Kinmount historian Guy Scott remembered for a lifetime of storytelling

After local historian and Kinmount resident Guy Scott died last week, those who worked with him in the community are remembering his many contributions.

Scott’s wife, Lori Scott, made an announcement about his death on Facebook last week. “It is with a heavy heart I share that Guy Scott, passed away suddenly, this morning. Scotty was a kind, gentle person who was loved by all who knew him. He was our family historian, a storyteller, a political junkie (and) a huge supporter of the Kinmount Fair.”

Scott had written numerous books including History of Kinmount: A Community on the Fringe and The Story of the Kinmount Fair; the Fair with the Forward Look. 

He was a member and volunteer of many local groups not only in Kawartha Lakes but in Haliburton and Trent Lakes as well.

At the international Plowing Match, Guy spoke to the crowds about the history of railroads in the community. As a long-time associate of the Kinmount Railway Station and Museum, Scott loved to tell stories about the history of trains.

Scott had multiple articles published for the Maryboro Lodge Museum and The Kinmount Gazette, where he served as editor. He was a key supporter of the Kinmount Fair where he served as a long-term volunteer. At the 2017 fair he was named Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work and his role in promoting the Kinmount area.

Joan Abernethy knew Scott both personally and professional. Abernethy and Scott, along with Bill Bateman, founded the Ottawa Huron Tract History Association. The club created original exhibits about local history and heritage that they took to local fairs and service club over the last 10 years.

“One of our first adventures as founding directors was to produce a light-hearted comedy I wrote about Confederation on stage at the Kinmount Fair. Bill (Bateman) played Liberal George Brown and Guy played Canada’s first prime minister, Conservative John A. Macdonald. As an increasingly drunk John Macdonald, Guy raucously belted out several verses of Rule Britannia, to the uproarious laughter and applause of the audience,” Abernethy recalled.

Abernethy remembers Scott as someone who was simply passionate about local history and wanted to make sure it was accessible to everyone. “Guy was never more at home than when he was sharing stories of local history with visitors at local fairs. He was deeply committed to making local history available to members of our community in the more remote and rural parts of the city.”

Local historian and writer for The Lindsay Advocate, Ian McKechnie, said that Scott’s contributions to local history will be missed.

“Public history for Guy Scott was no mere academic exercise; it was grounded in conversations with his friends and neighbours, in the stories he had inherited as a child of storekeepers.”

McKechnie, Abernethy and Scott were all involved in the Victoria County Historical Society’s dinner to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of when the 109^th battalion of youths recruited from the area went abroad to fight in the First World War.

During this time McKechnie was curating a series of events for the anniversary. “Guy was an invaluable resource. He had family members who had made the trek from Kinmount into Lindsay en route to serve across the sea in the First World War, so the subject matter was near and dear to his heart.”

Glenn Walker, a member of the Maryboro Lodge Museum, wrote a tribute to Scott for the museum. “I met Guy Scott when I went on a tour that he was giving of the old, abandoned mines near Irondale. It soon became apparent what a special person he was. He had an understanding of the Kinmount region, past and present, that I doubt anyone will ever match,” Walker wrote.

“He really enjoyed touring me around the Kinmount region, going to ghost towns and showing me the historic sites of the region. I was always the sort of person that was inclined to stand back and observe what was happening. Guy was the opposite — wherever we went, he would walk right up to whoever was there and start a conversation,” Walker continued.

Walker enjoyed how Scott was able to find humour or irony in any situation, and that his stories will be deeply missed. “For many people it is hard to imagine Guy not being around anymore. We are fortunate for having had the opportunity to get to know him, and for the legacy that he shared with us all.”

Ward 3 Coun. Mike Perry knew Scott when they were growing up. “Guy was Kinmount to his core and did very important work keeping our area’s local history. I remember him at the Kinmout Fair every year — his strong, quiet presence. And when I’d see him in town at Dettman’s or the IGA, I knew he could tell me what stood exactly in those places 100 years ago,” said Perry.

“Guy, to me, was all about that roots-deep community that he spent his life documenting and making better. Thank you so much for that, Guy. He once said that ‘volunteerism is what makes small communities’ — and Guy Scott proved that every day,” Perry said.

A celebration of life will be held on May 9 at the Kinmount Fairgrounds with a visitation at Noon, followed by the ceremony at 1:30 p.m.