6 days ago
Maple Museum Hall of Fame inducts new members
Jun. 1—CROGHAN — The International Maple Museum Centre held its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony to honor people who have made important contributions to the Maple Syrup industry.
The American Maple Museum and Hall of Fame was established in Croghan in 1977 by a group of dedicated local maple producers. This year the parking lot was full of cars with out-of-state license plates for the event May 17. Maple syrup producers traveled from the states of Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont and of course the provinces of Ontario and Quebec to attend the 2025 Hall of Fame inductions. The weekend kicked off with a pancake breakfast at the museum; later in the morning the induction ceremony followed.
This year, the recipients were introduced by Ray Bonenberg of Pembroke, Ontario. The 2025 members of the Maple Hall of Fame are David Hamiliton from New Castle, Indiana and Timothy Wilmot of Underhill, Vermont.
David Hamiliton's introduction to maple was when he met and married Carol Ann Rutherford. The Rutherford Sugar Camp was started in 1911 by Lewis Rutherford, Carol's grandfather. In 1977, Carol and David took over the operation. In 1981 a new sugar house was constructed. The fifth generation is currently involved with the Rutherford maple operation. Dave has promoted and championed the maple industry in Indiana. He was a founder and charter member of the Indiana Maple Syrup Association. He served many years on the North American Maple Syrup Council and was national president in 2014 and 2015.
Timothy Wilmot is a researcher who has been affiliated with the Proctor Center at the University of Vermont. In 2002 he became the state of Vermont's new maple specialist.
Some of his research tackled sugar bush fertilization, locating invasive plants in the sugar bush, the possible presence of lead in maple syrup and the science of sap flow in trees. Most recently he has worked to improve gravity sap collection by using 3/16" tubing. He has traveled from Wisconsin to New Brunswick and throughout the maple region putting on training seminars and maple meetings.
The International Maple Museum is dedicated to preserving the maple syrup process and its history. It is located on Main Street and its hours of operation are 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Phone 315-346-1107 or visit the website for more information.
Keith Zehr welcomes the 2025 Maple Hall of Fame inductees. Photo provided by Maple Museum
