Chatham-Kent pictorial history in works

Local historians Jim and Lisa Gilbert are often called upon to share their knowledge of Chatham-Kent history, but one request this year was far more involved. Windsor-based literary press Biblioasis approached the couple about writing a local pictorial history book.

Noting this was the first time a publisher requested they write a book, Lisa Gilbert said, “We were pleasantly surprised.”

The book, titled A Chatham-Kent Tapestry: A Visual History to 1950, was being launched Thursday at the Chatham-Kent Cultural Centre.

Publicist Casey Plett said the initial thought by Biblioasis owner and Chatham native Dan Wells was to have the book just focus on Chatham. But she said the Gilberts insisted they cover the entire municipality.

“Part our goal with these kinds of books is to listen to local knowledge — they’re the experts, not us,” she said.

Gilbert said covering all of Chatham-Kent made it a much bigger project, which they had to pull the book together over the summer after Biblioasis approached them in late April, asking for it to be completed by September.

While the Gilberts, as longtime columnists for the Chatham Daily News, have written countless articles over the years, Lisa Gilbert said they found stories they hadn’t know about.

“It was amazing, just the stories we learned in researching for that book,” she said.

They ’ve also spent years collecting local history books and other documents.

“Here was our chance to actually use them,” she said. Gilbert said the book includes lots of great local photographs from the Chatham-Kent Museum, community archive collections and surviving negatives from the Chatham Daily News. There are also digital images online.

Publishing regional history books is something Biblioasis saw strong demand for after releasing history books of Windsor. “We were astonished by the reaction, there was an enormous outpouring of support from the local community for a photo history book,” Plett said.

“We found that there’s been a hunger for stories, to see yourself reflected back ... If you don’t see your own stories, your own history, you don’t really realize how much you maybe needed to see that until you’ve seen it.”

A Chatham-Kent Tapestry is the first regional rural history book that Biblioasis is publishing. Plett hopes it can be a model for books about rural history for a wider audience.

In the introduction, the Gilberts write about the amalgamation of Chatham-Kent as an opportunity for people to get out and explore the municipality.