{"id":15,"date":"2009-02-12T06:57:31","date_gmt":"2009-02-12T05:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mtloftyhistorycentre.wordpress.com\/?page_id=15"},"modified":"2025-09-19T15:21:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T05:51:42","slug":"our-collection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=15","title":{"rendered":"Our collection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Mount Lofty Local and Garden History Centre houses an extensive collection of photographs and documents which record the places, people and events that have occurred in the region since first European settlement. Uniquely, it provides a focus on both garden history and local towns and people.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few examples of what can be found in our current collection:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stories of the activities and experiences of the earliest European settlers, from the Tiersmen who felled the stringy bark forests to the first hotel and grog shanty proprietors and the immigrants moving through the ranges to land around Mount Barker, have also emerged in the written records of pioneers. Small settlements grew at resting points and crossroads \u2013 Crafers, Stirling, Aldgate, Bridgewater, Mylor \u2013 and small businesses grew within these settlements.<\/li>\n<li>As part of Australia&#8217;s Federation celebrations, the Society developed a comprehensive record of the political development of the region, including participation in the drafting of Australia\u2019s constitution and legislation for justice for women and the&nbsp;long-standing engagement in political life by several local families \u2013 Downer, Hawker, Evans and Playford.<\/li>\n<li>As part of the&nbsp;\u201cSharing their Legacy\u201d project funded by the Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs, the Society has established a significant collection of war records of local men and women who served the country from the Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, Korea&nbsp;and contemporary conflict.<\/li>\n<li>Diaries and letters of early settlers recording the activities of&nbsp; the Kaurna and Peramanjk Peoples who used the highest points of the Mt Lofty ranges for ceremonial, meeting and trading purposes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The quality and significance of our collection has been recognised by the Australian National Library with two recent grants to enable our archive team to establish best practice systems to preserve and enhance the collection.<\/p>\n<p>But as you can imagine there are many gaps. We welcome people willing to assist us in developing the collection, and we are always keen to hear from both former and present residents who can provide us with information and more material for our collection. &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=676\">Contribute to the collection<\/a> &nbsp;Our collection also includes tape recordings, maps, books and journals.<\/p>\n<p>A popular feature for visitors to the History Centre is a series of topic-based folders which is expanding as new interests emerge and information is discovered. These folders are first \u2018port of call\u2019 for both serious and casual researchers.<\/p>\n<p>Our Archive includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Written Notes and Documents from Individuals, Researchers, Businesses and Clubs<\/li>\n<li>Photographs, Slides and Videos<\/li>\n<li>Oral History Interviews<\/li>\n<li>Newspaper Clippings<\/li>\n<li>Books, Maps and Artefacts<\/li>\n<li>Our own Flinders Column magazines<\/li>\n<li>Publications and Books for purchase<\/li>\n<li>Special Collections including;- the Morley Collection, Lothian Collection, Chardon Collection, War Documents &amp; Memorabilia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Our website also includes short articles on a wide variety of topics designed to whet your appetite.  Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Gateways&#8221;<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Glimpses&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mount Lofty Local and Garden History Centre houses an extensive collection of photographs and documents which record the places, people and events that have occurred in the region since first European settlement. Uniquely, it provides a focus on both garden history and local towns and people. Here are a few examples of what can &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=15\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Our collection&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":64,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PaNLq6-f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=65","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":0},"title":"Our gardens","date":"February 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Adelaide Hills is known for its historic and beautiful gardens, from the splendour of private gardens associated with the elaborate 19th Century summer houses of some of South Australia\u2019s most famous families, to the prolific market gardens that underpinned the local economy. The history of gardens and gardening forms\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/110-mount-lofty-summit-road-crafers-e1072eda-8aca-4477-bdc4-be9c4a514760-800x600-0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":64,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=64","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":1},"title":"About","date":"February 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Our Aim:\u00a0 \u201cUncover,\u00a0preserve and publish the history of the Mount Lofty Districts.\u201d The Mount Lofty\u00a0Districts Historical Society takes its name from Mount Lofty, one of South Australia\u2019s best known landmarks, overlooking the city of Adelaide. The MLDHS was established in 1978 at the suggestion of a former chairman of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1583,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1583","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":2},"title":"Our Latest Acquisitions","date":"March 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Return to Gateways Topics The Mt Lofty Districts Historical Society relies primarily on the donation of items for our archive from local residents, schools, businesses, government and clubs and sometimes from further afield. A small portion of our document archive in the Coventry Library Unfortunately our limited space means that\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/unnamed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=26","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":3},"title":"Publications","date":"February 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Coming in 2026..........\"Beyond Mount Lofty\"........... a new book from author Robert Martin which takes up the story of the region's history from where \"Under Mount Lofty\" finished in 1996. Find out more and check out the on-line \"glimpses\" here Regular publications for members The Flinders Column \u2013 the Society\u2019s principal\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/untitled1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=29","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":4},"title":"Visiting the centre","date":"February 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The public area and displays at the Mount Lofty Districts Local and Garden History Centre provide a wealth of freely available information on the history of the area, which is accessible whenever the Coventry Library is open. You will also find one of our volunteers in the History Centre, Tuesdays\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/img_4675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1284,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1284","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":5},"title":"St Vigeans","date":"August 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Image MLSHS Archive 832-5 (photo ES Booth). Text Karen Agutter and Ann Herraman St Vigeans was built in the early 1880s by Dr Edward Charles Stirling who named the property after the Scottish town where his father had gone to school. Photo: MLDHS Archive Sir E C Stirling in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3914,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions\/3914"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}