Francis Petrie fonds, 1679-1983

Francis Petrie (1920-1983) was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario and attended Maple Street School and Niagara Falls Collegiate and Vocational Institute (NFCVI) before briefly enrolling at Niagara University in Niagara Falls, N.Y., to study chemistry. He later worked at Cyanamid of Canada as a research technician at the Welland Plant, retiring in 1980. However, Petrie is best known for his love and knowledge of Niagara’s history. He wrote a regular column on local history for the Niagara Falls Review from 1961 until shortly before his death in 1983. In total, he wrote 1092 articles for the newspaper. In 1970 he was appointed the first official historian of the city of Niagara Falls. He also held many other offices, including first chairman of the Niagara Falls Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, director of the Niagara Falls Board of Museums, and was a member of the historical advisory board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Lundy’s Lane Historical Society, and Welland County Historical Society. Petrie also offered courses on local history to interested community members and taught in local high schools, as well as writing several historical publications. He acquired a vast collection of Niagara material, most of which can be found at the Niagara Falls Public Library in the Francis Petrie collection. In 1978, Petrie won the Murie Misty Award, given to a person who makes significant contributions in promoting Niagara Falls without being directly related to the tourism industry. In 1980, Petrie suffered a debilitating stroke which temporarily caused him to cease writing his regular columns, but with the help of his family he was able to resume writing. In May, 1983 he broke his hip and died on September 23, 1983. His last column was published on August 29, 1983.Fonds consists of scrapbooks and slides. The scrapbooks contain news clippings of articles Francis Petrie wrote about Niagara’s history for the Niagara Falls Review. Petrie was a regular contributor to the newspaper. The title of each article is included. Some additional descriptive details about the article have been included when the title does not clearly state the topic of the article. Some other items are also included in the scrapbooks, such as invitations to local events or articles concerning Petrie’s family. The slides cover much of the Niagara Peninsula including Niagara Falls, Stevensville, Ridgeway, Fort Erie, Crystal Beach, Thorold, Merritton, Port Robinson, Allanburg, Port Colborne, Welland, Pelham, Fonthill, Grimsby, Beamsville, Smithville, Jordan, Ball’s Falls, Port Dalhousie, St.Catharines and Queenston. The slides contain many landmarks in the area, including local businesses, industries, public buildings, schools, churches, railways, power plants, tourist attractions and bridges. A presentation with slides titled “History of Welland County in slides” is also included