Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Formation | January 6, 1824 |
---|---|
Type | Learned society |
The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) was the first scholarly or learned society in Canada. It was founded in 1824 by George Ramsay, Earl of Dalhousie, governor of British North America. Its headquarters are still located in Quebec City.
After several moves and two fires, the Society settled into the northern wing of Quebec City's Morrin College in 1868. The College closed at the turn of the 20th century but the Society stayed on, eventually taking over the entire building in 2004.
The Society's original aims were encyclopaedic, being founded in the infancy of Canada's cultural and intellectual development. The Society gathered historical documents about Canada and republished many rare manuscripts. Research in all fields of knowledge was actively encouraged. Talks were held in the Society's reading room, the best of which were published regularly in a quasi-annual series of Transactions from 1824 to 1924.
Over the years, the Society played a part in creating public institutions that would take over many of its traditional roles. For instance, it fostered the foundation of the Public Archives of Canada (today's Library and Archives Canada) in 1872. It was also active in the preservation of Canada’s built and natural heritage, helping to save the Plains of Abraham from developers and eventually fostering the creation of the Historic Sites and Monuments board of Canada.
With the growth of national public institutions, the Society’s activities gradually became centred on the services of its private lending library, providing access to English-language books in a largely French-speaking city.
In the 1990s, the Society reassessed its mission and sought to expand its cultural services to Quebec City's small English-speaking community. In 2000, it took on the Morrin Centre project, a plan to restore a 200-year-old historic site to create a cultural centre that will showcase Anglophone life in Quebec City.
Contents
Presidents of the LHSQ
<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
Transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec
- Transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec Vol. 1
- Transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec Vol. 2
- Vol.3
- Vol. 4
- Vol. 5
- Transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, Parts 8-12
- Part 13
- No.28
- No.25 - 30
External links
- Morrin Centre, managed by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec.
- Archival Index - Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, 1824-1924
- The centenary volume of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, 1824-1924, digitized copy of the Society's final publication of the 20th century.
- Literary and Historical Society of Quebec at The Canadian Encyclopedia
References
- Pages using columns-list with unknown parameters
- Pages using country topics with unknown parameters
- 1824 establishments in Lower Canada
- Culture of Quebec City
- History organizations
- Literary societies
- Organizations based in Quebec City
- Learned societies of Canada
- Organizations established in 1824
- Quebec Anglophone culture