Hours: Public visits can be arranged by appointment via phone or email
Location: 465 East 16th Street (Hill Park Learning Centre), Hamilton, ON L9A 4K6
Contact: 905-527-5092, ext. 4585: archives@hwdsb.on.ca
Website: https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/community/archive/
The Education Archives and Heritage Centre of Hamilton-Wentworth include the official original minute books, records and documents of the present Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, the former Hamilton Board of Education, the former Wentworth County Board of Education, and the former school areas or sections of the Townships of Ancaster, Barton, Beverley, Binbrook, Dundas, Glanford, East Flamborough, Stoney Creek, and West Flamborough.
All students enrolled in the public school system have their daily attendance recorded in “Student Registers”. These Registers were originally stored in their schools. Most of these Registers are now housed at the EAHC. Although not all Registers have been located, there are many thousands of these documents now in storage and available to the public for research purposes. Many of these attendance documents date from the mid to late 1800’s right up to 2004. These documents provide a great insight into not only daily attendance, but often the addresses, parent names, occupations, religion and nationalities of students in a particular classroom.
The EAHC has thousands of photographs of schools, classes, student events. These are fully catalogued on a database and are available for loan or copying.
The EAHC has a collection of over 8,000 textbooks and curriculum documents used in the school systems in this area. There is also a selection of local elementary and secondary school yearbooks. These are available for loan and research purposes.
The EAHC has a large collection of trophies, plaques, paintings, prints, certificates, diplomas, school name letters, cornerstones, student desks, clocks, bells, and other miscellaneous items, which have been collected either by former teachers or students and donated for display purposes. Also included is a vast number of instructional items and equipment in many subject areas. Many of these items are available for loan to schools holding important anniversaries or reunions.