Queen’s York Rangers' history finds pride of place at Town Hall

The Queen's York Rangers' storied history in Aurora now has permanent pride of place at Town Hall.

As the Aurora Museum & Archives has temporarily vacated the historic Church Street School in ahead of the redevelopment of Library Square, the Museum has been looking at ways to enshrine Aurora's history in other public places – and the first stop is at the heart of the Town's civic affairs.

“We have always viewed the Town as the museum, so we're looking at different places and different mediums,” says Shawna White, Curator of the Aurora Museum & Archives.

Before COVID-19 hit, the Museum was in the midst of an exhibition celebrating the local Regiment, but once the pandemic took root in Canada, public buildings like the Church Street School, which is also home to the Aurora Cultural Centre, had to close.

An opportunity to present the exhibition, and its associated award-winning documentary, in a new way came when a photo gallery showcasing past mayors of Aurora was re-located from Town Hall's ground floor to a larger wall outside the Mayor's Office on the second level.

“The old wall was getting full and the newer mayors…were down at the bottom, so now it is outside the Mayor's Office and given more respect, I think, than what was here,” says Ms. White. “This provided an empty wall and we have been actively looking for other places in which to exhibit and tell the stories of Aurora – even more so now that we're closed and most of our collection is in storage. We thought this was the perfect opportunity to condense the Queen's York Rangers exhibit into one wall and have that story available for people when they come here.”

Perhaps the most challenging task was figuring out how to condense more than 200 years of history into a mural.

For Michelle Johnson, Collections & Exhibitions Coordinator for the Aurora Museum & Archives, the first priority was adapting a detailed timeline for the space provided. This, she says, provides a “cohesive overview” of their history not only in Aurora but also their place in the wider world, including conflicts at home and abroad.

“It is a good overview of their evolution,” says Ms. Johnson, noting the next stop was reconfiguring panels for their new home. “We knew that when you look at the timeline, there are specific battle honours, so we knew right away that we had to highlight the panels where they were given battle honours as it is an important part of their story.

“The Aurora connection with the Queen's York Rangers really starts with the Fenian Raids. There is a connection with the War of 1812 as well, but the Aurora Infantry Company is one of the companies that were raised to fight the Fenians, so we wanted to have those key moments that tie the regiment to Aurora highlighted while also respecting the battle honours and tell that story.”

Since its re-establishment, the Aurora Museum & Archives has built strong connections with the Queen's York Rangers. They have worked closely on a number of initiatives, including the documentary Swift & Bold, which received a Telly Award last year.

The documentary received a warm reception from the Regiment at large and the Aurora Museum & Archives is eager for Town Hall to re-open to the public so members of the community – and the Regiment – can see the finished product.

“We want to do something once we're open, but we're not sure when that might be,” says Ms. White. “This [mural] is semi-permanent and it will be nice to integrate these stories within all of the municipal buildings.”

Adds Ms. Johnson: “Stories like the Queen's York Rangers are so engrained within the entire history of the Town. It is nice to have that larger story showcased right outside Council Chambers where municipal history is made. We have these long-standing community organizations and ties, so it is nice to have that connection in a space like this.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter