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Preston Mennonite Church (Cambridge, Ontario) Anniversaries
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Elm tree plaque at Preston Mennonite Church

Plaque for the old elm tree at Settlers Fork Park on display at Preston Mennonite Church. Plaque reads: "In 1800, the first permanent settlers began to arrive in this general area. They were mostly Mennonite families from Pennsylvania who had travelled here by horse-drawn conestoga wagons. The confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers indicated to these pioneers that they had arrived at their destination. Their family names were Bechtel, Betzner, Biehn, Bock, Kinzie, Reichert, Sherk and Wismer. Nathaniel Dodge, a fur trader and former squatter, also settled in the area at this time. The original settler on this site was Joseph Bechtel who arrived in 1802, and who was ordained a Mennonite minister in 1804." Includes three photos and one painting of the elm tree and a a note that reads: "Erected by the 200th Anniversary Committee of the Preston and Wanner Mennonite Churches 2000." Caption in album reads: "The Elm Tree Plaque. The Plaque and Settlers Fork Park Signs were removed to Preston Mennonite Church after ceremony."

Mennonite Churches of Cambridge 200th Anniversary photograph album

  • CA MAO XV-78
  • File
  • 15-17 Sept 2000

Album of photos taken during the 200th Anniversary celebrations of the Mennonite Churches of Cambridge (Wanner and Preston Mennonite Churches) from September 15 to 17, 2000.

The weekend began on Friday night with a banquet and program at Fairview Mennonite Home. Saturday featured a picnic and program at Linear Park. A portion of this park was on this day was renamed Settlers Fork Park. A commemorative plaque was unveiled for the stump of an old elm tree at the park, and clocks made from the tree's wood were presented to representatives of the Preston and Wanner churches. This was followed by tours of the Pioneer Tower, Sherk homestead, Blair, Hagey, and Wanner cemeteries, and Preston and Wanner Mennonite churches. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a joint worship service and finger food lunch at Preston Mennonite Church.

Hagey, Sherwood