Preserving and Promoting Oakville's Heritage
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Phone: 905 844-2695

The Plaque Process

About our Plaques

The black and white Historic Building plaques that you see around town have
​been provided by the Historical Society for close to sixty years. They do not 
signify any kind of designation. Owners of buildings with a Society plaque are free to make whatever changes they wish to their building - provided it is not listed in included in the Oakville Heritage Register or contravene any laws or standards! The Society has no direct role in establishing, policing or enforcing those laws. 
Picture
Picture
If we don’t have any information in our archives, we check the online records. A change in value or a mortgage on a property usually indicates when the first building was put up and by whom. Other records such as early censuses or books usually give us the occupation of the first owner.

Some buildings have or had a plaque which has deteriorated and needs replacement. New and replacement plaques are made by Society volunteers and cost $200.

Having a plaque made for your building – be it a store, house or other structure – is easy. Simply fill in an Plaque Order Form. We have information and the date of construction on many of the buildings in town.

Plaque Process

  1. A Property Owner contacts us. We may also initiate the communication
  2. Research Property History 
  3. Consult with the owner on suggested wording
  4. Owner approves
  5. Create Plaque 
  6. Paint Plaque
  7. Install at no additional charge, or deliver plaque with installation instructions
  8. Photograph Plaque and Building
  9. Update OHS Records
  10. Invoice is sent or delivered.

(All this for just $200)

Once a Plaque is ordered, a dedicated team of volunteers starts working on the request. A file is created to keep track of historical documentation collected. This can include copies and originals of:
  1. Plaque order form
  2. Material we already have on file
  3. Letters and other correspondence
  4. Newspaper articles
  5. Land title searches
  6. Book articles and or citations
  7. Photograph of completed plaque
  8. Photograph of installed plaque
It is important to establish who built the building and when. We also want to establish some of the background of the builder.

We also like to delve into the history of people that lived or worked in the building.

Initially research is done within our own library and archives. This includes using the internet.

Visitors are welcome to visit and use books in our library. 
The plaques are now made of a waterproof material.

The plaques are designed using Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software and cut on a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) router.


To install the plaques, holes are drilled through the wide part of about 4 letters and/or numbers. 
​

After each coat of primer or paint, a plaque is set aside to cure. While one plaque is curing, another can be painted.

The backs are primed and then painted with two coats of white.

Plaque fronts receive a total of five coats:
  1. A white primer
  2. Two coats of white paint
  3. Two coats of black paint

​#6 Flat Head Black Trim screws are used. The small black heads of the screws are hard to see in the plaques.  

Shown are just some of over 200 plaques that have been produced since 1950.

Our volunteers will carefully instal your plaque.


You may visit our offices to see more pictures.

Picture

The surrounding pictures are from a 2014 display in our cottages during 2014.

Many volunteer hours go into producing fine displays and other work we do or would like to do. More help would be appreciated.
Picture
Picture
To see more plaques, visit our online listing.

Over time, plaques like most things, do wear out. Consider a replacement plaque, using hardier materials.

Sometimes when selling a home, the sellers will take an existing plaque with them. The replacement cost of a plaque is $200. 

Plaque Order and payment Forms
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2022 Copyright & Legal notice:
The content of the Oakville Historical Society's ("OHS") website is to be used for general information only. The Oakville Historical Society and its officers and directors, members, webmaster and any other person contributing to this website do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any material contained herein. The Oakville Historical Society specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to the use of this material or any results with respect thereto. The material contained in this website shall in no way be construed to constitute a recommendation by Oakville Historical Society Inc. The material contained within this website, except as otherwise indicated*, is owned by the Oakville Historical Society and is protected by copyright, trademark and/or other proprietary rights. You are free to copy and use the images herein for non-commercial purposes provided you give clear attribution to the Oakville Historical Society or the indicated copyright holder. Further details and restrictions are available here. Commercial uses are forbidden without OHS's or the copyright holder's written consent. Please use the Email Contact Form on the right side of our contact page and select Information as the topic.
  • HOME
  • Contact
    • DONATE
    • Internships
  • ABOUT
    • Our Story
    • Our Town
    • Our Downtown
    • Our Office and Grounds
    • The Thomas House
    • Our Interns
    • Our Sponsors
    • Our Plaques >
      • Plaque Process
      • Plaque Order and Payment
    • Supporting our Cadets
  • Publications and Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Reprints >
      • Beautiful Oakville - 1897
      • Garden of Canada - c1902
      • Telephone Book 1947
      • The Sumner Diaries
    • Audio Video >
      • Videos of Life in Early Oakville
      • Oakville Heritage Moments
    • Links
  • Collections and Exhibits
    • Archives, Photos and Libraries
    • Stories
    • Village Essays
    • Website
    • Basket Factory Memorial Plaques
    • War >
      • First World War
      • First World War Poppies Exhibit
      • Ontario Farmerettes
      • Munro Letters
    • Health Care As It Was >
      • Health Care As It Was - Continued
    • Oakville Images
    • Plaqued Houses and Buildings
    • Town of Oakville Online Collections
  • Membership
    • Join, Renew or Update
    • Why Be A Member
    • Our Volunteers
  • Activities
    • Speakers' Nights
    • Guided Walking Tours
    • Self-guided Walking Tours >
      • Downtown Oakville Historical Walk
      • Erchless Estate
      • Navy Street
      • Old Oakville
      • Trafalgar Road Heritage Conservation District
      • Trafalgar-Allan Corridor
      • Lot 12
      • Historic Reynolds
    • Black History Month
    • Indigenous History Month
    • Ghost Walks >
      • Survey
      • Photo and Video Submission
      • Photos 2022 Ghost Walks
      • Photos 2010 - 2022, Reviews 2016 - 2018
      • Reviews 2022 Ghost Walks
      • Volunteer for Ghost Walks
      • Ghost Stories
      • Video Ghost Stories
    • Doors Open
    • Culture Days
    • Historic Places Days
    • Yard Sale
    • Mayor's Historical Picnic
    • Family Activities >
      • Family Day
      • Annual Family Activities
      • Colouring >
        • Jigsaw Puzzles
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • Fine Art Prints
    • Shop Order Form
    • Art of Oakville
    • Payment