Former Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry MPP Jim Brownell launching Lost Villages self-tour book
Article content
Longtime president of the Lost Villages Historical Society Jim Brownell has transformed decades of invaluable knowledge about the Lost Villages into a non-fiction book.
Having first started offering bus tours of local landmarks related to the Lost Villages and the St. Lawrence Seaway project in the early 1990s, the former MPP wanted to create a tangible guide as he plans his last stop on the bus tour later this summer.
“It’s really my bus tour without me on a bus,” said Brownell with a chuckle. “People can take it in their car, it’s well documented in regards to civic addresses, what to see… and it will take folks as close as possible to the villages that are no longer in existence…
“It really gives you the story of life along the river before the Seaway, and after the flood.”
His book, A Tour Through the Lands of the Lost Villages, will officially launch on Sunday, May 26. The event will be held at the Lost Villages Brewery from 1 to 4 p.m. where the community is invited to explore the rich history of our region.
Apart from a brief family history book published in 1985, the self-published work is a first for Brownell, who spent most of his time writing while vacationing in Florida between 2022-23. He used research he had conducted since 1992 to put together a manuscript.
When speaking about the writing process, Brownell said found it therapeutic and satisfying to put down long-held knowledge from the back of his mind onto paper.
“Here I was putting it down on paper totally out of the region from where it took place when I was in Florida. I’d get up quite early in the morning, 4:30 to 5 a.m., I find my best writing time is in the morning,” he said.
Brownell credits South Stormont CAO Debi Lucas for motivating him to write the book. During a meeting at the township, Brownell recalls her expressing her interest in reading a book written by him as she wasn’t born and raised in the community.
“She was encouraging… this has been my home since I was born. I lived the Seaway, saw so much… and here was a newcomer giving me the encouragement to do something like that. So I did,” he said.
Brownell also thanked Ginette Guy Mayer for her editing and publishing expertise, and a friend who shared her experience living through the construction of the Seaway.
A Tour Through the Lands of the Lost Villages will also be available at a number of summer markets and events throughout the region. To learn more about the Lost Villages Historical Society, visit www.lostvillages.ca.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.