Deep River Mayor Sue D’Eon, members of council and town staff, Deep River police and firefighters, and special guest Steffanie Adams gathered at the town hall Friday for a flag raising in commemoration of Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Adams is a professor at George Brown’s School of Architectural Studies and is the principal investigator in a study called “Finding Their Voices: A Study in Indigenous Archeological Architecture.”
The project is aimed at trying to uncover the legacy of Deep River’s original Indigenous residents and to paint a picture of what the village by the Ottawa River looked like prior to the creation of the Deep River townsite.
The Adams cabin, located at the Deep River Yacht and Tennis Club, is the only structure still remaining from that era, but there were many other Indigenous families whose homes dotted the shoreline.
Along with being the research lead, Adams is also one of the grandchildren of David and Mary Adams, who raised eight of their 12 children at the cabin.
Adams was in town with some of the research team to take detailed scans of the cabin and said it was “a real honour” to be asked to take part in the flag raising.
“We look forward to being continuing active members of the community,” she said.
Adams said recently she is pleased to see the support for the project from people in the broader community.
“I don’t think I could have imagined it being so positive from all the stakeholders,” she said, adding so many people, apart from the ancestors of the original families who once lived here, have taken an interest in the study.
“It’s sparked an historical pride in everybody. I’m amazed at how everybody wants to know all the stories.”
The study has a three-year timeline, with a completion date targeted for the middle of 2026.
A description of the project is available on the “Local History” section of the Deep River Library website, along with a video of a presentation Adams made about the work so far in March 2023.
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