Columnists: Jim St. Clair



THEN & NOW Features

September 16, 2009  In Cape Breton, the Highland Village Museum in Iona is one place that's home to our history, and one structure there is a family home from 1829. Community Historian Jim St. Clair and Steve Sutherland visited the 180 year old structure.
Home (runs 12:09)

September 09, 2009  Community Historian Jim St. Clair brings us the tale of 2 leaders from our past whose legacy can still be seen, and heard, in St. Ann's today.
MacKenzie (runs 10:10)

August 26, 2009  On "Then & Now," community historian Jim St. Clair has highlights from "The Right Spirit - A History of Birch Grove and Its People, 1840-1940",  the new book by John Johnson from Sydney.
The Right Spirit (runs 8:20)

How To Obtain A Copy of "The Right Spirit - by John Johnson"?
At the moment - through contacting Johnson at his email address: therightspirit@yahoo.ca
or there will be copies at the Nova Scotia Highland Village.
It is a good addition to the collection of anybody interested in the "right spirit" of Cape Bretoners as interpreted by a local person with a strong enthusiasm for the past.

 

August 19, 2009  A poetic adventurer on "Then and Now" - Michael MacDonald survived the Cape Breton winter of 1775 and went on to pen a poem describing his trials.
Michaels Landing (runs 9:22)

August 05, 2009 The life and times of Dr. Kenneth Chisholm is featured by community historian Jim St. Clair. He has the story of this early Cape Breton physcian, who made housecalls and would take payment in livestock.
Dr Chisholm (runs 7:13)

July 15, 2009  It was once the path trains took to and from Inverness. Now, it's a place for you to explore by foot. Information Morning host Steve Sutherland along with Jim St. Clair visited the gateway to the Trans Canada Trail in Port Hastings.
Trans Canada Trail (runs 6:39)
Jim St. Clair, Yvonne Fox and host Steve Sutherland

July 08, 2009  Jim St. Clair relates the epic journey of a Presbyterian Minister from Pictou who travelled 300 kms to baptise a Cape Breton baby in Sydney River.
Minister (runs 7:39)

June 30, 2009  Our community historian Jim St. Clair with the tale of one of Canada's earliest MPs who had his hands full in Ottawa and back home in Mabou, too, with 3 young children.
Dr. Hugh Cameron (runs 9:52)

June 18, 2009  Community Historian Jim St. Clair's train of thought leads him to the junction of Maritime Map Making and Untold Stories on Then & Now.
Maps (runs 7:26)


Counties of Cape Breton and Richmond, Nova Scotia  ...from 1878 Atlas of The Maritime Provinces, reprinted by Nimbus

June 11, 2009  Our community historian Jim St. Clair invites you to sail back in history with him as he tells the tale of a ship, The Spray, that travelled Down Under from Cape Breton.
The Spray (runs 8:07)

Brigantine SPRAY, built at Guysborough, N.S., in 1851. From a pencil sketch by John Alexander Munro.

May 20, 2009  Community Historian Jim St. Clair highlights the Island of Skye and it's Cape Breton connection as Scotland encourages its descendents to come back during "Home Coming Scotland 2009".
Skye (runs 10:58)

Scottish Websites of Interest:
Undiscovered Scotland: The Ultimate Online Guide
and  Isle of Skye

 

May 13, 2009  Every window and every steeple tells a story, Community historian Jim St. Clair contrasts the architectural style of three churches just a few minutes apart on Boularderie Island. Churches (runs 9:45)

 

May 06, 2009  It's all relative, as community historian Jim St. Clair introduces us to a genealogy of the MacEachern family. Recently, Duncan Hugh MacEachern of Michigan, published privately a much more modest history of his family; one created without much experience but with a great deal of affection, and some extremely useful information. MacEachern (runs 7:18)

 

April 28, 2009  Here's a Cape Breton geography quiz for you. Where on the map is "Terra Nova"? How much do you know about it? Our community historian Jim St. Clair trains his attention on Terra Nova and brings us a bit of the area's past. Terra Nova (runs 10:51)

 

March 18, 2009  If you're a fan of our program, he's a household name. The man goes by the title of community historian, Jim St. Clair will reflect on the nature of nicknames in Cape Breton. Nicknames (runs 13:08)

 

February 18, 2009   "Behind every great man..." - Community Historian Jim St. Clair tells us about the life and times of Mabel Bell on "Then and Now". Mabel Bell (runs 8:57)

 

February 11, 2009   Jim St Clair looks into the new publication by Nova Scotia genealogist and Maritime Noon contributor, Terry Punch. The work is called Erin's Sons; Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada 1761-1853. Book (runs 7:23)

Published by:
     Genealogical Publishing Co.
     3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260
     Baltimore, Maryland, USA
     21211-1953

 

January 28, 2009   When it comes to Cape Breton history, Jim St. Clair has a photographic memory. He develops another snapshot of our Island's past as we focus in on the early days of photography:  The daguerreotype, on this weeks column. Hear about the Locket (runs 8:24)

Old Locket

 

Hand drawn Map of Sydney, Nova Scotia  - circa 1788

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Hand Drawn Maps. Great George!, and other early street names in Sydney. Community Historian Jim St. Clair tells us what early maps reveal about the history of Sydney on Then and Now. Maps (runs 8:23)

Jim St. Clair provided another hand-drawn map
...this one of Whycocomagh Bay circa 1850's