remember it as a child in the 1940's and early 1950's.
• An Award or Presentation, 1947-48. Thanks to Jo Anne (Pedersen) Ahronson for this photo. Six men at some sort of function probably related to Chesterville Gold Mines. Can you help? Names so far: Helge Byberg, Bill Dobie, Val Pedersen, Wilfred Mayhew.
• Kit Dobie, Geordie & Bobby Hammond, Kearns, 1947/8.
• Dora & Kit Dobie and Lois Brown, about 1949. This is a link to my genealogy website.
• Birthday party about 1950. Earl Turcotte, Ojar (Peter) Bikaunieks, Kit Dobie, Jim Row, Wayne Moline. This is a link to my genealogy website.
• Four playmates, about 1950. Hope McCrea, Dora Dobie, Carol & Betty Comisky. This is a link to my genealogy website.
• Birthday party, 1950. Surnames are Brown, Comisky, Dobie, Nickerson, and Robinson. Three more names needed. This is a link to my genealogy website.
• Informal social gathering, possibly 1950. Surnames are: Dobie, Gervais, Grozelle, and Judge.
• Kearns Avenue People, about 1950. Three photos – two of the removal of Bill Dobie's new boat from the garage where he built it and one of Dora Dobie on her tricycle. Men carrying the boat are Bill Dobie, and possibly George Hammond and Vic Monette. One other is unidentified.
• Kearns and Cheminis Mountain, about 1950. Photo from a postcard postmarked August, 1950. The original route of Hwy. 66 is still in still use and it looks like the new route (the present route) has only been logged out.
• Beautiful downtown Kearns, about 1950, from a postcard.
  • Same postcard but enhanced by Bill McGrath. Bill has added his recollections of the various buildings in the photo. Also some info and revisions added by Art Brown.
• Pugliese Family photos, 1950-60's. Many thanks to Ferio Pugliese for these six photos. Ralph, Guy & Flora Pugliese ran Ralph's Superette grocery store in Kearns from the 1940's until 1986 when the business was sold.
• Headframe of Chesterville Gold Mine, about 1950, from a postcard.
• Birthday Party, Kearns, Feb. 1950. Brian McEwen, Geordie Hammond, Kit Dobie. Can you identify the others?
• Construction of #2 Lynch Avenue, Kearns, circa 1951. Thanks to Grace (Cook) Sipes for these 3 photos of the construction of the house her father built. Includes photos of the general area while construction was in progress.
• Nora & Brian Mayhew, Margaret & Dora Dobie, about 1952.
• Dora Dobie & Brian Mayhew, about 1952.
• Birthday party, September 1952. Christine & Jean Nickerson, Ruth Berard, Lois & Marian Brown, Betty Comisky, Patsy Robinson, Dora Dobie, Brian Mayhew, Marian Gillis, Sonja Kucyk. This is a link to my genealogy website.
• Claude & Jean Seger, Margaret & Dora Dobie, picnic on Larder Lake, about 1952.
• Group at Kearns Beach, 1953. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for this photo. Group of seven people at Kearns beach. Six are identified: Endel, Jaan, and Linda Aaviku, Paul and Ella Reimer, Hilja Rannala.
• Kearns Public School Building. Photo is undated, but classes started in 1955.
• Kearns Public School Class, 1955. Thanks to Grace (Cook) Sipes for this classroom photo of 33 students plus their teacher. There is a list of 30 names written on the back of the photo but so far, individual students or teacher are not identified. Date on the blackboard seems to be February 25, 1955.
• Kearns Public School, Grade 2? about 1955. Thanks to Teresa Bagyan for this photo. Most of the students are not identified so your help is needed. Mrs. Hunter was the teacher. Student surnames so far: Brown, Dasovich, Gillis, Lees.
• The Gallina Family about 1958. I received photos and a query from Giuseppe Gallina in Italy who is researching his grand­parents (shown in the photo at right). His father was born in Kearns in 1958, and his grand­father was killed in a mining accident only six months later. Giuseppe says: "I know my grand­father only from these photos, so it's very important for me know something about the places where he lived."
  Amazingly, two of the photos were taken on Kearns Avenue, in front of the house where I lived between 1947 and 1953.
• Kearns Public School, Grade 5 or 6, 1965. All students are identified. Surnames are: Acton, Beaton, Bellrose, Campbell, Czura, David, Gillis, Godmaire, Greaves, Jeffery, Johns, Johnston, Kozak, Laframboise, McMillan, Moses, Pascoe, Pugliese, Spadetto, Turcotte, Vaudry, Yakimczuk.
• View looking up Kearns Ave., 1967. The blue house with the cut-off tip on the roof was our house, 1947-1953. Compare this view with the top photo in the Gallina family photos, above.
• Who Was Katarina / Katharine Sheremeta? She was from Kearns, her family name may have been Rafall, and she married Harry Sheremeta, year unknown. Harry was originally from the Ukraine, and a widower, and may have worked at one of the mines in the area. The couple lived in Toronto until Harry died in 1967, and Katarina moved back to Kearns to live with her family. A great-grandson of Harry's is looking for information about them. July, 2023 update: Katharine's surname on Harry's gravestone is Rafall, but is that her birth family name or her first married name? Her given name on her own gravestone is Katarina (Katy). (Revised July 22, 2023)
• Dobie's old house on Kearns Ave., 1967. With a boy on the porch staring at the weird photographer.
• View looking up the hill on Kearns Ave., 1967. With several children trudging up the hill with their lunch buckets.
• Ruins of a boathouse on the Kearns River, 1967. To me, this was the big tragedy of my 1967 trip to Kearns – in only 14 years our boathouse had disappeared and the one next to it was a ruin. Don't people put their boats on the river anymore?
• Kearns Arms Hotel 1967-68 Broomball crest. John St. Pierre sent this photo. The hotel has since been turned into an apartment building.
• Hill on Kearns Avenue, looking towards Cheminis Mountain, 1981.
• Colour photo of Kearns & Cheminis Mountain, taken July, 1983.
• Aerial photo of Kearns, August, 2003.
• Wide view of Kearns taken September, 2005. This one and the three below taken by Peter Bikaunieks.
  • Closer view showing downtown & Cheminis Mountain.
  • Stunning night photo of Kearns, Thanksgiving, 2006.
  • Same view as above in daylight.
• Photos of the Kearns area, June 2009. Nine photos taken by Ron Ross. Shown are: a panorama of Kearns Avenue; downtown Kearns; the Kearns Arms Hotel; Lynch Ave.; Bear Creek; Kearns Beach.

	JOE NICKERSON, FOLK ARTIST
Joe Nickerson has lived all his life on the same street in Kearns. Formerly a railway worker, he is retired and took up sculpture in the mid 1990's. His medium is white PVC tubing. . . . See photos of Joe's art and a short description by Peter Bikaunieks. Photos by Peter Bikaunieks, Lloyd Hart and Andy Ross.

On the evening of August 21, 2007, Joe Nickerson's house was destoyed by an arsonist and he barely escaped with his life. I'll let Peter Bikaunieks tell it . . . " . . . we visited Kirkland Lake Aug. 20/07 and stopped at Joe's place in Kearns Aug. 21. . . . Stayed an hour and had a good chin wag. Interestingly, Joe loves tropical birds and lets a number of them fly free around the house. He also has a large aquarium where he keeps several large, green turtles. After leaving Joe's we climbed Mount Cheminis and drove home next day. That evening we learned Joe's house had been torched while he slept. He had, it seems, barely escaped alive. According to an on-line news item, police were, and still are, investigating the fire. Ironically, the day before, Joe had remarked how well some of his neighbours treat him. I noted that because Joe is a bit of an eccentric, as you well know. Both the house that was burned and his studio across the street, which was not burned, were extensively decorated with his PVC art objects. Though every one in Kearns seems friendly, I always sensed, and likely Joe also sensed, that some folks might be irked by his eccentricity. Our immediate difficulty was that there was no way to contact Joe. We finally called the McGarry municipal office in Virginiatown. While Joe had survived the fire all right, he had simply vanished. . . . . " Finally, early in October, Joe called us. . . . We learned he was staying with friends in Quebec. He said that on the night of the fire he was awakened by a loud explosion near his head and quickly learned the house was on fire. He had just enough time to save himself and a couple of his birds. The rest and the turtles perished in the fire. He got out with the clothes on his back, a bird cage, and a suitcase of his important documents which he kept packed for an emergency. Otherwise everything was lost in the fire, which also engulfed the abandoned house next door. . . . He's thinking of returning to Kearns after the winter with the view of rebuilding his place. I asked if he had any suspicions about how the fire was started. He said many suspicions but no proof. Still, he plans to come home to Kearns where he has lived for 60 years. "

Kerr-Addison Gold Mines :

• Cage Call: Life and Death in the Hard Rock Mining Belt. Fifty photo­graphs by Louie Palu, an award-winning doc­u­mentary photo­grapher whose work has appeared in festi­vals, publi­ca­tions and exhi­bitions inter­na­tionally. Many of these photos were taken at Kerr-Addison and Cheminis. The above link takes you to his website. Click on the "Galleries" link on his website to see hundreds more of his extra­ordinary photos.
• Kerr-Addison Miners, 1930's or 1940's. Many thanks to David Yorke for this panoramic photo of 50 miners at Kerr-Addison Gold Mines. Most men are unidentified. Surnames so far are: Furlong & Oehring. Can you identify anyone else? Another link is provided to a very wide panoramic shot of this group.
• 2023. Photo Album & Scrap­book of George Hawkes – 1930s to 1950s. Many thanks to John Hawkes for donating this 47-page album to the McGarry Township Tourist Centre Museum. Many, but not all, of the photos are originals taken by George Hawkes – included are clippings from newspapers as well as what may be Kerr Addison annual reports (one clipping is post-1983). Most of the photos were taken at Kerr-Addison – many inside the mill; some are of Virginiatown streets and people. A few appear elsewhere on this website (links are given where applicable) so may have been taken by other people. I assume the photos on the pages marked "Photos by George Hawkes" were taken by him. A few people are identified, and hopefully more will be as time goes by. Surnames so far of people shown: Biczo/Brezo, Cox, Dowey, Fish, Fredeen, Gray/Grey, Gunsinger, Hawkes, Hele, Innes, Jewel, Kenrick, Korbeil, Latimer, Laurin/Lauren, Malane, McKay, Mommo(?), Pugliese, Russel, Shipley, Teague, Veinot, Weiler(?). (Revised March 4, 2023)
• Headframe of Shaft No. 1. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo which was taken about 1936-37.
• Two photos, 1936-37. Office & core shack and a group photo. Surnames: Healy, Hotchkin, Lynch, McPhee, Muir, Ogryzlo. Photos submitted by Joe Joyner.
• Closing in No. 3 Headframe, 1938. Photo submitted by Joe Joyner.
• Some Staff Members, 1938. Thanks to Eleanor (Malane) Balleny for this photo of 13 men in front of the old office building. Only five are fully identified. Surnames so far: Anderson, Baker, Bennett, Chapman, McIntyre, Malane.
• Underground Miners, 1939. Thanks to Carol Keely for this photo of eight miners waiting for the underground cage. The only one identified so far is Ken Keely.
• Surface Miners, 1939 or Earlier. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for this early hand-coloured postcard photo of surface miners at Kerr Addison.
• Kerr-Addison Hockey Team, 1939 or 1940. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for this photo of 13 players plus three coaches. Only Gerry Reddick is identified.
• Group of 28 Miners, about 1940. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for this group photo of 28 miners dressed for underground. Only Gerry Reddick is identified.
• Unknown Mining Men, 1940's? Thanks to Eleanor (Malane) Balleny for this group photo of seven mining men, probably staff. The only one identified is Ray Malane.
• Kerr-Addison, Early 1940's? Thanks to Ron Bester for this postcard showing large piles of logs in the foreground and stacks of lumber waiting to be used in construction.
• Kerr-Addison, Aerial Photos, c.1942. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for two aerial photos, plus a photo of the shaft house.
• Steve Peicheff, hardrock miner, early 1940s. Thanks to Ed Peicheff for this photo which was taken underground at Kerr Addison.
• Headframe under construction, c. 1947. Thanks to Bill Croshaw for this photo.
• Doug Hart clearing snow with bulldozer, Kerr-Addison, 1949.
• Ed Owens sent me a nice collection of photos:
  • Kerr-Addison Gold Mines, about 1947-1948. Ed says he thinks they were taken when the mill was being expanded to 4000 tons per day. Surnames: Hart, Macklem, Martin, Simmons.
  • Virginatown buildings. Community Hall, Curling Club, Imperial Bank, Jeffrey's Hardware.
  • Virginatown people. Surnames are: Cesnek, Desrosier, Laporte, Lasseline, Mulligan, Peloquin, Pigeau, Rivet.
• Kerr-Addison from Kearns beach, about 1949.
• Engineering Staff, 1951-52. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo. Only 12 men out of 25 are identified. Surnames so far: Armstrong, Bannister, Fredeen, Hele, Hilder, Hill, Hurst, Lane, MacDonald, Raney, Slater, Smith.
• Kerr Addison Paint Crew, 1950's. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for this photo. Three men out of five are identified. Surnames so far: Aaviku, McIntosh, Meyer.
• Visit of Lt. Governor of Ontario, 1955-57. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this undated news clipping with a large photo. Surnames: Beggs, Breithaupt, Cooper, Ramsell, Smith, Spooner.
• Visit of Ontario Minister of Mines, 1955. Thanks to Leo Reichmanis for three items: a photo of the Kerr-Addison heating and roasting plant; a news clipping with two photos (was this the same visit as in the news clipping above?) and a photo of himself on a recent visit to Virginiatown. Surnames: Buchanan, Hawkes, Kelly, Nixon, Reichmanis, Slater, Spooner.
• Presentation Plaque with many signatures, 1955-56. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo of the "Underground Fish" plaque with at least 102 signatures of Kerr-Addison employees, their spouses and other Virginiatown residents. Surnames which could be deciphered: Armand, Armstrong, Baker, Belanger, Bjarnason, Bourke, Bourne, Braithwaite, Braughton, Brewer, Budd, Byberg, Campbell, Caverley, Cleland, Clendenning, Darragh, Drummond, Eagle, Fisk, Fredeen, Fulkerson, Gardiner, Gemmell, Gray, Greer, Hagerman, Hamilton, Hargrave, Hart, Hawkes, Hele, Hilder, Hill, Hrushoway, Hurst, Jacko[?], Jeffery, Jewel, Johnson, Karlovich, Keeley, Kenrick, Lamb, Latimer, Levine, Lish, Locke, MacDonald, MacLeod, Macpherson, Mangotich, Mann, Mateor[?], McLennan, McPherson, Murphy, Newton, North, Olson, Potvin, Ramsell, Raney, Rasmussen, Robinson, Ross, Row, Simpson, Smith, Teal, Thudham[?], Valentine, Weeler, Weiler, Wilcox, Yule.
• Kerr-Addison Senior Staff, 1957-58. Thanks to Doug Beggs for these two photos. Surnames: Anderson, Baker, Beggs, Cutler, Fredeen, Fulton, Gardiner, Hargrave, Hawkes, Malane, Yule.
• Newspaper Profile of R.J. Beggs. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this undated news clipping from an unknown paper, with a short profile of Robert J. Beggs, manager of Kerr-Addison. (Added October 17, 2023)
• Kerr-Addison, original employees present at pouring of 5,000,000th ounce. October 9, 1958. Surnames are: Andersen, Baker, Barstead, Bousquet, Cavin, Chartrand, Curtis, Dorfman, Gardiner, Gravelle, Hart, Hilder, Latimer, Little, Malane, McWaters, Morrison, Row, Sagin, Slater, Sudol, Wickham, Yule.
• Christmas Gathering at the Lodge, late 1950's. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo. Twelve people with ten identified. Surnames so far: Baker, Beggs, Cutler, Gray, Hargrave, Hawkes, Yule.
• Kerr-Addison banquet, 1959. The occasion of the banquet is unknown. Thanks to Doug Beggs for these four colour slides owned by his late father, R.J. Beggs. Photographer is unknown. Many people are unidentified – surnames so far are: Baker, Beggs, Bosquet, Byberg, Gardiner.
• Kerr-Addison party, 1960. Thanks to Eleanor (Malane) Balleny for this photo. Names are: Harvey Anderson, Ray & Eleanor Malane, and possibly Phil Amyotte.
• Ker-Addison Basketball Team, 1970s? Surnames: Curtis, Doria, Gusmanis, Hagerman, Morrison, Smith. Group photo submitted by Joe Joyner.
• Kerr-Addison from Kearns beach, winter of 1981.
• Kerr-Addison Gold Mines, July, 1983.
• Another view of Kerr-Addison Gold Mines from Barber Lake, July, 1983.
• Ten-year party, 1985. Surnames: Charlton, Cross, Kowbassa, Little, McDonaugh, Merhar, Morrsette. Group photo submitted by Joe Joyner.

"I Remember, I Remember . . . ." :

In this section some people have put their writing skills to the test and written their recollections of their childhood in Cheminis and/or Kearns and/or Virginiatown. Please keep these items coming in!

McGarry Twp. Schools : Student Lists & Class Photos

This section has only class photos of Virginiatown Public School, with Kearns Public School photos in the Kearns section above. They are arranged by year, then by grade within year, to help you find your class. This is a very popular section of this website, so if you have photos of any of the missing classes, I would love to get a copy from you. It doesn't matter if you've forgotten names, website users will identify most students very quickly.

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Margaret Stratford, 1913-2016

Margaret Bernice (McClung) Stratford, former teacher and principal of Kearns and McGarry Public Schools, passed away on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

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• Grade Four Girls, McGarry Public School, 1941. Thanks to Mance (Potvin) Delahunt for this photo. Twenty-three girls and teacher Miss Wright. Only three are identified: Frances Lauren, Joanne Postal, Lorraine Potvin.
• Grades 1 & 2, McGarry Public School, about 1941-43. All but one are identified. Surnames: Clark, Denduck, Didyk, Farrell, Francoeur, Gravelle, Johnson, Laroque?, Manchellanko, McGrath, Miers, Musial, Nault, Oehring, Oreskovitch, Palmer, Proctor, Ross, Sampson, Slater, Storie, Walker, Wilcox.
• McGarry Public School, before 1943. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for this postcard photo of McGarry Public School.

• McGarry Public School teachers, 1945. An original of the photo which appears in the 1945 Public School Yearbook (see box above). Surnames: Brewer, Ford, Heard, McMorine, Nelson, Seaborn, Stratford, Whalen, Wilkie.
• Miss Seaborn's Grade One Class, 1945. An original of the photo which appears in the 1945 Public School Yearbook (see box above). 21 students, all but two names needed. The only surnames so far are Denny, Felesco.
• Miss McMorine's Grade Two Class, 1945. An original of the photo which appears in the 1945 Public School Yearbook (see box above). 38 students, several names still needed. Student surnames so far are: Bake, Barnard, Bassett, Buckovetsky, Collison, Denny, Duguay, Evans, Francoeur, Frazer, Gavin, Gervais, Gray, Gunsinger, Hanlin, Lamoureux, Laporte, Moses, Nelson, Peicheff, Poulin, Radakovich, Rodeleau, Sampson, Spack.
• Mrs. Nelson's Grade Two Class, 1945. An original of the photo which appears in the 1945 Public School Yearbook (see box above). 26 students, most names needed. Surnames so far are: Brown, Collison, Denny, Laporte, Little, Nickerson, Pollock, Poulin, Slater, Stewart, Walker, Withers.
• Margaret Stratford's Grade Six Class, 1945/46. Thanks to Eleanor (Malane) Balleny for this photo of teacher Margaret Stratford with 31 students. All but four are fully identified (two with first names only). Surnames so far: Andrews, Bake, Barstead, Bell, Bromley, Cadieux, Camden, Clark, Del Bosco, Didiyuk, Durham, Fulkerson, Gauthier, Golden, Gravelle, Hamelin, Little, Malane, Miner, Mondville, Moore, Myers, Payne, Sabourin, Speck, Storie.
• McGarry Public School students, about 1946-1949. Thanks to Bill McGrath for this photo which was taken outside in the schoolyard. Can you identify any of the kids? The only surnames so far are Fulkerson, McGrath.
• Private Kindergarten Class in Virginiatown, about 1951. Three photos. Jean Robinson and another woman had a kindergarten class, possibly for just one year, in the basement of the Anglican Church in Virginiatown. Most of the kids are unidentified. The only names so far are: Dobie, Mayhew, Robinson.
• McGarry Public School, Grade 4? "Mother Goose Land", 1951/1952. Thanks to Wilhelmina (Furlong) Reimer for this photo which was taken within hours of the photo below. Shown are 33 students, some in costume and some are masked. Many are identified, but there are lots of names missing. Surnames so far: Patterson, Aaviku, Budden, Cyr, Darragh, Furlong, Jackimowitz, Jewell, McNabb, McWatters, Moses, Oehring, Stanga, Stewart, Walker, Warda, Webb, Yandeau, Zabunia.
• McGarry Public School, Grade 5 operetta, 1951/1952. 37 students, many in western costume. Most are identified, but there are still one or two names missing. Surnames so far: Arthur, Basich, Cyr, del Bosco, Cadieux, Croshaw, Dobie, Draper, Eagle, Esser?, Fenton, French, Hilder, Innis, Little, MacAulay, Moline, Nickerson, Nugent, Oehring, Patterson, Pederson or Peterson, Pollock, Radakovich, Row, Russell, Sampson, Sauer, Stewart, Szabuna.
• McGarry Public School in Virginiatown, most of 6th grade, 1952. I snapped this photo of my class because we were moving away and I knew I would never see these kids again. I've forgotten most of their names. Surnames so far are: del Bosco, Hilder, Little, MacAulay, Moline, Nugent, Oehring, Row, Sampson.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 2 class photo, 1954/5. Thanks to Dave Miner for this photo of 33 students and their teacher, Miss Carlson. Five are yet to be identified. Surnames so far are: Armstrong, Blair, Budden, Carlson, Curtis, Davies, Draper, Graham, Hall, Jedyk, Kukulis, Locke, MacIntyre, McLellan, Miner, Minion, O'Reilly, Skanes, Smith, Soon, Stanga, Straford, Swetlowsky, Watson, Wirzman, Yandeau.
• Virginiatown Separate School, Students, 1959-60. Thanks to Vicha (Ostapiej) Hajdamowicz for three photos; one of the school Glee Club, one of primary grade, and another of middle grade students. She has identified some students, and Marcella Christiansen identified many more, but some names are missing. Surnames so far: Baker, Chilinski, Croteau, Duncan, Gallagher, Gilbutowicz, Judge, Kirkey, Lamoureux, Larmond, Leclair, Lopata, MacIntyre, Michalski, Oehring, Ostapiej, Ryan, Sipura, Smith, Thornton, Tittarelli.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 3 class photo, 1964. Miss McMorin is the teacher. Surnames are: Aspinall, Audziss, Baker, Caverly, Hyatt, Kirby, Lowe, MacAulay, MacIntyre, McLenachan, Owens, Pacey, Patterson, Paulina, Pender, Prest, Skorey, Stevens, Williams, Wilson, Zendroy.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 4 class photo, 1964. Mrs. Michiel is the teacher. Surnames so far: Caverly, Chalifoux, Cox, Croteau, Hagerman, Hederson, Hums, Jacko, Knieriemen, Locke, Lopata, Main, McLenachan, Owens, Prest, Smith, Sue, Tabaka, Theriault, Vieglais, Weis, Willard, Wilson, Zendroie.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 5 class photo, 1964. Thanks to Jean (Bock) Tennant for this photo. Surnames: Able, Abramson, Audette, Bock, Budden, Chalifoux, Crocker, Croteau, Girbig, Gramoli, Gubala, Gutmanis, Hedderson, Hums, Locke, Main, Mann, Markowich, Morrison, Sear, Stoughton, Sue, Tabaka, Wilson, Wright. Teacher was Miss Mackie.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 6 class photo, 1964. Thanks to Jean (Curtis) Speed for this photo of 36 students plus their teacher, Miss Musial. Surnames: Aaviku, Audziss, Baker, Curtis, Devereux, Doherty, Fischer, Garvin, Gauthier, Gerbig, Gibb, Gray, Gusmanis, Hart, Hrushowy, Hums, Innes, Jacko, Kirby, Kowbassa, Lopata, Lowe, Markovich, McWaters, Michiel, Owens, Pacey, Patterson, Stevens, Teal, Thomas, Tugwood, Turnbull, Weiss, Yule.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 1, 1965. Thanks to Mike Molotkin for this photo of this class of 15 students plus their teacher, Mrs. Ella Nelson. All students are identified. Surnames: Chalifoux, Dolpins, Gutmanis, Klimov, Matt, Molotkin, Nelson, Owens, Primeau, Reynolds, Smith, Sue, Teal, Thorpe, Vosdingh, Willard. Also shown is a photo of Mike's Grade 1 report card from this same year.
• Virginiatown Kindergarten class and "choir", 1966. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for these two photos. Surnames: Aaviku, Baker, Bugiel, Culhane, Denner, Doria?, Hart, Hums, Lamont, Lowe(?), Massicotte, McLenachan, Moses, Neill, Reynolds, Richer, Sampson, Schultz(?), Spack, Sue, Turner, Zubernick. Teacher was Miss McMorin.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 5 class photo, 1966. Mrs. Michiel is the teacher. Surnames are: Acton, Allen, Baker, Caverly, Gibson, Hopkins, Hyatt, Jugulis, Kellington, Kirby, Kirky, Kneirman, Kobassa, Lowe, MacAulay, MacIntyre, McClennahan, Owens, Pascoe, Patterson, Prest, Quinton, Reynolds, Sear, Smith, Stevens, Theriault, Thomas, Vosdingh, Weiss, Wilson, Yule.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 7 class photo, 1966. Thanks to Jean (Bock) Tennant for this photo. One surname is missing. Surnames so far: Abramson, Audette, Baker, Bock, Crocker, Croteau, Gauthier, Girbig, Gramoli, Gubala, Gutmanis, Hums, Leclair, Lowe, Main, Mann, Morrison, Owens, Pascoe, Sear, Teal. The teacher was Marilyn Byers.
• Virginiatown Public School, Grade 8 class photo, 1966. Thanks to Dianne (Poulin) Bush for this photo of 33 students. Mr. Aceti was the teacher. All but one student identified: Aaviku, Aceti, Acton, Baker, Bugiel, Cook, Curtis, Davies, Doherty, Gillis, Gusmanis, Hrushowy, Hums, Hutchinson, Innis, Jacko, Kirby, Kowbassa, Lafrance, McWaters, Michiel, Patterson, Poulin, Prest, Skorey, Spadetto, Stevens, Thomas, Turnbull, Vaudry, Weiss, Yakimchuk, Yule.
• Three photos of McGarry Public School. Taken in September, 1967 or 1968. A link is also provided to a panorama of the three photos which is about three screens wide. Also a link to a closeup of the students playing outside. Can you recognize any of them?
• Virginiatown, probably grade 3 class photo, 1968-69. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Surnames so far: Archibald, Armstrong, Cookish, Culhane, Girbig, Kellington, Kirby, Kitty, Lacroix, Laframboise, Neal, Orlando, Owens, Pugliese, Reynolds, Rusak, Salvona, Shepherdson, Stransky. The teacher was Joan Massicotte.
• Virginiatown, Grade 4 & 5 class photo, 1968-69. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. One student is unidentified. Surnames: Aaviku, Adam, Armstrong, Bergeron, Byers, Chalifoux, Culhane, Curtis, Daoust, Dunne, Godmaire, Hums, Jeffery, Johns, Ludgate, McLaughlin, Moses, Owen, Owens, Pang, Prest, Riche, Richer, Rose, Salvona, Smith, Stransky, Vosdingh, Zielinski. The teacher was Mrs. Michiel.
• Virginiatown, Grade 8 class photo, 1968-69. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Surnames: Baker, Beaton, Daigle, Gillis, Godmaire, Hyatt, Kirby, Laframbroise, Massicotte, McAulay, McIntyre, Moses, Noel, Noyes, Pascoe, Prest, Stevens, Vieglais, Vosdingh, Willard, Wilson, Yarkie. The teacher was Margaret Stratford.
• Virginiatown, Kindergarten class photo, 1969-70. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Surnames: Hums, Isich, Prest, Reynolds, Shepherdson, Turcott, Zapotochny. The teacher was Miss Manseau.
• Virginiatown Grades 5 & 6 split class photo, 1969-70. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for this photo. Surnames: Aaviku, Adam, Byers, Chalifoux, Chilinski, Culhane, Curtis, Daoust, Godmaire, Harney, Hums, Laframboise, Ludgate, Masching, Molotkin, Moses, Owens, Pang, Prest, Riche, Richer, Salvona, Smith, Spack, Stransky, Sue, Teal, Tiedke, Zielinski. Teacher was Miss Winger.
• Virginiatown, probably Grade 8 class photo, 1969-70. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Surnames: Baker, Chalifoux, Corbeil, Gibson, Harney, Hopkins, Johns, Kiernieman, Kowbassa, Kozak, Ludgate, Owens, Patterson, Prest, Pugliese, Reynolds, Salvona, Smith, Stratford, Theriault, Thomas, Tiedtke. But who was the teacher?
• Virginiatown Kindergarten class photo, 1971-72. Mrs. Manseau is the teacher. Most students are identified but a few names are needed. Surnames are: Baker, Brown, Callahan, Cookish, Derion, Francoeur, French, Hachey, Kirby, Sampson, Sheehan, Spack, Vaudry.
• Virginiatown, Grade 4 & 5 class photo, 1971-72. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Surnames: Chalifoux, Cookish, Culhane, Daoust, Doria, French, Gelinas, Girbig, Kirby, Kitty, Lacroix, Laframboise, Moses, Orlando, Ramsay, Rusak, Steige, Thompson, Turner, Vanalstine, Vaudry, White, Woods, Young. The teacher was Mrs. Michiel.
• Virginiatown, Grade 7 class photo, 1971-72. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for this photo. Surnames: Aaviku, Armstrong, Baker, Bugiel, Chalifoux, Chilinski, Culhane, Curtis, Hart, Hums, Jenson(?), Jenson, Johns, Keith, Lauzon, Masching, Massicotte, Molotkin, Moses, Nadon, Neill, Owens, Richer, Rose, Smith, Stransky, Sue, Teeple, Thompson, Zielinski. The teacher was Mr. Sheehan.
• Virginiatown Grades Seven & Eight class, 1976-77 Thanks to Teresa (Sowinski) Bagyan for this photo. Teacher is Jaan Lees, and Margaret Stratford is also in the photo. The class list, supplied by Ellen Watson, is included, but the names haven't been matched to more than two or three of the students.
• Virginiatown, Grade 7 & 8 class trip to Toronto, 1977. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Surnames: Begin, Boucher, Chalifoux, Daoust, Dougan, Edge, Effenberger, French, Isich, Kitty, Lamb, Lauzon, Levesque, Little, McVicar, Owens, Ramsay, Reynolds, Richer, Rusak, Sampson, Sarapuk, Shepherdson, Smith, Spencer, Teeple, Tiedke, Turcotte, Turner, Vanalstine, White, Woolner, Yerkie, Zielinski. The teacher was Margaret Stratford.

Virginiatown :

Please note that school class photos are in a separate section immediately above.

Malane Family Photos. Thanks to Eleanor "Pidie" (Malane) Balleny for this collection of 15 photos spanning the years 1938 to 1952. In addition to Malane family members, there are photos of: John & Jimmy Baker, David & Elizabeth Beggs, Ren? Cadieux, Ann & John Cutler, Jane Dewar, Enid Durham, Ronald Gauthier, Julia Golden, Dick Guerin, Brenda Jarvis, Wendy McIntyre, JoAnne Postle, Jim & Mary Row, Jane Wickham. Only one girl is unidentified. Other Malane photos are posted in the school class photos and the Kerr-Addison sections.

• Photos of George Edward Moody and children. He was an engineer at Kerr-Addison 1938-44. Four family photos.
• Downtown Virginiatown, 1939 or Earlier. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for these four photos, purchased by her father sometime before September, 1939. Buildings/stores shown include: Coney Island Restaurant, Hotel McGarry, Imperial Bank of Canada, Rexall Drugs, Ritters Family Outfitters, Tilly's Beauty Shop, T and W Stores (groceries).
• McGarry Hotel, 1939. View from a different perspective from the photo in the group above. Complete with Halloween witches on the side! Many thanks to Carol Keely for this photo from her grand­parents' album.
• Emile Denny across from the Barber Larder Mine site, about 1941.
• Mary Rose Denny across from the Barber Larder Mine site, about 1941.
• Confirmation group photo, 1943. Thanks to Mance (Potvin) Delahunt for this photo which was taken in front of the McGarry Public School. Thirty-one people, mostly unidentified. Surnames so far: Cochrane, Fraser, Gravelle, Judge, Malane, Oereskovitch, Potvin.
• Anna Carlson, Ruth Cox, Margaret Dobie, about 1944. At a picnic on Larder Lake.
• Billy Lalonde and Kit Dobie, Virginiatown, about 1944-5. Two photos. The Lalonde's owned a duplex on Coville Street and Dobies rented one side of it.
• Mrs. Lalonde, Coville St., about 1944.
• Coville Street, Virginiatown, about 1945.
• Virginiatown Girl Guides, 1945-47. Thanks to Mance (Potvin) Delahunt for this photo. 30 women and girls with many identified. Surnames so far: Brewer, Cutler, Durham, Fulkerson, Gravelle, Greer, Hamelin, Latimer, Lauren, Malane, Muck, Palmer, Potvin, Ross, Storey, Turner, Wickham.

Collison Family Photos. Thanks to Leona (Collison) Belmonte for this collection of 10 photos taken from about 1945 to 1953. Surnames: Aceti, Allen, Bell, Burke, Cameron, Collison, Eagle, Farrell, Garvin, Gray, Hamelin, Jewell, Lacoeux, McLennan, McPhail, North, Oehring, Palmer, Robinson, Ross, Scott, Stori, Stoss, Turner, Webb, Wilcox.

• Linda & Robbie Smith, Kit Dobie on Larder Lake, c. 1946.
• Girl Guide Stage Play, 1947. Thanks to Mance (Potvin) Delahunt for this photo. Thirty-four women and girls, some in costume, with a few identified. Surnames so far: Brewer, Caverley, Cutler, Gravelle, Lauren, Potvin, Watson, Wickham.
• Christmas Play in the Anglican Church, about 1947. 15 children, most names needed. The only surname so far is Peicheff.
• Virginiatown, Nov. 11, 1947. Thanks to Bill Croshaw for these two photos of Remembrance Day ceremonies.
• Downtown Virginiatown in 1947. Thanks to Bill Croshaw for these three photos. Two photos feature high showbanks lining the street with the Capitol Hotel the only visible business sign. The other photo is of houses on Waite Avenue, again with snowbanks.
• McGarry Township Fire Department, 1947-1949. Surnames are: Armstrong, Bannister, Barnard, Bassett, Bousquet, Brewer, Brown, Caverly, Cottrell, Curtis, Emerson, Fulkerson, Hart, Hrushowy, Hubbard, Locke, Mann, Mayhew, McEwen, McWaters, Montgomery, Paterson, Perron, Ross, Sampson, Stewart, Woodrow, Yandeau.

Michiel Family Photos. Thanks to Patrick Michiel for these 14 family photos, and one news clipping, mostly taken from about 1945 to the '60's. One was taken about 1996. Surnames: Gauthier, Michiel, Richter, Rymer.

• Two Jewell Family photos, summer of 1948. Johnny, Michael, and Norine Jewell, as well as Dinny (Ross) Nelson.
• United Church opening service, January 1949. A full house, but the photo was taken from the back of the church so it will be very difficult to identify anyone. Photo submitted by Joe Joyner.
• Trinity United Church Choir, Virginiatown, 1949. Two boys are unidentified. Surnames are: Brown, Cook, Draper, Eagle, Felesko, Fulkerson, Larocque, McGrath, McLennan, McLeod, Moore, Ross, Sauer, Slater, Turner, Webb.
• Virginiatown Community Orchestra, 1949. Twelve players with eight identified. Surnames: Fish, Gray, Hawkes, Malane, McCall, Taylor, Weiler(?). An undated news clipping mentions Mrs. Georgina Gray, Janet Hawkes, Ted McCall. Photo & clipping submitted by Joe Joyner.
• "The Advance", fourth issue, February, 1950. Seventeen pages.

Lamoureux Family Photos. Thanks to Richard Lamoureux for this collection of 23 photos, taken from about 1945 to the 1960's. Surnames so far: Bock, Channing, Darragh, Lamoureux, Locke, Lopata, Mann, McIntyre, Morrison, Reimer, Stratford, Tabaka. Richard's grand­father, Cliff, and father Edward, were barbers in Virginiatown for 40 years or more.
Richard Lamoureau : The Wise Dummy Poet. Richard Lamoureux is the grandson of Cliff Lamoureux, (see the photo collection above). Raised in Virginiatown, he is the author of two books of very personal poetry.

• Black Hawks Lions Bantam Hockey League, Virginiatown, 1950-51. Three, including the coach, are unidentified. Surnames are: Bjarnason, Brown, Collison, Dasovich, Fulkerson, Hargraves, Lamoureux, Monette, Poulin, Swirza(?), Wilkie.
• Maple Leafs Lions Bantam Hockey League, Virginiatown, 1950-51. Coach & 5 players are unidentified. Surnames so far: Collison, Eagle, Fulkerson(?), Gore, Hart, Jewell, Little, Pollock, Radakovich, Sauer, Scott.
• Lions Midget Hockey, 1950-51. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo. One coach is unidentified. Surnames so far: Allen, Beggs, Farrell, Felesko, Gardiner, Gunsinger, Judge, MacLennan, North, Soutar, Turner, Way.
• Boys' baseball team, Virginiatown, about 1950-51. All but one are identified. Can you identify the remaining player and/or date the photo? Surnames, including the coaches, are: Ayotte, Brown, Carmichael, Draper, Eagle, Hart, Jeffery, MacAulay, Murphy, Peicheff, Poulin, Russell, Turcott.
• Searching for Heinrich Schewe or Schwebe, c. 1951 - 1955.
  • Heinrich was born in 1928 in Konitz, Germany. He immigrated to Canada in 1951 and worked at Kerr-Addisson. He was married in Toronto in 1955 and his address was listed as Virginiatown. A grand­child in Germany is trying to find him.
• Dodgers – Lions Softball Champs, Virginiatown, 1951. Surnames, including the coaches, are: Basich, Brown, Byberg, Draper, Fulkerson, Hargraves, Hart, Kenrick, Lacroix, Little, Pearson, Peterson, Wilkie.
• Lions Club Ball Tournament in North Virginiatown Arena, 1951. Surnames, including the coaches, are: Arthur, Basich, Benoit, Brown, Byberg, Draper, Eagle, Fulkerson, Hargraves, Hart, Kenrick, Lecroix, Little, Pearson, Peicheff, Peterson, Poulin, Radakovich, Rodgers, Shelp, Walker.
• Trinity United Church Choir, Virginiatown, 1951. Two still unidentified. Surnames, including minister and choir director, are: Bjarnason, Brown, Byberg, Cameron, Collison, Del Bosco, Draper, Eagle, Fulkerson, Hill, MacAulay, Pollock, Russell, Sauer, Soutar, Webb, Withers.
  • Rev. George Soutar Memorial. Thanks to Ian Soutar for this news story published in 1979 in a Hamilton newspaper, about his father, Rev. George Soutar, who died in Burlington, ON, on December 7, 1979.
• Bruins – Boys' Hockey, Virginiatown, 1951-1952. Two still unidentified. Surnames are: Arthur, Brown, Caverley, Jewell, Lamoureux, Little, MacAulay, Peterson, Poulin, Withers.
• Lions Midget Hockey Team, Virginiatown, 1951-1952. One still unidentified. Surnames, including coaches, are: Bassett, Brewer, Croteau, Darragh, Del Bosco, Farrell, Felesko, Gunsinger, Judge, MacLennan, Murphy, Radakovich, Turner, Vincent, Walker.
• Lions Midget Hockey Team, Virginiatown, 1952-1953. Surnames, including coaches and manager, are: Beggs, Brewer, Cook, Farrell, Felesko, Gardiner, Gunsinger, Judge, Lacroix, Lamoureux, MacLennan, Poulin, Radakovich, Turner, Walker.
• Lions Pee Wee Copper Kings, 1952-53. Thanks to Derek Curtis for this photo. He says: "The boys are 4 or 5 years older than me so I don't have a lot of names but I am sure there are others out there to help". Surnames so far (some of them uncertain): Beggs, Budden, Campbell, Curtis, Del Bosco, Draper, Nugent, Poulin, Smith, Szabuna.
• McGarry Home & School Association Charter Certificate, 1952. Shown also is a list of the charter members. Surnames are: Aceti, Bjarnson, Bourne, Brewer, Campbell, Cooke, Cutler, Davies, Davis, Dobie, Draper, Durham, Faragher, Forrest, Fredeen, Gauthier, Glendinning, Gray, Grozelle, Hilder, Hill, Hunter, Innes, Jewell, Lowe, MacPherson, Mayhew, McMorina, McNabb, Murphy, Oliver, Olson, Raney, Robinson, Ross, Row, Verity, Weber, Wilke.
• Dora Dobie and Patsy Robinson playing at V-Town beach(?) 1952.
• Six great white hunters, 1952. Thanks to John Baker for this photo of six V-Town boys who have somehow managed to kill a partridge. Surnames: Arthur, Baker, Hargraves and one unknown.
• Nine girls at a dress-up tea party, summer of 1952. Thanks to Norine Jewell for this great photo. Surnames (positive id's): Bullock, Jewell, Scott, Watson. Possible id's: Downey, Furlong, Minion, Murphy, Wilkie.
• Medard, Mance & Eva Potvin, 1953. Thanks to Mance (Potvin) Delahunt for this photo which was taken January 1953, a few weeks before Medard Potvin suffered a fatal stroke.
• Reimer and Soon Families, 1953. Thanks to Matt Reimer for this photo taken at the entrance to the Capitol Hotel, which was a boarding house for single men working at Kerr-Addison. Shown is a group of seven people. Surnames: Molder, Reimer, Soon.

Poulin Family photos. Thanks to Dianne (Poulin) Bush for this collection of 34 photos. They were taken between about 1953 and the 1970's in both Kearns and Virginiatown. Most people are identified but some, especially school students, are not. Surnames: Ayotte, Beltrame, Breen, Briand, Camden, Cameron, Chapman, Cook, Coté, Daviau, Drummond, Falardeau, Fortin, Gauthier, Grimard, Gusmanis, Hull, Lavoie, Lemire, Locke, Lowe, Malane, Malloy, Morin, Oehring, Poulin, Prest, Roy, Sagin, Spadatto, Stratford, Sudol, Tardif, Timmerman, Turnbull, Vieglas, Young.

• Flower Show, early to mid-1950's. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo. Located possibly at the arena or the curling rink. Much info is needed on this photo. Nine women shown but only five are positively identified. Surnames so far: Beggs, Bousquet, Fulton, Nugent, Soon, Stewart and Ramsell or Yule.
• McGarry Legion Band, 1953-1954. Thanks to Ed Peicheff for this photo. Of 22 people only six are identified. Surnames so far are Brewer, Croshaw, Czestiakow, Felesko, Gilbutowicz, Pearson.
• Swimming group, about 1954. Thanks to Art Brown for this photo. Five swimmers are still unidentified. Surnames so far are: Ayotte, Bagyan, Beggs, Brown, Dasovich, Fischer, Guerin, Lafrance, Laporte, McCrea, Musial, Nugent, Slater.
• Royal Canadian Legion Parade, Nov. 11, 1954. Can you identify anyone? Two photos submitted by Joe Joyner.
• Lions Midget Hockey Team, Virginiatown, 1954-55. Mr. Murray MacAulay was the coach. Still one player is unidentified. Surnames are: Brown, Budden, Dasovich, Hart, McLennan, Murphy, Rogers, Sauer, Shelp, Slater, Yandeau.
• View of Downtown Virginiatown, 1950-55. Thanks to Mary Lane for this photo which looks down Webster Street, across Connell Ave. and up Reddick Ave., with McGarry Public School in the distance. (Revised July 26, 2023)
• Lane Family photos, 1950-55. Thanks to Mary Lane for these two photos. Her father Harry Lane was a geologist who worked at Kerr Addison from about 1950 to 1955. Her mother, Gladys Patterson, taught grade school in Virginiatown from about 1945 to 1950.
• Junior Hockey Photos, mid-1950s & mid 1960s(?). Thanks to Marty Budden for these four great hockey photos, and to my handy list of "old-timers" who have identified many of the players. But two kids are still without names; can you help? Surnames so far: Aaviku, Arthur, Baker, Berard, Bourne, Budden, Campbell, Cousins, Doran, Draper, Fulkerson, Gore, Goulet, Graham, Henderson, Jacko, Jeffery, Kuhme, Lafrance, Little, Noel, Owens, Patterson, Poulin, Raney, Russell, Shelp, Smith, Stevens, Thomas.
• Yves Dallaire and Family, about 1955. Thanks to Gaetan Dallaire for this photo. Shown are Yves Dallaire, his wife Veronique (Tanguay) Dallaire, brother Guy and infant son Gaetan. They are standing in front of the Kerr-Addison gatehouse.
• Air Cadets 1955. Thanks to Gary Denny for this photo of 32 cadets and their instructor. They were based in Sudbury, Ont., but at least a couple of them, Denny and Chrapchynski, used to live in the Larder Lake - Virginiatown area. All but one of the cadets have been identified. Surnames so far: Benhke, Bergeron, Bertrand, Blais, Boileau, Bourne, Brazeau, Chalker, Chrapchynski, Denny, Gauthier, Grey, Irwin, Kelley, Kyre, MacIntosh, Marchand, McCelland, McGillis, Mossy, Noble, Obonsawin, Quesnal, Sauve, Shelswell, Shulman, Smith, Spencer, Tones, Wattie, White.
• The four Baker boys, 1955. Thanks to John Baker for this photo of him and his three brothers.
• New Artificial Ice at the Curling Rink, 1955. Thanks to Doug Beggs for these two news clippings which were published in the Northern Daily News on Friday, November 25, 1955. Surnames: Ames, Beggs, Cutler, Gardiner, Hill, Martin, Minion, Olson, Ross, Row, Thomson.
• Air Cadets, 1953 to 1956. Thanks to Ed Peicheff for these three photos. These cadets were based in Kirkland Lake, but there are several Virginiatown and Kearns kids who were members. Most are now identified but a few are still without names, so help is still needed. Surnames so far: Algar; Allingham; Barker; Bolechowsky; Bourke; Bukowski; Butorac; Bynam; Carrie; Closs; Cook; Davidson; Davis; Dennis; Devereaux; Drummond; Dunn; Fong; Graham; Johnson; Krawchuk; Lees; Lemire; Linton; MacAlpine; Mason; Matson; McCann; McCarthy; McCarty; McCracken; Merrill; Mills; Mulholland; Nilson; Ohlman; Peicheff; Pysklywec; Richter; Russel; Simms; St. Jacques; Stefanich; Sylvester; Walker; Wellsby; Williams; Wilson.
• Virginiatown Arena, March 15, 1956.
• Three friends ice fishing or sitting around a fire. Phil Oehring, Boyd Wilkie, George Oehring. This photo was taken about 1956 or 1957.
• Darzins family photos, 1956-57. Three photos taken in V-Town and at Bear Lake.
• McGarry Township Building, probably 1957/58. With fire truck, ambulance and OPP cruiser parked in front.
• "The Mob". Playmates in North V-Town, 1958. Surnames are: Briand, Gusmanis, Jasutis, Valters, Valtins, Vieglais.
• Richter Family Home in North V-Town, 1958. Thanks to Armin Kuhme for this photo of him with the family dog and 1950 Chevrolet.
• Anglican Church mortgage-burning party, 1958. Surnames are: Beatty, Turnbull, Tyrell, Wood.
  • Work break at the new Anglican Church site, 1958. Surnames are: Baker, Blaber, Elliot, Pullen, Tyrell.
  • "Design and Construction of the new Anglican Church". A document written in 1958 by Don Tyrell.
  • Photos showing construction of the new Anglican Church. Six photos by Frank Aspinall. Several workers are unidentified. Surnames so far: Armstrong, Blaber, Elliot, Locke, Pullen, Turnbull, Tyrell.
  • "History Of The Anglican Church In Virginiatown" written by Ken Blaber. This document gives the history of the Anglican community in Virginiatown from 1939 up to the dedication of the new church in 1958.
• Midget Hockey Team, 1958. Thanks to Ian Aspinall for this photo taken by his father, Frank Aspinall.. Six of the seven players are identified. Surnames so far: Aaviku, Acton, Aspinall, Gibson, Mann, Thomas.
• McGarry Public School Patches, 1958 & 1962. Thanks to Ron Bester for this photo of an "A" and an "E" patch from 1958 and an "S" patch from 1962.
• McGarry Public School, 1959 Thanks to Ian Aspinall for this photo taken by his father, Frank Aspinall. Students are lined up in the schoolyard and headed into the school.
• Frank Aspinall, 1959 Thanks to Ian Aspinall for these three photos. Shown is Frank dressed in his mining gear, also shown are the two houses where the Aspinalls lived in North V-Town.
• Five playmates, 1959. Surnames so far are: Caldwell, Skanes, Tyrell. Can you identify the other two children?
• Christmas caroling by the United Church "Hi-C" youth group. December, 1959. Two color photos, all but one person is identified. Surnames are: Darragh, Fredeen, Hrushoway, Kuhme, Kukulis, Male, Moline, Oliver, Olson, Rathwell, Schaetzler, Tyrrell.
• Peter Jovic and Friends. Thanks to Peter Jovic for these photos, taken 1960's & 1970's. Names: Jim Abramson, Fred Czestiakow, Peter Jovic, Richard Szabunia. More photos are still to come, right Pete?
• V-Town Boys' Lions Hockey Team, 1960/61. Thanks to Patrick Michiel for this photo of eight players; two are unknown. Surnames so far: Campbell, Doherty, Jefferey, Michiel, Skanes, Smith.
• Three V-Town Hockey Teams, 1960's. Thanks to Richard Goulet for these three photos of the Blackhawks, Bruins and Numbers. All but three are identified. Surnames so far: Armstrong, Audet, Bugiel, Caverly, Corbeil, Croteau, Francoeur, Gimache(?), Goulet, Jacko, Kneireman, Laframboise, Michiel, Noel, Owens, Patterson, Scarr, Stevens, Wilson.
• School & Sports Badges, 1960's Thanks to Patrick Michiel for these images of badges from McGarry Public School, various hockey and baseball teams and Boy Scouts.
• Army Militia at Bear Lake winter exercises, 1961-62. Two great photos, lots of names needed. Surnames so far: Chilinski, Cote, David, Daughtery, Graham, Larmond, Lopata, Morrison, Moses, Oehring, Turnbull, Vieglas, Zucs.
• Lions Bantam Hockey, 1962. Seven players and Bob White, their coach. Surnames so far: Ayotte, Curtis, Gusmanis, Mann, Pedersen. One more name is needed.
• Township of McGarry, 1st Elected Council, 1962 Thanks to Ian Aspinall for these three photos taken by his father, Frank Aspinall. Surnames are: Barstead, Campbell, Gagnon, Hodges, Ross, Slater.
• Pedersen Family photos, 1963 & 1988. Thanks to Jo Anne Ahronson for these two family group photos taken 25 years apart.
• Mr. & Mrs. William Budden, 25th Anniversary. This undated clipping is probably from the Northern Daily News, November, 1964. Surnames mentioned: Aaviku, Baker, Budden, Caverly, Crocker, Curtis, Furlong, Hedderson, Reynolds, Savoie, Shelp, Sparks, Thorpe.
• V-Town Boys' Hockey, mid-1960s. Thanks to Rob Thomas for these two great photos. Two missing or questioned names. Surnames so far: Armstrong, Aaviku, Baker, Begin, Curtis, Daoust, Gibson, Eastman, Johns, McIntyre, McLaughlin(?), Owens, Quintin, Smith, Spack, Thomas.
• V-Town Boys' Lions Hockey Team, c.1964. Thanks to Patrick Michiel for this photo of nine players plus their coach. Surnames: Beltrame, Cox, Kirkey, Lacroix, McIntyre, Menard, Michiel, Piovesan, Roy, Vincent.
• George & Janet Hawkes Family, 1964. Thanks to Doug Beggs for this photo. George Hawkes was Mill Superintendant at Kerr-Addison. A Christmas card photo showing them and their two children.
• Bowling award photos, mid-1960s. Thanks to Jo Anne (Pedersen) Ahronson for these three bowling award photos, one of which has now been dated 1964. Most people are unidentified. Surnames: Ayotte, Gauthier, Hyatt, MacIntyre, McIver, Mann, Pedersen, Pretty, Ryan.
• Three Queen Scouts with their Scoutmaster. Thanks to John Hawkes for this photo. Surnames: Hagerman, Hawkes, Sagin. (Added March 4, 2023)
• Helmut and Dorthea Richter, North V-Town, 1965. Thanks to Armin Kuhme for this photo of his step-parents, taken February, 1965.
• Skating Carnival, 1965. Thanks to Jean (Bock) Tennant for this photo of seven girls in skating costume. Surnames: Bock, Girbig, Gusmanis, Hums, Owens, Skory.
• McGarry Twp. Volunteer Fire Brigade. These two clippings from the Kirkland Lake Northern Daily News of June 24, 1965, were sent to me by Martin Budden. The photos were taken during preparation for a fire brigade competition to be held July 1 in Cochrane Ont. Names: Bill Budden, Bob Caverley, Butch Hart, Fern Legault, Tom Owens.
• Skating Carnival, about 1966-68. Two photos sent to me by Ann Aaviku. Surnames: Aaviku, Denner, Hums, Jacko, Lamontagne, Stransky, Zubernick.
• Wendy Lamb's birthday, about 1967. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for this photo. Surnames: Aaviku, Baker, Curtis, Eastman, Jacko, Lamb.
• Kerr Addison Travellers, Juvenile B, 1967 Champions. Thanks to Patrick Michiel for this photo of the V-town Juvenile hockey team Kerr Addison Travellers, who won the Northern Ontario championship for Juvenile B. Two of the three coaches are unidentified. Player surnames: Albright, Ayotte, Blais, Curtis, Daigle, Karklans, Kirkey, Lacroix, Michiel, Rosco, Skawinski, Zapotochny.
• Bear Lake Totem Pole, about 1967-68. Thanks to Ann Aaviku for this photo of the Lions Club totem pole at Bear Lake (McGarry Park). Names: Ann, Jaan, & Mike Aaviku.
• V-Town Legion Midget Hockey Champions, 1967-68. Thanks to Richard Goulet for this newspaper photo which is probably from the Northern Daily News. Everyone is identified. Names: Jaan Aaviku, Ron Acton, Tracy Arbuckle, Harry Curtis, Dennis Daoust, Richard Goulet, Terry Gregory, Roger Guitard, Bill Hrushowy, Billy & Bob Jacko, Derek Lalonde, David Murdock, Germain Noel, Phil, Tom & Tommy Owens, Tom Rosko, John Vaudry.
• V-Town Bantam Hockey Interprovincial Champions, 1968. Thanks to Richard Goulet for this newspaper photo from the Feb. 13, 1968 Northern Daily News. Names are: Rick Acton, Eugene Audette, Terry Baker, Patrick Bigiel, Gill Corbeil, Richard Goulet, Martin Croteau, Bob Jacko, Terry Massicotte, Claude Noel, Tom Owens, Fred Prest, Robert Wain.
• V-Town Legion Midget Hockey Champions, 1968-69. Thanks to Richard Goulet for this newspaper photo which is probably from the Northern Daily News. Surnames so far are Goulet, Hrushowy, Jacko, Lalonde, Mailloux, Rosco.
• Adult Lacrosse Team. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Possibly taken in the 1960's. All names and the location are a mystery.
• Girls in skating carnival costumes, about 1970. Photo sent to me by Ann Aaviku. Surnames: Aaviku, Massicotte, Molotkin, Owens, Sampson.
• Kerr-Addison Travellers (KAT) Juvenile Hockey, 1971. Thanks to David Lew for this group photo taken in the spring of 1971. All players are identified. Surnames: Aaviku, Audet, Daoust, Gregory, Hart, Hrushowy, Jacko, Kowbassa, Lew, Mayhew, Michiel, Neal, Owens, Polson, Prest, Swayne, Williams.
• The Virginiatown Bank Robbery. This link is to a 2008 article by Michael Barnes on The Republic of Mining website.
• Hockey Photos, 1971-1974. Thanks to John Tiedtke for these two colour photos of the V-Town Legion team, about 1971-74. Everyone is now identified. Surnames are: Clement, Clermont, Denner, Francoeur, Gray, Kowbassa, Laframboise, Lefebvre, Masching, Moses, Owens, Smith, Spack, Stransky, Teeple, Tiedtke.
• McGarry Beach Staff, about 1975. Photo sent to me by Ann Aaviku. Surnames: Aaviku, Croxall, Francoeur, Gauthier, Tardif.
• Anglican Church Volunteers, mid- to late-1980's. Thanks to Ellen Watson for this photo. Names: Sylvia Chappell, Helen Gray, Jane Kitty, Kathy Mann, Susan Moses, Tommy Sheldon, Grace Stewart, Annie Watson.

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS, AUGUST 30, 2003

• In July 2006 a website user emailed me a set of aerial photos of Kearns, Virgin­ia­town and Cheminis Mountain. The headers on the email made it plain that they had been forwarded several times. I enlisted the help of several people to identify the photo­grapher, but the original sender could no longer be contacted. I hate using photos without permission, but I can't see how it can hurt to show these as no people are shown. I welcome info from users about who took these photos, and why. See others in the Cheminis and Kearns sections above.

Kerr-Addison site

North V-Town

V-Town

Old School site

North V-Town

Click on a thumbnail above to see a larger photo.

• Photos of the Virginiatown area, June 2009. Nine photos taken by Ron Ross. Shown are: Jeffrie's Hardware; Joe's Cafe; Armories; site of Nugent's Drugstore; cenotaph; site of McGarry Public School; site of Pool Hall & Chinese Restaurant; site of Imperial Bank (CIBC); site of McGarry Hotel.

Larder Lake :

• Larder Lake Downtown, 1939 or earlier. Thanks to Penny (Reddick) Nann for this photo, purchased by her father sometime before September, 1939.
• Larder Lake Train Station, 1947. This photo, dated May 9, 1947, shows men, women & children on the station platform. Can you identify anyone?

Misc. & Links :

• Ontario Highway 11 Blog. Has a section for most towns on Hwy. 11. The Virginiatown / Kearns section has comments going back to 2013. (Added May 17, 2024)
• Facebook Group: 'Vtown/Kearns'. Join this group on Facebook – has over 800 members. (Added May 17, 2024)

Does anyone know what happened to the "Welcome to Virginiatown" website?

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