Bringing Barrie’s Past Back To Life

Online Barrie Historical Archive Has Launched

More than 62-hundred photos, images videos and documents painting a picture of Barrie’s past are now accessible for free online at barriearchive.ca. It has been a labour of love for a dedicated team led by Dr. Travis Doucette which has been gathering, compiling and scanning the material into its website. They were joined Wednesday night by Mayor Jeff Lehman (2010-present) and former mayors Dave Aspden (2006-2010), Jim Perri (2001-2003), Janice Laking (1989-2000), Ross Archer (1977-1988) and Willard Kinzie (1957-1961) at a launch celebration at Barrie City Hall. Perri says it’s an important collection…

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And while it will serve as a history lesson for Barrie residents, Willard Kinzie thinks outsiders will get a feel for how friendly the city is…

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Among the photos submitted, one stands out for current mayor Jeff Lehman – soldiers marching past The Five Points en route to fight in World War I…

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Lehman says the great thing about the archive is it represents individual stories – it’s more than ‘official’ record, it’s personal stories.

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from left to right: former mayors Ross Archer, Janice Laking, Jim Perri, Dave Aspden and current mayor Jeff Lehman