Digitizing the news for the next generation

By Bob Wood

Newspaper publication in Port Rowan goes back to the 19th century and residents will soon be able to access historic copies of local newspapers through the efforts of the Norfolk County Archives and the Port Rowan South Walsingham Heritage Association (PRSWHA).

Donna Fick, Kelly Saltzberry, and Heather Smith have almost finished scanning copies of the Port Rowan News that are in the PRSWHA archives.

“We started in February and we do this scanning at the Norfolk Archives in Simcoe on a special photographic stand and computer that they have there,” said Smith.

The equipment used is a Kirtas Archive Scanner purchased in 2023 at a cost of $20,000. The scanner allows users to digitize large format local papers, said Josh Klar, archivist at Norfolk County Archives.

“We are uploading other papers and making it keyword searchable,” says Klar, who added that they were happy to work with PRSWHA. “Collaboration is part of our mission.”

The papers were donated by many people—usually one copy at a time. PRSWHA would be interested in hearing from anyone with historic newspapers. They have no papers from the 1940s, for example.

“They are fascinating! The advertising for Port Rowan businesses, stories of shipwrecks, fires and crimes… as well as more mundane matters like church and school activities,” said Smith.

Port Rowan Good News follows other earlier local papers and was founded by Sharon Hazen in July 1989. The paper has been published every month since. In July 2010, Paul Morris became the paper’s second publisher.

Originally printed in the Good News, May 2025.