Markham Community Makers
Markham Community Makers is back!
Makers are the new generation of do-it-yourself culture. Our grandparents and parents worked with manual tools to complete home repairs, paint, fashion clothing, cook, preserve, and garden and we continue in this tradition.
Maker Culture, a term first used almost 20 years ago, recognizes the interdisciplinary nature of the creative process. Makers typically support open-source design, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Earlier generations of Makers relied on reference books, manuals, and magazines (such as Popular Mechanics) and perhaps their neighbours for knowledge, skill's and inspiration. The newest generations integrate creative skills with technology in new and multidisciplinary ways. They also work with global networks to research, find inspiration, and join supportive communities.
Official Refresh Opening: Saturday April 11, 2026
Our Community Makers
William Ellis Beebe was born in 1801. He established a blacksmithing business in Box Grove and worked as a blacksmith throughout his life. He married twice, first to Elizabeth Van Horn and later to Sarah Closson, and had sixteen children, many of whom contributed to the family business. Beebe also helped lay out village lots in Box Grove. He lived there until his death in 1838.
Jane Ogden (nee. Coulson) was born in Markham in 1866. She worked as a teacher in the Markham-Agincourt area, and created quilts in her spare time. She later married Nehemiah Ogden, a prominent member of the local Mennonite community, and had 3 children: Thomas, Gordon, Marion, and Isabel (m. Conley). Jane lived in Markham until her death in 1958.
Jacob Roth was born in Punkeydoodles Corners, Waterloo County, in 1896. He worked as both a farmer and a mechanic—skills that later influenced his sculptural work. He married Melinda Roth in 1920, and together they had four children: Stanley, Alice, Esther, and Clayton. At the age of 82, Roth moved to Ailsa Craig to live with his son Stanley. There, he filled his days creating sculptures in a workshop he built himself. His work reflects scenes of farm life and machinery, drawing on his lived experience. Roth created most of his sculptures between 1980 and 1989 and remained in Ailsa Craig until his death in 1995.
Christian Lehman Hoover was born in 1835 in Markham Township. He was the grandson of John Hoover, who immigrated to Canada from Pennsylvania in 1804. Hoover worked primarily as a farmer but took a break in 1854–55 due to illness. During this time, he created Fraktur—Pennsylvania German folk art that decorates documents such as birth and baptismal records with stylized lettering and colourful illustrations. After recovering, he returned to farming on the family homestead. Hoover married Suzannah Hoover and lived in Markham until his death in 1918.
KEVA is a simple building system that uses one brick to inspire the creative spirit in people of all ages and abilities. Precision milling of the hardwood bricks ensures they can be used for precise construction.
Join the other makers in this space and become part of our local community. Try one of our building challenges or create something new and unique with these bricks.