Bonnie MacLeod tends to some daily chores at Cossit House in Sydney’s north end Tuesday. Steve Wadden - Cape Breton Post
SYDNEY — When Cape Bretoners think of the Old Sydney Society, the first thing that probably comes to mind is a group of people sitting around and talking about “the good old days.”
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Discussion on the area’s fascinating history is just a minor facet of the non-profit, charitable organization’s mandate. Founded in 1966, the Old Sydney Society is involved in a number of different aspects of the area’s culture and heritage, most visibly as the entity responsible for north end Sydney museums and historical buildings such as Cossit House, St. Patrick’s Church, the Cape Breton Centre for Heritage and Science, and Jost House, favoured spots for visitors from the cruise ships that dock regularly at the Sydney Marine Terminal.
As well, the Old Sydney Society has formed formal and informal partnerships with organizations such as the Sydney Architectural Conservation Society, the Cape Breton Genealogical and Historical Society, Parks Canada, the Public Archives of New Brunswick, the Heritage Coalition and Cape Breton University.
Old Sydney Society president Ken Donovan thinks the society is in “takeoff” mode, with a number of ambitious projects on the horizon.
“We’ve been receiving a lot of support from Enterprise Cape Breton Corp.,” he said. “They’ve been providing a lot of support for heritage, especially for heritage that provides jobs. With the help of Enterprise Cape Breton Corp. and Destination Cape Breton, we have a new branding exercise and a brand-new website coming up, as well as strategic development plan. That’s what you need — you need a plan, where everyone’s on the same page.”
He said the Old Sydney Society’s walking tours and ghost tours in Sydney’s north end are popular with cruise ship passengers and locals alike, and a couple of planned exhibits for the area should pique their interest even further.
At St. Patrick’s Church, the oldest Roman Catholic church on the island, a $20,000 grant from the province will see a new exhibit set up on the history of Sydney. And on June 25, an exhibit on Fortress Louisbourg that was a co-production between the Old Sydney Society and Parks Canada will be unveiled at the nearby Cape Breton Centre for Heritage and Science.
Other partnerships have paid dividends as well, he added.
“We’ve had a number of initiatives we have taken with the Sydney Architectural Society, one of them being Liscomb House, at the corner of York and Charlotte streets. We’ve helped save Liscomb House.
“The roof was leaking and the house was going to be torn down. It was owned by a Mrs. Elman in California and we tracked her down and she sold the house to us. We fixed up the house and put a heritage covenant on it so that the exterior of the house has to be respected. The house is being restored and we sold it at a profit for the Old Sydney Society.”
One project that didn’t work out as planned was the preservation of the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club building on the Esplanade. When the century-old building was threatened with demolition in January, the Old Sydney Society and the Sydney Architectural Society joined forces to engage Chris Borgal, one of the country’s leading restoration architects, to come to Sydney to make an assessment of the building.
Borgal believed the building was readily adaptable for community use and ECBC, the building owner, appeared ready to go along with his recommendations. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed by fire not long afterwards.
But the triumphs have been outweighing the setbacks in recent month, said Donovan, and he sees a bright future for the Old Sydney Society.
“We want to grow and be more active in Cape Breton County. We want to expand our mandate.”
kmacleod@cbpost.com
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