New plaque to be dedicated in honour of historical plaque
by Bamsyn Burgmann
There is an old plaque hanging off the side of W&K’s Food Basics on Barrack Street. It is an understated plaque; much of the bronze has been rubbed away, and it is hard to discern most of the lettering. Facing a generously sized parking lot, it acts as a good-natured and yet noble reminder of the early history of Kingston.
The plaque is in honour of Orlando Sampson Strange, MD, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Kingston. Born on June 13, 1826 to a Scottish merchant family, he studied medicine for two years at Queen’s University, which was then called Queen’s College. Later on, he was part of the group that founded the Queen’s Faculty of Medicine. Strange practised medicine for 30 years in Kingston, and became one of the governors of Kingston General Hospital. He died in 1909, and the aforementioned plaque was dedicated in his honour 37 years later.
1946 was a busy year for Canada, and Kingston especially. World War II had only just ended, and the Cold War was barely starting to lower in temperature. The Queen’s University Observatory was in the midst of being demolished to make way for McLaughlin Hall, and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve was busily changing its name to the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve. In honour of one of the great men who built the town and enabled so many Kingston boys to be treated by Queen’s alumni overseas, Orlando Sampson Strange’s plaque was hung on the Barrack Street storefront where he had practised medicine decades before. The plaque was moved to the Food Basics on the other side of the street in 1974, when its original address was bulldozed to make way for an LCBO.
For the 60th anniversary of the plaque, the Kingston Historical Society has recently decided to move it to its original location, and to commemorate the move with an additional plaque in honour of the first. This new plaque will follow the history of the 60-year-old plaque, and describe the materials used to construct it. Quotes from the plaque will also be included, as well as historical photos of the plaque’s dedication.
The dedication of the new plaque will be taking place at 2pm on March 1st in the parking lot of the LCBO at 34 Barrack Street. Following the ceremony will be a reception hosted by Kingston Historical Society president Maurice Smith. “We wanted to preserve the plaque, to allow future residents of Kingston to be able to appreciate Kingston heritage,” said Smith in a press release promoting the upcoming ceremony. “We plan to restore the plaque in the summer of 2006, but for now, we’re just happy to return it to its original home.”