The Wentworth Historical Society protested that a “great historical mistake” would be made should the government erect a monument on a site that was not linked with the turning-point in the engagement. Calder subsequently placed the property in trust for the women’s society until the government required the land. Through the influence of her friend and ally in the House of Commons, Andrew Trew Wood*, whose first wife was also a granddaughter of James Gage, the minister of militia and defence, Frederick William Borden, accepted the offer. She then offered the government of Canada, on behalf of the women’s society, land for a monument. Calder had previously purchased four acres of the Gage farm, paying $900 down and assuming a mortgage for $1,000. Their action caused such friction that the ladies’ committee, at Calder’s urging, dissociated from the parent society and incorporated itself in May 1899 as the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society. Calder and some of her associates, convinced that the men were short-sighted in their choice of sites for both the monument and the museum, took control of the money. This profit became the committee’s ace in the dispute over the location of the memorial. Mrs Calder envisioned building on this hill a monument whose size and visibility would awaken the Canadian historical consciousness and communicate the aspirations of the imperial ideal.Īs first president of the society’s ladies’ committee, formed in May 1895, Calder proved her administrative capacity in November when she organized a week-long exhibition which raised over $1,000 for a history museum in Hamilton. The knoll, situated across the road from the Gage property, lacked the prominence of the hill to the rear of the homestead. She was a granddaughter of James Gage*, the War of 1812 veteran who owned the homestead at Stoney Creek that had been occupied by the Americans in a major battle on 6 June 1813, and she had grown up under the influence of the heroic view of loyalism. A founding member of the Wentworth Historical Society in 1889, she opposed the recommendation of an all-male committee that the battle be commemorated by the erection of a monument on Smith’s Knoll, where the British had successfully stormed the Americans’ artillery. 1901) in Buffalo, N.Y., and they had seven sons and two daughters d. 16 March 1914 in Hamilton.Įducated in Hamilton, Sara Beemer married John Calder, a clothier, whose prominence helped give her the opportunity to become involved in the organized movements and philanthropies of her Anglo-Canadian culture. 19 Aug. 1846 in Hamilton, Upper Canada, daughter of Levi Beemer, a jeweller and watchmaker, and Ann Eliza Gage m. And a BMW with a lost or broken key is a pain in the neck.BEEMER, SARA GALBRAITH (Calder), philanthropist b. A BMW motor cycle is a Beamer or a Beemer. So with a stroke of ingenuity, the word Bimmer came into play. However, BMW motorcycle purists were unimpressed by the name Beemer being used to describe four-wheeled vehicles. It is thought this was partly due to the self-satisfied BMW owners who were perceived as driving around with smug smiles – or beams – on their faces! Over the years, the term Beemer (or Beamer), has been adopted into everyday language and is even listed in the urban dictionary.Īs interest in BMW cars grew, particularly with the trendy, upwardly mobile population, the term Beamer was also applied to the manufacturer’s cars. On the race circuit, BMW and BSA bikes were rivals, and on the track, earned the nicknames of ‘Beemers’ (BMWs) and ‘Beesers’ (BSAs). If you’re an enthusiast, you’ll know BMW’s roots were in motorcycles, and the cars came later. But we thought this gem of pretty useless information from the motor world was worth a share! Don’t you just love trivia? Of course, if you need replacement car keys for your BMW, you won’t be much interested in what people call your choice of vehicle.
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