Meetings:

1'st Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. unless noted and held at the Gilead Hall, 420 Bronk Rd., Corbyville.

 

 Contact:

 Jean Hawley @ 613-969-5525

 

Mailing Address

 

The Plainfield Branch of the Women's Institute was formed on March 5^th 1910 at the home of Ron Cronkright.

 

The first president was Mrs. Will Patterson and the secretary was Mrs. J. W. Hamilton.

 

Maude Harrison started keeping our records and history in the Tweedsmuir Books after the originals were lost in the Bronk Cheese Factory fire (1960's). The books were being stored in the factory house which also burnt down.The house was owned by Arthur McCreary and his wife Marion who was the cheesemaker at the time.

 

Maude took it upon herself to research the history that had been lost by visiting with the folks of the Plainfield Community going door to door and listening to their stories of times gone by.        Hildred Hodgen helped Maude organize the research and put the book back together to the best of their abilities.

 

Maude  recruited the new  members to the institute by visiting all of the homes in the area and asking all the young mothers to join. To make sure that they would  come she told  these young women that they could bring all of their children with them but to only bring their quiet toys that wouldn't disturb the members' meetings.

 

Meetings were always informative and educational with Mottos (the evenings subject).    Enjoyable skits were always performed and humorous conversations happened during and after.

 

In wartime we made preserves, quilts, blankets and knitted almost everything: mittens, helmet linings, and socks for the men going or already overseas.

 

Birthdays and Anniversaries were always celebrated.

 

The Plainfield lnstitute's 75’th anniversary was held in the Plainfield Orange Hall.   Later on the 95’th and  100  ‘th anniversary took place in Gilead Hall.  Marion

 

Swan at the age of 93 cut the cake for the 95th. She was our oldest member ever. Carl Huffman decorated the Hall with Blue and Gold for the 100’th. (March 7’th, 2 days belated that  year).

 

Projects that we took part in included Education Days, 4-H, Cooking Schools and Sewing.            We also put on displays at The Belleville Fair and organized the other branches to participate as well.          And we marched in the Foxboro Santa Clause Parade for many years.

 

The charities that we supported included Gleaners Food Bank, 4-H Clubs, Clothe the Child, Pennies for Friendship, Safe Water Initiatives and we gave monies toward a bursary which is now managed by Loyalist College.              We also donated to the Plainfield Cemetery Fund.·        In recent years we have sponsored the Quinte Exhibition with prize money for winning entries.

 

Currently and for the past several years our main source of income has been our Annual Plant Sale and Tea Room held every May at Gilead Hall.

 

Tweedsmuir Curator,

Wilma Huffman (91 years of age) May 2nd 2019