DRESDEN 1957 at Chatham-Kent Heritage Day
Join us on Saturday, February 21 between 10am and 3pm
DRESDEN 1957 will take part in the first annual Chatham-Kent Heritage Day on Saturday, February 21. Our exhibit will include historical artifacts, examples of news coverage, video clips about the disaster, and, of course, a chance to meet us in person!
Besides us, Heritage Day visitors will be able to meet a variety of authors who have written historical works of local and national significance, and a wide range of displays of Chatham-Kent's heritage associations, archives, and museums.
The Dresden disaster occurred during the first weeks of construction on a new water treatment plant. The project, led by the newly formed Ontario Water Resources Commission, included a 35-foot deep excavation for a pumping station beside the Sydenham River. On August 14, 1957, as the workers were almost finished pouring the concrete foundations for that structure, the pit collapsed. Five workers and their foreman were buried alive. It took 38 hours to recover all of the bodies.
I came across this story by chance when I learned that my late father had been the site engineer on the project. Chillingly, my father had foreseen the risk and made multiple attempts to have the site inspected before the fatal collapse. Joe and I have been working since 2023 to tell the stories of the disaster and the men who lost their lives, and restore this piece of Canadian - and Chatham-Kent - history.
“Heritage Day is an opportunity to explore the stories of our past and meet the people who are working to preserve them,” said Jim Griffin, exhibit coordinator for Chatham Kent Heritage Day. “Projects like DRESDEN 1957 allow us to honour the sacrifices of previous generations and give us an appreciation of what went into creating the communities we live in today.
Chatham Kent Heritage Day runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Derby Room at the Retro Suites Hotel, 2 King St. West in Chatham. Admission is free and there are activities for children.
Director Eric Philpott shows off the new DRESDEN 1957 banner for the Chatham-Kent Heritage Day event