Tweedsmuir History

Since 1897 Women’s Institute Members have worked together recording history for their communities, giving insight to the past that would otherwise be forgotten. Containing collections of memoirs, hand written, and typed, clippings of newspaper articles, lists of pioneer settlers, family stories, veterans, obituaries, recipes, and general cleaning tips, the subjects are vast.

Such an influential moment marked by the tragedy of how the idea was born. In 1889 losing her son of 14 months, attributed to drinking contaminated milk, led Adelaide Hunter Hood on a quest to educate young women about the application of science in the management of the home, family and farm.

Mr. Erland Lee was the 1st Secretary of the South Wentworth Farmers Institutes, had heard Adelaide speaking in Guelph. He was so impressed by her that he asked her to give her talk at his Farmers’ Institute meeting. So well received was she, that the following week over 100 women and girls showed up for the first meeting. The first Women’s Institute Branch was established February 19, 1897, in Stoney Creek, (formerly known as Saltfleet Township) with the objective of improving women’s skills in homemaking and childcare.

Notably, during WWI the Women’s Institute raised funds, knitted socks, made preserves, sent care packages, and ran numerous campaigns in support of the troops overseas. They repeated this feat in WWII, raising a million dollars in 1940 alone, and with the sewing of quilts for bombed out British refugees, whose homes were destroyed.

There were 33 Branches and 1600 Members by 1900, and by 1907, a decade from the first meeting, there were 400 Branches. The height of participation was in the 1950’s when the numbers reached 50,000 Members in over 1500 Branches. Today, the Federated Women’s Institute of Ontario has approximately 2,600 Members in 220 Branches across Ontario.

A lovely photo of a Women’s Institute Meeting at Stokes Bay.

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