Submitted photo A free presentation will explore the incorporation of the Town of Tillsonburg 150 years ago and all the events that led to it. TILLSONBURG – An upcoming talk will focus on Tillsonburg’s journey to becoming a town and the interesting circumstances surrounding it. Matthew Griffis, the Digital Literacy and Local History Technician at the Tillsonburg Branch of the Oxford County Library, mentions that Tillsonburg was initially settled as a police village in 1824 before officially becoming a town in 1872. “The change of status to something like a town you would think would be a welcome thing, and it was overall. But being a political decision, it wasn’t without opposition and even legal problems and that is where the action-packed drama comes in.” Griffis explains that not everyone agreed with incorporating Tillsonburg as a town within the House of Assembly. “Tillsonburg was actually not yet big enough population-wise to qualify as a town at the time, so it took some political string-pulling to get the bill through anyway. How all of that happened and who was involved will be the subject of the presentation.” Patricia Phelps, Curator of the Annandale National Historic Site, will share her insights on this topic at the Tillsonburg library on Wednesday from 6:30 p. m. to 7:30 p. m. The presentation will last for about 45 minutes followed by a Q&A session. Attendance is free, but you need to register online here in advance. You can also call the Tillsonburg branch at 519-842-5571 to sign up. This event marks the beginning of a new Local History Speaker Series offered by the Oxford County Library.
