Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

Lambton County Museums Logo

Contact Us
  • Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Museum @ Home
    • Virtual Education
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Oil Museum of Canada
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Get Involved
    • News
    • About Us
  • Lambton County Archives
    • Visit the Archives
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Blog
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Donate

old village house made of wood

The Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and City Builder

More
Home...LearnLambton Heritage HighlightsThe Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Phila...
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

(White and black portrait style photo of Maude Hanna wearing a string of pearls and a spotted top. Image Caption: "Portrait of Maud Hanna, 1939, from Glen C. Phillips, Sarnia More Picture History."), link.Celebrated philanthropist and city builder Maud Hanna grew up in Sarnia. Her father, Robert MacAdams, was owner and editor of the Sarnia Canadian newspaper. She married long-time politician and Imperial Oil president William John Hanna in 1896. Unfortunately, W.J. Hanna died on March 20, 1919. Already in poor health, he was devastated by the accidental death of his son, Lieutenant William Neil Hanna, nine days after the end of the First World War. W.J. Hanna left a two million dollar estate to Maud and their two daughters. Possessed of wealth and conviction, Maud got to work.

Both modest and reserved, Maud Hanna avoided publicity. This did not stop her from vigorously opposing or favouring city policies. She was passionate about the environment and strongly against the destruction of stately old trees. In a 1935 speech she regretted that “most of the beautiful trees of the city had been cut wastefully within the last few years” and made an “urgent plea for a tree-planting campaign.” She wrote a respected booklet about wildflowers and founded the Sarnia Horticultural Society in 1920. Hanna provided the land for the Horticultural Gardens on College Avenue and helped establish rock gardens near the ferry dock.

(Lush green gardens with pastel flowers, a pond at the front and a path through it. In the background there is a red brick house. Image Caption: "The Horticultural Gardens, on land donated by Maude Hanna."), link.

Hanna was also passionate about providing opportunities for children. She donated land on Mitton Street to “be used as a public recreation ground to which all persons would have access at all times, free of charge.” This is now Hanna Park. Once a week for several summers, she provided free, supervised, rides for children along the Sarnia Street Railway to Lake Huron Beach Park.

Hanna’s commitment to the area’s natural attractions led to her most significant donation. In 1932, the City of Sarnia wanted to purchase waterfront property for a park. Hanna offered to match the City dollar for dollar. When 53 acres of sand and oak woods became available, Mayor James C. Barr convinced a cash-strapped, depression-era, council to accept her offer. The property that is now beloved as Canatara Park was purchased for $20,000, with $10,000 provided by Maud Hanna.

(The Sarnia Street Railway. A busy day with lots of people in the park, the brown rail way car sits on its tracks. To the left is a building with a red roof. Image Caption: "Maud Hanna provided free rides for children along the Sarnia Street Railway to Lake Huron Beach Park."), link.

Hanna was surrounded by trail-blazing women. Her sister, Roberta MacAdams, enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War and served as a military hospital dietician. In 1917 a special constituency was created for soldiers and nurses serving overseas. MacAdams was elected to one of two available seats. She was the second woman elected to a legislature in the British Empire and the first woman to pass a bill.

Independent and university-educated, Hanna’s oldest daughter, Margaret Spaulding, lived in the posh Toronto neighbourhood of Rosedale. Community-minded like her mother, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her community service during the Second World War. Spaulding became a passionate political activist and social democrat. She was critical of capitalism, supportive of civil liberties and human rights, and sympathetic to the plight of the common worker.

Margaret Spaulding shared her mother’s appreciation for lakeside recreation. She purchased a cabin from Huron County in 1930. It was floated to her cottage property on Lakeshore Road. The cabin was moved to Canatara Park in 1971 where it was enjoyed by Sarnians for almost fifty years. It was relocated to a new home at Lambton Heritage Museum in 2020.

Maud Hanna’s “practical idealism” produced lasting results. Hanna Park, the Horticultural Gardens, the beach at Canatara, and the city’s oldest trees exist because of her generosity and vision. Her quiet philanthropy contributed a valuable legacy to the City of Sarnia and benefitted numerous people and organizations. Hanna Memorial School was named in her honour.

Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
      Toggle Section Visit the Museum Menu
      • Accessibility
      • Group Tours
      • Gift Shop
      • Lambton Shores Farmers' Market
      • Woodland Heritage Trail
    • Events & Programs
      Toggle Section Events & Programs Menu
      • Events
      • Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
      • Return of the Swans
        Toggle Section Return of the Swans Menu
        • The Tundra Swan
        • Tundra Swan Migration
        • Thedford Bog
        • Tundra Swan Migration Calendar
        • Tundra Swan Trivia
        • Origami Swans
    • Exhibits
      Toggle Section Exhibits Menu
      • Current Exhibits
        Toggle Section Current Exhibits Menu
        • Historic Buildings
      • Upcoming Exhibits
      • Virtual Exhibits
        Toggle Section Virtual Exhibits Menu
        • The Farmerettes
          Toggle Section The Farmerettes Menu
          • Recruitment
            Toggle Section Recruitment Menu
            • The Uniform
          • Camp Living
          • Leisure Time
          • Food for the Cause
            Toggle Section Food for the Cause Menu
            • The Doodlebug
          • Farmerette Stories
            Toggle Section Farmerette Stories Menu
            • Shirleyan English
            • Mary (Barnaby) Fountain
            • Mary Gardner
            • Janet (Howes) Hassan and Dorothy (Livermore) Flannagan
            • Farmer Jack A. MacDonald
            • Dorothy (Seymour) Maxwell
            • Moira Philp
            • Gwen (James) Phillips
            • Mary (Pulak) Pirie
            • Marilyn Purcell
            • Roberta (Henderson) Schofield
            • Joan (Hill) Tovey
            • Helen (Abernathy) Finn
            • Joy Yule
            • Alexia Clark
            • Janet (Hawkins) Firman
            • Ursula Rosser
        • Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame
          Toggle Section Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame Menu
          • 2022 Carolynne Griffith
          • 2022 Charlie Srokosz
          • 2022 Mac Parker
          • 2021 Dona Stewardson
          • 2021 Kevin Marriott
          • 2021 Sid Fraleigh
          • 2020 Bert Vandendool
          • 2019 Leonard McNeil
          • 2017 Brandon Bros. Stables
          • 2017 Robert and John McCormick
          • 2016 Art Griffith
          • 2016 W.P. MacDonald
          • 2015 Raymond Moorhouse
          • 2015 Tony Noorloos
          • 2014 Jerry Tiffen Ferguson
          • 2014 Charles Lawes
          • 2013 Ralph Ferguson
          • 2013 Lorne Henderson
          • 2012 J. Edgar Evans
          • 2012 Russell Hazzard
          • 2011 John Goodison
            Toggle Section 2011 John Goodison Menu
            • Goodison Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • 2010 Lorne Gordon
        • Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton
          Toggle Section Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton Menu
          • Women Changing Roles
            Toggle Section Women Changing Roles Menu
            • The Evolution of Home Crafts
            • Changing Fashion, Changing Times
            • The Birth of Women's Rights
            • Women in the Military
          • Women Working Together
            Toggle Section Women Working Together Menu
            • The Temperance Movement
            • Bringing Art to Sarnia
            • Women's Institutes
            • Agricultural Societies and Fall Fairs
          • Local, Provincial & National Achievers
            Toggle Section Local, Provincial & National Achievers Menu
            • Teresa Altiman
            • Patricia Davidson
            • Charlotte Eleanor Englehart
            • Maud Hanna
            • Sadie Knowles
            • Pauline McGibbon
            • Maud Menten and Mary Jane Hutton
            • Eleanor Nielsen
          • Women at Work
            Toggle Section Women at Work Menu
            • Businesswomen Through Time
            • Agricultural Bees
            • Unusual Jobs
            • A Working Hymn
            • Telephone Operators
          • Women Who Provide
            Toggle Section Women Who Provide Menu
            • Guarding Family Knowledge
            • Early Nurses in Training
            • Family Ties in First Nations Communities
          • Women Sharing Wisdom
            Toggle Section Women Sharing Wisdom Menu
            • Teaching in the Community, Women's Institute
            • Teaching in the Home, 4-H
            • Teaching in the Classroom
          • Guiding Beacons
            Toggle Section Guiding Beacons Menu
            • City of Sarnia
            • Enniskillen Township
            • Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston
            • Municipality of Lambton Shores
            • St. Clair Township
            • Town of Petrolia
            • Town of Plympton-Wyoming
            • Township of Dawn-Euphemia
            • Village of Oil Springs
            • Village of Point Edward
            • Warwick Township
          • Thank You
        • Lambton At War
          Toggle Section Lambton At War Menu
          • The Rebellion of 1837-1838
          • The Fenian Raids and the Boer War
            Toggle Section The Fenian Raids and the Boer War Menu
            • Fenian Raid Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • Boer War Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • The First World War
            Toggle Section The First World War Menu
            • WWI Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • Remembering War
            • The Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie
            • Charles Oliver Fairbank
            • The 149th Battalion
              Toggle Section The 149th Battalion Menu
              • First Nations in the 149th
          • The Second World War
            Toggle Section The Second World War Menu
            • WWII Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • The Gibson Girl
            • A Legacy of Poetry and the Written Word: Malcom Moncreif MacDonald
          • Modern Conflict
            Toggle Section Modern Conflict Menu
            • Brent Poland Artifacts
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
      • Past Exhibits
        Toggle Section Past Exhibits Menu
        • Capturing the Moment: Photography in Lambton County
        • Memories of Rural Life
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
        • North Lambton Quilter's Guild Show
        • Paint Ontario
    • Collections and Research
      Toggle Section Collections and Research Menu
      • Researcher Access
    • Learn
      Toggle Section Learn Menu
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • A County Named for Radical Jack
        • The Lambton County Crest
        • Ask A Curator Day
        • Pressed Glass
        • The Blue Water Bridge
        • The Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and City Builder
        • Summer Nights at the Lakeview Casino
        • Sweet Maple Sugar
        • A Tale of Two Tunnels: The St. Clair Tunnel
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
      • At Home Activities
        Toggle Section At Home Activities Menu
        • Interactive Schooldays
        • Make a Photo Cube
        • Make a Sampler
        • Crazy Quilt Collage
        • Fall Apple Craft
      • Education Programs
        Toggle Section Education Programs Menu
        • Interactive Lessons
        • Live Sessions
        • In-Person Programs
        • Travelling Trunk
    • Museum @ Home
      Toggle Section Museum @ Home Menu
      • Activities
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
        • The Kettles of Kettle and Stony Point
        • Samuel Smith: Early Surveyor of Lambton County
        • Crunch! A Bite About Our Apple Industry
        • Ask a Curator Day September 15, 2021
        • Collection Highlight: Outerwear and Accessories
        • Looking into Lambton’s Closet
        • The Monarchy in Lambton: A Royal Fascination
      • Virtual Tours
    • Virtual Education
      Toggle Section Virtual Education Menu
      • Interactive Lessons
      • Live Sessions
      • Virtual Tours
      • Museum @ Home
    • News
    • Get Involved
      Toggle Section Get Involved Menu
      • Canatara Cabin Fundraising
        Toggle Section Canatara Cabin Fundraising Menu
        • Canatara Cabin Supporters
      • Membership
      • Volunteering
      • Artifact Donation
      • Support the Museum
    • About Us
      Toggle Section About Us Menu
      • Acknowledgement of Ancestral Lands
      • Our Story
      • Facility Rentals
      • Contact Us
      • Services

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

County of Lambton logo

About Us

Lambton County Museums is the home of Lambton Heritage Museum, the Oil Museum of Canada, and the Lambton County Archives.

Website

  • Lambton Heritage Museum
  • Oil Museum of Canada
  • Lambton County Archives

Resources

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Website Feedback

Discoveries that Matter Logo

Copyright © Lambton County Museum 2020

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Accessibility
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.