Hybrid October Speaker’s Series:
Thomas
Church - An Unlikely Numismatist
With Gabrielle Clark, MA, PhD Candidate
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 | Gabrielle Clark is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, where she will write a history of the early years of the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa. Her research interests in numismatics and turn-of-the-century Ottawa combine with her passion for archaeology in this project documenting Thomas Church's coin collection. |
| Thomas Church was a mill foreman and coin collector who lived in the heart of Ottawa’s late-nineteenth-century lumber industry on Victoria Island. A working-class Irish immigrant, he stands out from most of his numismatic associates socioeconomically and in that he not only collected coins and tokens but struck his own in his workshop. Furthermore, the facts of his case provide a rare opportunity: most of his collection was lost along with his house in the Great Fire of 1900, a large number of which have now been recovered through excavations (2024-2025) by the National Capital Commission’s Archaeology Program. Analysis of his collection in the context of his life sheds light on the life and times of an unusual coin collector and, moreover, shows the benefits of interdisciplinary connections and collaboration, through their new volunteer program, between institutions like the NCC and the public. |
Virtual Lectures
Our virtual lectures of 2020 are now available for viewing on YouTube.
For a description of the topics and a link to the videos click HERE
Our virtual lectures of 2021 are now available for viewing on YouTube.
For a description of the topics and a link to the videos click HERE
Other meetings
The Ontario
Archaeological Society Annual Symposium
Hosted by the Toronto Chapter
Saturday
October 24th 2026 with an optional trivia night hosted on Friday October 23rd
St. Lawrence Hall located at 157 King Street East in Toronto
Theme: "Repairing
Bridges: Collaboration, Community, Connection"
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| Once again the Chapter was invited to deliver a program for Archaeology Day at Bonnechere Provincial Park. This is an annual event for many of us who participated and had the pleasure of enjoying the many amenities of the park during the weekend. Our collaboration with the Park and the Friends organization goes back more than twenty years! The interest, enthusiasm and support we receive from staff and the campers is very much appreciated. |
Click HERE for schedule and contact information
Archaeological Institute of America Conferences
Click HERE for schedule and contact information
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This page was launched on December 17, 1996 and updated on October 17, 2026
Copyright © 1997-2000 The Ottawa Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society Inc