THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE HAT & DISTRICT

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2025 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Our Annual General Meeting will be held May 22nd, with dinner served at 6pm at the Holy Family Parish on Strachan Way. The doors will be open at 5pm, cost will be $20 per person, paid at the door, plus your $10 membership renewal fee. The menu for the meal will include: salad, baked beans, dessert and hamburgers! There will be a short annual meeting, followed by our Show and Tell. We encourage you all to bring your antiques and antiquities. We would appreciate if you would let us know by May 15th if you will be attending. Please call Lynne Rance at 403-527-7914 or Sheila Tiegs at 403-580-8283 to R.S.V.P.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This society, founded in 1947, welcomes visitors to our regular meetings. These meetings are held every other month starting in September, ending with the AGM in May. Unless otherwise posted these take place in the Monarch Theatre (609 Second St. SE) on the third Thursday of the month, at 7 PM.  Please see the Events page for further details.

 

Our latest meeting was: Thursday, March 20 at 7PM at the Monarch Theatre with the following topic:

”The Rescue of the McKenzie Sharland Grocery”

Credit grocery stores were once a feature of urban and rural life across the country. They were important parts of local economies and also became important social centres where topics such as the two World Wars and economic depressions were discussed. The McKenzie Sharland Grocery in Medicine Hat was one such business serving the Historic Clay District. It was also the home of the McKenzie and Sharland families; Len Sharland living in the building for eighty-two years. It survived the disastrous 2013 flood and was then transformed by historic designation, reconstruction and current us and setting in McKenzie Mews.

The presentation to the Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District will focus upon the ultimately successful efforts to save the McKenzie Sharland Grocery. It will be held at on Thursday, March 20th at the Monarch Theatre downtown. Refreshments and a short business meeting, beginning at 7:00 PM, will precede the presentation.

Our presenter will be by our Society’s First Vice President, Malcolm Sissons. He credits his keen interest in history to his father Jack and the family’s long presence in our community. After attending public schools in Medicine Hat, Malcom went to the University of Alberta’s College Saint – Jean where he obtained a degree in Romance Languages and History. He then spent a year at the University of Grenoble in France studying communications. After a brief stint at the U. of A. he returned home to work in the family brick business, IX-L. Among his many interests, Malcolm was previously the Secretary of our Society for many years and more recently chaired the City’s Heritage Resources Committee. After he retired, he and his wife Jennifer took on a project which became larger than originally planned and will be the topic of his presentation.

In The News: Presentation on historic Medicine Hat building taking place at Monarch Theatre (CHAT NEWS TODAY by Jesse Gill)

MEMBERSHIP

Anyone with an interest in history may join the Society.  The easiest way is to come to a General Meeting and fill out a membership form at a meeting.

Annual membership fee is $10. Alternatively, mail a cheque for $10 along with your name and address to:

Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District

401 First St. S.E., Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 8W2

CONTACT INFORMATION

Send emails with concerns about the society, including your membership status to: HISTORICAL SOCIETY

For questions about Medicine Hat history, or to donate photos, manuscripts, local history books, etc., you can contact the Archivist at the Esplanade Museum and Archives by clicking on:  ARCHIVES.

For questions about artifacts at the Esplanade Museum and Archives or to donate artifacts, you can contact the Museum Technician there by clicking on:  ARTIFACTS.

For questions about family history in Medicine Hat, you can contact the Medicine Hat and District Genealogy Society by clicking on: GENEALOGY QUERIES.

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Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District