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Archive Record
Metadata
Item ID# |
BBCA fonds |
Title |
Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association fonds |
Object Name |
Archival Fonds |
Dates of Creation |
1894 - 2024 |
Creator |
Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association |
Description |
This fonds consists of by-laws, manuals, financial documents, minutes, correspondence, yearbooks, directories, histories, books, photographs, and newsclippings reflecting the members, activities, events Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association, as well as the Bruce Beach Golf Club and Bruce Beach Church. The association was originally known as Bruce Beach Association and the Bruce Beach Campers' Association. The records are organized in the following series: 1.Governance Records 2.Financial Records 3.Minutes 4.Correspondence 5.Member and Club Activities 6.Directories and Yearbooks 7.Publications and Histories 8.Photographs 9.Bruce Beach Golf Club 10.Bruce Beach Church 11.Plans |
Admin/Biographical History |
The Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association was first established in the summer of 1894 when a picnic was held in William Tout's Grove. The picnic was attended by the McInnes, Munn, McCrimmon and Jackson families. The families found this area to be a favorable spot, and that same year the first cottage was erected in 1894 by Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Jackson. In 1896 two additional cottages were built. Visiting this area became an annual holiday for the families and grew in popularity. Over the next ten years more cottages were being built on what became known as "Bruce Beach." Over time more and more people from around Ontario came to Bruce Beach and erected cottages on the land. In 1908 the Bruce Beach Campers' Association was officially organized. The founding members of the association included Rev. McNab, Mr. McKerrol, Rev. Dobson, Rev. West, Rev. Burnett, and Rev. Bremner. The first meeting of the Bruce Beach Camper's Association was held on August 10, 1910, at the cottage of Rev. McNab. The first committee was also decided at this meeting. The committee consisted of a president: Rev. A. Dobson, a vice-president: Mr. Munn, and a secretary treasurer: Rev. McNab. These positions could only be held for one year and an election was held between August 14 and 21 for the next year's committee. As the area continued to grow, the Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association was officially formed in 1916. It was then that Rev. W.A. Bradley was elected Secretary-Treasurer and historian, and he would later write a souvenir history of the area. The area continued to grow, and the boundaries of Bruce Beach were extended to the 10th Concession in 1922. The organization had many names over the years including The Bruce Campers' Association (1921), The Bruce Beach Campers' Association (1922-1923), The Bruce Beach Association (1925-1938), Bruce Beach Association (1939-1979), and Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association (1980-). When the association was first introduced, measures had to be set in place to aid in the organization's longevity. It was determined that, among other things, the secretary was to create minutes of the meetings proceedings for cottage owners' benefit; a membership fee of 25 cents per lot would be collected, the purpose was to build up funds so the committee could purchase or act on behalf of the fellow beachers; and there would be councilors of each area that would report to the organization. The association's mission states that the association was formed for the benefit of the cottagers, promote general welfare of the cottagers and to preserve Bruce Beach's beauty for the future generations. The Bruce Beach Association tried to secure the rights to the land the cottages were built on from the Huron Township council, the Department of Lands and Forests and the provincial government. Two committees had to be appointed, one to speak with the council and one to speak with the provincial government to own the land that the cottages were built on. In 1922 a surveyor was appointed by the government and visited the Beach to inspect the area. After some initial difficulties setting boundary lot lines, the provincial surveyor attempted to divide the Beach area into 66-foot lots, reaching from the sand dunes at the 6th Concession at the south end to the 10th Concession in the north. As a result, many lots were reduced while others were increased. At the 1924 annual meeting, it was reported that progress was made in procuring land titles. In 1926, Huron Township Council refused to accept the proposal to acquire land rights from the government for $10,000. The cottagers behind the McCosh property formed a company and the following year managed to secure a charter, known as McCosh Grove Limited. Negotiations with the government to reduce the annual rental fee of $12.00 had not been successful. At the Association's 1930 annual meeting, a committee was appointed to investigate the possibility of bringing hydro power to the Beach. The following year, a Hydro Electric Commission representative attended the annual meeting to discuss with the cottagers the electricity conditions. When the provincial Department of Lands and Forests transferred its responsibility for the Bruce Beach Subdivision to the Township, cottage owners living in the Toronto area, held a meeting in May 1948 to discuss the new relationship, between the Association and the Township. The Association president and secretary once again approached the Huron Township Council with the proposal to allow cottagers to purchase their lots; they were, however, turned down. In 1935 mail delivery to Bruce Beach cottages began and in 1938 the first cottages were wired for electricity. In 1946, the Bruce Beach Association joined the Ontario Cottagers' Association. In 1950, the Bruce Beach Road was completed which ran from the 10th to the 8th Concessions and making vehicle traffic on the beach unnecessary. In 1950 Jean and Norm opened the Bruce Beach Store, an establishment they operated until they sold it to Betty and Nelson Beuhlow. Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association was later incorporated in 1978 with Don Maclennan serving as the association's President. As of 2024 the Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association is still in operation and continues to operate the Bruce Beach Golf Club. Throughout the years the Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association included many program areas for the enjoyment of their members. These included church services, Golf Club, Tennis Club, Fishing Club, Men's Glee Club, baseball, and sailing. Other activities included an annual concert, Field and Regatta Day Young Ladies' Orchestra and Glee Club, the curling team and bonspiel and the hockey team. These programs were typically organized by committees, sub-committees, and convenors. The Church: The first religious worship occurred at Bruce Beach in 1900. James Anderson and his wife purchased cottage number 12 and set up a tent to hold religious services on Sunday evenings. As the first inhabitants were ministers and their families, religious services were extremely popular. As the number of attendants grew, the services were moved first to the McCosh flats and then to the Tout Flats. The church services always occurred outside on Sunday evenings so as not to clash with the weekly baseball game on Sunday mornings. The executive was later authorized to build a Church shell so that services could be held indoors during inclement weather. The area in which the services were held was part of Stephen Tout's property, who kindly reserved that part of his land. In 1941 Tout passed away and arrangements were made to acquire his land and a new stone pulpit was built in his memory. A few years later a piano was purchased by the Church Services Committee with funds from the concerts held at the church and help from the other committees. However, the plans to put up the Church shell had to be abandoned because the estimate of $300.00 exceeded the funds available for the project. Golf Club/Tennis Club: The Bruce Beach Golf Club was founded in 1907 but golf had been being played at Bruce Beach since 1903, when a local reverend introduced the game to cottagers with a six-hole course. His first task was to introduce his fellow cottagers to golf by laying out a six-hole course in Frank Tout and McCosh Grove flats. The year that the Bruce Beach Golf Club was founded was also the year that the course was enlarged to nine holes, following the recommendations of the newly elected executive of five. The nine-hole non-profit course is still used today and is the oldest in Bruce County. The annual membership fee was 25 cents; three hundred score cards were ordered; and when the first tournament took place, the entry fee was 10 cents per person. In 1914, the golfers organized a tennis club and laid out two courts, one of which was never used. The annual tennis club membership fee was 25 cents. The different holes of the golf course were maintained by a specific household, determined by the club. Their job was to keep their section of the course clean and report any damage to the club. Many events were held at the golf and tennis clubs including ladies' golf days, lessons for the children and annual golf and tennis tournaments with prizes donated by the residents. The present-day golf club house was built in 1933 and housed the general meetings of the golf committee along with parties and dance nights. The Fishing Club: In 1922 the Bruce Peninsula Fishing Club was founded. The group made their way up to Wiarton, making a stop for lunch and then would head up to Miller Lake. They would wake up early the next morning and spend the entire day fishing and drive home the next day. Men's Glee Club: The Men's Glee Club was formed in 1920 and would often perform at the annual concert. Baseball: Probably the most beloved activity of Bruce Beach is baseball. The first diamond was set up behind cottages numbers 48 to 54 and the area was turned from cow pasture to an official ballpark and recreation area. It took a few years for the space to be baseball-ready, but the long-awaited game came in 1923. The baseball diamond shared the space with the outdoor church service. So as not to interrupt the service, the baseball game occurred in the morning and the service in the evening. In 1944, the first of those Sunday games moved to their present Huff-Clark field home, and when the boys came back to Bruce Beach from war in 1947, the game became popular. Every Sunday morning in the summer games were played and throughout the week practices and games for the children occur. On the last Sunday of August, the annual North vs South game is played, the winner gets to hoist the trophy and has bragging rights for the next year. Sailing: In 1956, water skiing had become a popular sport, following the introduction of more powerful outboard motors and better-quality boats. During the sixties, the Sunfish sail boats were introduced and waterfront activities at the Beach increased immensely. After the Sunday ballgame, regattas were held at the beach with a dozen or so boats participating. Source: MacEachern, Ian. "A History of Bruce Beach." 1994. |
Collection |
Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association |
Level of Description |
Fonds |
Physical Description |
84.5 cm of textual materials 60 photographs : colour ; 15 x 10 cm and smaller 2 photograph albums (215 photographs) : black and white ; 9 x 14.7 cm and smaller 1 videotape (1 hr., 17 min., 18 sec.) : sound, colour ; 13 mm (VHS) 1 plan ; 181 x 54 cm |
Child Records |
BBCA series 5 BBCA series 1 BBCA series 10 BBCA series 11 BBCA series 2 BBCA series 3 BBCA series 4 BBCA series 6 BBCA series 7 BBCA series 8 BBCA series 9 |