On June 18, the Seaway Senior Citizens Club hosted a captivating Lost Villages Presentation featuring Frank Burelle, a filmmaker, storyteller, and Community Engagement Coordinator at the Cornwall Public Library. Frank discussed the profound impact of the St. Lawrence Seaway flooding on the local villages and their inhabitants.
Burelle, who produced two full-length documentaries on the Lost Villages, shared fascinating insights from his interviews with over 50 villagers, canal workers, engineers, and construction workers. He also highlighted his documentary showcasing scuba divers exploring the underwater remnants of the villages.
“It was amazing speaking to the Seaway Senior Citizens Club. I’m never sure what kind of reaction I’ll get when I run this kind of event, but it was amazing. The group was interested and engaged. I loved it,” said Burelle. “My favorite topics were the stories people shared during my research for the documentaries. The stories are always my favorite part.”
Karen Douglass Cooper, Project Coordinator at Seaway Senior Citizens Club, remarked, “This event was for people with great memories of this community and the Lost Villages. Many people in the room have somememories of the Lost Villages and shared stories with our guest speaker. We do these historical talks quite often, but we’re going to do them even more often because there seems to be a lot of interest in the community for engaging with the past.”
