Historical groups come together to celebrate London 200 with unique Forest City tales

A new ‘Forest City Facts’ campaign looks to bring London’s history into public spaces during the city’s bicentennial. CTV’s Sean Irvine reports.

The City of London and local historians have partnered to mark the Forest City’s bicentennial.

Lawn signs and a website tell the stories in few words.

“You can get just enough in there to tell people the important nugget,” said James Reaney, president of the London & Middlesex Historical Society.

Over 200 years, he said London has produced many tragic and triumphant “nuggets” to reflect on.

“We hope they are the quirky and unusual,” he said. “And that there’s enough fun in there as well to balance the serious, and enough serious to balance the fun.”

The signs were created by multiple partners, including the city, the historical society, Museum London and students in public history at Western University.

The latter have been shocked to learn that the history of the Forest City reflects Canada itself.

“I like to say that you could teach Canadian history by really just focusing on London. At least start there. That’s the hook,” said Mike Dove, a professor of public history.

Dove explained the hook includes nods to diversity by bringing to light the stories of Londoners that have been lost to colonization or ignorance.

“Are there folks who have been marginalized in the past, and their stories haven’t been heard? So, it’s really to help better reflect, I think, the city that we live in and have been living in for 200 years of European settlement,” he said.

Two hundred ‘Forest City Facts’ will eventually be placed on social media channels and a website.

The lawn signs will move throughout London, according to Robin Armistead, the manager of cultural services for the City of London.

“And when it gets a little nicer, we’ll put the signs out along the [Thames River] parkway for the public to read and enjoy. We’ll probably put some up at our partner sites and hopefully at the screens in the community centers,” she explained. “And just so that people can really feel proud about their city and understand the history and where we’ve come from.”

‘Forest City Facts’ coincide with our own efforts here at CTV News London to mark London’s 200.

Already two segments of our series have aired biweekly on Friday nights.

• Victoria Steamboat Disaster | London 200 – CTVNews
• London 200: Banting House – CTVNews

Our next segment airs on May 15 on CTV News at 6. It will focus on London’s only battle site of the War of 1812 – Reservoir Hill.

In time, all episodes will be included in a special London 200 one-hour broadcast.