Our Mission
The Southampton Cultural Heritage Conservancy seeks to promote, protect, and advocate on behalf of the history, cultural heritage, cultural landscape, civil society and built environment of the Town of Southampton and the surrounding area. We recognize and respect that all of this existed pre-contact, and continues to exist through the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, and the Metis who later settled in this territory.
We are committed to listening to and engaging with the community about what the heritage environment of our town means to them, and how the diverse nature of our 6,000 year old history can be commemorated and understood now, and for the generations to come, building bridges between people and histories to build our town for a bright future.
Our History
The SCHC was founded by people who have worked on projects and events that promote cultural heritage. Sometimes they advocated for new buildings to maintain a traditional building sense when constructed; they helped renovate a Southampton business when it chose to buy from local markets, partnered with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and the faith community on many reconciliation projects, and volunteered on educational and recreational projects at the local elementary school. They were part of discussions when the woodland and trails around Fairy Lake, located behind the school and the museum, were re-vamped due to a mass cutting of infested ash trees, and designed cross-country and snowshoe trails in that area.
Frequently there was a growing perception that a number of new proposals for Southampton would threaten the unique culture of our community. Most importantly, many Southampton residents felt their concerns were not being registered with the municipal decision-makers. The need to preserve the cultural heritage features of our beautiful town is the driving force behind the founding of the SCHC.