Kleinburg Archives
Local Heritage now has a home to call its own
by Carol Christian
(reprinted from the May 28, 2003 issue of the Vaughan Weekly)
The spirit that binds a community together is what , was credited Saturday for more than three years of effort leading up to Saturday's official opening of the Kleinburg Heritage Collection.
The collection, including such artifacts as old documents, photographs, toys and even a penny dated 1895 found between the floor boards, is now on display at the historic Kline House.
It's that spirit that lends itself to a "sense of place," according to Scott Somerville, event master of ceremonies.
"When I talk about this sense of place it's that Kleinburg, through the years, has become a place. It's become a destination. It's the spirit of this community that makes Kleinburg what it is," he told The Weekly. "As long as that spirit keeps alive and keeps being nurtured, Kleinburg will always have a sense of place."
People who live here, especially those who have lived here 25, 30 or 50 years, feel attached to it, very much a part of it, he continued. "You're part of a community; you're part of something and that's the spirit of Kleinburg."
Commenting on other such historic places that have endured over the years, Somerville said "it's not because they're old buildings. They've got the spirit and Kleinburg has that spirit." Admitting he is biased, the long-time Kleinburg resident opined, "I think Kleinburg is the only one of the communities in Vaughan that has such spirit; that they have their own sense of place, a sense of belonging."
During the opening ceremony, Joe Kortleve, president of the Kleinburg Old Boys, recalled that on Nov. 4, 1999, a "bunch of not-so-young Kleinburg citizens took it upon themselves to meet and say what can we do to Kleinburg to maintain its local heritage. As we took the Kline House as our meeting place. we soon found out that we were sitting in a building that was in need of repair and had possibilities to fulfill our dream and as you know sometimes to fulfill a dream you need more than one party to make it happen." Taking a look around, the members could see that the historic building was in need of some repairs. Kortleve said the siding was coming down and the floor was "sort of heaving" and the group was afraid that the pool table would one day end up on the table downstairs.
Making a list of needed repairs, the Old Boys presented it to the City of Vaughan, the property owner, and "they came through in flying colours." The building was shored up with steel beams, the siding was repaired and the exterior painted. Funds were given to the group to do the job inside. After the renovations were complete, members wondered if it was really worthwhile just to maintain the historic house as a meeting place or could more be done.
They decided to go a step further and make it a heritage collection. That, pointed out Kortleve, was done with the assistance of the residents of Kleinburg who had so many artifacts to give or to loan, the Kleinburg Business Improvement Association, the Binder Twine committee, the neighbouring Royal Bank (at one time was housed in the building) and of the City of Vaughan.
"Combined we made the spirit again of Kleinburg come alive," he said, "and today you see part of the living spirit of Kleinburg." Kortleve noted that the cabinets and tables inside the Kline House were all made by local master craftsman Dave Eadie, also an Old Boys member.
Mayor Michael DiBiase, who presented the Old Boys a certificate of recognition, commented the city was working "very hard" to ensure Kleinburg becomes a heritage district. He added the issue is to be further discussed at a working session this week before being ratified by Vaughan Council be the end of June.
"The City of Vaughan will be supportive, whether it's monetary or whatever other methods," stated DiBiase. "We want to make sure the heritage is always kept not only for us but for our future, for our children."
Ward Councillor Mario Ferri told the group "this is an important event today but it's even more important for tomorrow. There are future generations who need to understand where they came from. They need to understand the roots of the area here in Kleinburg.
"You've done a wonderful job collecting the history, collecting the heritage here for the use and understanding of future generations and for that I want to thank you," he added.
What to do with city owned heritage properties is one issue that Heritage Vaughan really grapples with, said Gord Miller, of Heritage Vaughan. They can sit empty or they can be an active part of the community. Increasingly, such historic properties are more and more becoming part of the active community.
"This is just a terrific example and it's a great relief to be able to report back to Heritage Vaughan that the Kline House is safe...being used." .
Echoing some comments made about Kleinburg's spirit, Tim Arnott, chairman of the Binder Twine committee, said "that's essentially what Binder Twine is." He explained that it is a "very old event" that was resurrected for Canada's centennial and each year it seems to get bigger and better.
"I think we've really 'continued that sense of community, that sense of spirit and certainly that sense of place but as Gord pointed out," mentioned Arnott, "we'd like to also continue the active use of some of the heritage buildings."
Arnott said the Binder Twine committee has been using the Kline House for a number of years, both as a meeting venue and as "Binder Twine central" on the day of the annual event. "It's really a pleasure to see it used so actively and be such a central part of the community," he stated. The committee also contributed to some of the restorations and renovations on the building's second floor.
. "There's quite a collection of Binder Twine paraphernalia and memories and I'd encourage everyone to go up and see that and cast their minds back to years gone by," invited Arnott.
When introducing Pierre Berton, Somerville commented while they weren't part of the Old Boys they were definitely "one of the boys." Berton, and his wife, Janet, will have lived in Kleinburg for 53 years come July.
While Berton is a renowned author and historian who has earned worldwide recognition for his efforts, he has, for years, quietly worked in his home community for years, pitching in wherever and whenever he could.
Somerville welcomed Berton, as a documenter of history, to officially open the Kleinburg Heritage Collection on behalf of "other documenters of history."
With that, Berton announced "citizens of Kleinburg and the various organizations who helped us create and save and preserve and make an ornament of this wonderful heritage building, I declare the new heritage collection open."
Berton recalled an earlier time when the structural integrity of the Kline House. was in question:
"This was before it was known as the Kline House and after the Royal Bank had moved out," he remembered. 'The foundations of this building were risky and thanks to my neighbour, the late Mario Vespi, who was in the paving business, we got him to come up with truckload after truckload of gravel. A whole bunch of us with shovels and wheelbarrows filled the basement of this building to the top with gravel so that it would be on a firm basis."
He remembered that while some worked in the basement, others were removing the gravel from the trucks and getting the wheelbarrows down the chute.
"As the guys in the basement continued to work and as the gravel came in, they got closer and closer to the ceiling and I wondered if they weren't going to be squashed in the end,
"It was wonderful to be part of it in my prehistoric days," chuckled Berton.