80th Birthday Celebration for City Library Building
The City Library is planning to celebrate this important milestone in the life of its wonderful building, and we are looking for your memories of it, when it was a department store. Do you remember Roscos – perhaps you worked there, shopped there regularly, or dined in the tearooms? And what of when it was owned by Milne and Choyce, the DIC and Arthur Barnetts?
C M Ross established his business in 1882 and in September 1928, after his death, this marvellous new department store was completed. It replaced the three buildings that served as the shop front on The Square, and linked through to other buildings on George Street and Coleman Mall. Roscos, as it became known, was one of the foremost department stores in Palmerston North, and the new three storied building epitomised the modern department store that was emerging around the larger centres of New Zealand.
Large display windows, roomy departments catering for the whole family and their needs, and excellent service, were the order of the day. The crowning glory was the new tearooms on the 2nd floor, catering for the all day shopper, with silver teapots, waitressed service, live music. It also provided a venue for important functions and events. The building served as a department store for over 60 years.
In 1996, newly renovated, it was opened as the City Library, a place that still retains some of the features of the original store as built in 1928. We are producing a booklet on the C M Ross and subsequent businesses and your reminiscences will help create a picture of this bygone era. If you have some interesting stories or memories to share, we would love to hear them, preferably in writing. Please contact Lesley Courtney, City Archivist at City Library, PO Box 1948, Palmerston North, phone 06 351 4100 or email archives@pncc.govt.nz
Local History Week 7-13 April: Our Speakers and Tour Guides
|
|
|
Marise Clark told us the history of one of the many former pits in Palmerston North, and the development of Pit Park, which is already beginning to show signs of what it will become thanks to the hard work of the Friends of Pit Park. Jim Lundy then took us into the Hoffman Kiln and talked about the part it has played in Palmerston North's history. A marvellous illustration of the importance of 'ordinary things'! |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Douglas Lloyd Jenkins and Peter Wells double billed to give us a wonderful look at 'The Importance of Ordinary Things' in our life and Frank Sargeson's cottage in Takapuna. They finished the evening with a book signing. We were spoilt for choice about what, from these two marvellous authors, we should buy. |
|
Starting with an indepth look at All Saints Church in Church Street, Brian Ibell lead us on an historical walk and talk through the centre of the city, ending at St Patricks' Cathedral in Broadway. What a history we have around us, if we care to look about. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| An enthralled crowd listened to Jenny Pattrick introduce us to her new book 'Landings', based on the Whanganui River area. A must read for lovers of local history. |
|
Charles Forbes took us for a tour of our own Regent Theatre, beautifully retored in in the 1990s. What a wonderful theatre and fantastic resource for our city. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Mervyn Dykes gave a lively talk on the importance of history to himself, and how it plays a part within all our lives. Speaking of some of our local history makers - past and present - he emphasised that we are all history makers in our way. |
|
Dr Jock Phillips, General Editor of Te Ara, Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand, was our guest speaker at the launch of Pataka Ipurangi. He took us on a tour around the evergrowing Te Ara content. What a marvellous resource for the country! |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Pamela Benson took us on a tour of the Art Deco buildings in Central Palmerston North, pointing out the characteristics of this 1930s architectural style, and alerting us to the rich history we have in our buildings. So don't forget to look up when you are out and about. |
|
Clive Akers spoke on early rugby in the Manawatu area, and the vital part we have played in the history of the game. Did you know Palmerston North was the home of Charles Monro, who introduced rugby to New Zealand, and of E W Secker who wrote 'On the Ball'? |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Margaret Tate walked us around Savage Crescent, talking about the architecture of the houses. A beautiful day for a walk and a fascinating insight into the philosphy behind 1930s state housing. (Photograph courtesy of Manawatu Standard) |
|
Lesley Courtney talked about the houses and the families of many lovely old homes that have been absorbed into what is now Massey University, evoking memories for many of the audience. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Debi Marshall Lobb gave us a wonderful insight into being Maori and growing up in Palmerston North in the 1960s and 1970s, through the telling of her own story. |
|
A large crowd turned out to listen to Jill White, speak about 'The City and the River 1941-2006', in which she discussed the Manawatu River and how its relationship with the City and its people is changing. A fascinating start to Local History Week. |
History of Palmerston North and Surrounding Areas
The town of Palmerston had its official beginning on October 3, 1866, based on a plan created by the government surveyor, J T Stewart. Palmerston was created in the North Island region named Te Ahu-a-Turanga by the Rangitane people who, along with other Maori, had lived in the area for many hundreds of years. From a starting population of nine surveyors and with the addition of the word North to distinguish it from a South Island town of the same name, Palmerston North has grown to the vibrant city of 75,000 people it is today.
Local History at the Palmerston North City Library
The local history collections in the Palmerston North City Library and Ian Matheson City Archives have many resources, both published and unpublished, for anyone looking to find out more about the history of the region. Whether you are looking for details of your grandparents' wedding in Palmerston North; to learn more about your family history; information for a study project on a subject such as the Clock Tower in the Square; or simply want to learn more about the Manawatu region and its peoples, we can help.
Starting Your Research
The Palmerston North City Library has professional librarians and archivists who are happy to assist and guide you with your research:
Palmerston North History - Timeline
Do you know when the first motorcar came to Palmerston North? Or that the settlement used to be called simply Palmerston without the word North? For these dates and many more events you can explore the timeline of City History through the link above. It lists many of the major events and people from the history of Palmerston North from before the founding of the settlement to present day.
The first car arrived in August 1902 and for the first addition of the word North to the settlement's name have a look in 1871 when the population of our fair 'City' was only 25 people!
2007 saw the beginning of a digitisation project to improve access to some of our historical resources. As a part of this project the City Library and Archives have brought together a number of resources depicting the history of the Clock Tower in the Square.
The Clock Tower has been a landmark in the Square since it was donated to Palmerston North by Arthur Hopwood in 1955. Materials gathered here include newspaper articles, photographs, plans and City Council correspondence, as well as a timeline.
Microfilmed Newspapers
The Library holds over 50,000 issues of local newspapers on microfilm and microfiche from as early as 1877. The collections listed below are generally continuous but may be missing some issues, particularly before 1900. The newspapers include:
- Manawatu Evening Standard (daily: 1883 - present)
- Manawatu Daily Times (daily: 1877 - 1963)
- Tribune (weekly: 1964 - present)
- Guardian (weekly: 1972 - 1984, 2002 - present)
To view these newspapers, ask at the New Zealand and Pacific Islands Zone on the 2nd floor. If you need copies of microfilmed newspapers, or other microform materials, we offer the following services for a small fee:
- printing
- scan and email
- scan and burn to CD-ROM
Newspaper Index
The library has an index to the Manawatu Standard – this index covers births, deaths, marriages and articles of local historical interest. The index is in two parts:
- c1883 - c1992 is indexed on card and available in the New Zealand and Pacific Islands Zone
- 1992 - present is indexed on an electronic newspaper index that is available online
Please note, the card index is in the process of being computerised so in time all entries will be electronically searchable. However, this project will not be completed for a year or so. Also, while coverage for births, deaths and marriages from the current decade is complete, many recent newspapers have not yet been indexed for local history articles.
Newspaper Tutorial
The following is a brief tutorial on how to use the newspaper index and an example of the information that may be found within it:
| To find information on George Matthew SNELSON – a founding father of Palmerston North and one of the early Mayors of our city - check the index cards under SNELSON. The index has a number of cards headed SNELSON, George Matthew which list a total of 13 articles. |
 |
| To read abouth Mayor SNELSON's funeral look at the fourth entry on the example card above that reads “Account of funeral, 4-11-01, 3(1)” This means there is an account of the funeral for Mr Snelson in the Manawatu Evening Standard issue from the 4th November 1901 on page 3 in the first column. |
 |
- Having found an article in the Manawatu Evening Standard, the same date or close to it could be checked in the Manawatu Daily Times (before 1963) – Palmerston North’s other local newspaper in earlier days. This paper may contain additional coverage of the same event.
Cemeteries and Crematorium Database
If you are looking for a person who has been buried or cremated locally, then you may find useful the Palmerston North City Council Cemeteries and Crematoria Database which is available to search online. The database includes records for the following cemeteries:
- Kelvin Grove
- Terrace End
- Ashhurst
- Pahiatua District
Entries may include such useful information as plot location, age at death, occupation and funeral director.
