Welcome

In 1994, the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society was formed to honor the life and story of Beautiful Joe and the literary and humane achievements of Margaret Marshall Saunders.

The Beautiful Joe Heritage Society is working towards establishing an international tourist attraction and heritage site that promotes the ethics and values of the Beautiful Joe story written by Margaret Marshall Saunders.

Some of the projects the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society have been developing are: improvements to Beautiful Joe Park, creation of Paradise Island, a serene place in Beautiful Joe Park where your pet can be remembered with a memorial plaque, Beautiful Joe Museum, as well as several events held throughout the year. We invite you to look though our website for more information about our ongoing projects and upcoming events.

We rely on your generous support in reaching our goals. Please consider becoming a Friend of Beautiful Joe for only $20, or make a donation to the Society so that we may continue with our future plans. Volunteers play a big role at the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society. If you would like to donate some of your time, please contact us today.

Born in Nova Scotia, Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947) taught school briefly before starting her career as a novelist. Her second book, Beautiful Joe, achieved international recognition. Inspired during a visit to Meaford about 1892, it is based on the story of a dog rescued from a brutal master by a local miller, William Moore. This novel first published in 1894, appeared in several editions and enjoyed phenomenal success. It was printed in at least ten languages and seven million copies had been sold by 1939. Miss Saunders, who settled in Toronto in 1914 was awarded the C.B.E in 1934 in recognition of her contribution toward securing humane treatment for animals.

New Projects

The Beautiful Joe Heritage Society has been working on an accessibility project for Beautiful Joe Park. To view the proposed project, please click here.

The Beautiful Joe Heritage Society has also been developing a proposal to the Municipality of Meaford for a leash-free area for exercising dogs. To view our Leash-free Dog Park proposal, please click here. Your opinion is important to us. Please print a copy and take a few minutes to answer this 8-question survey below. The purpose of this survey is get feedback on a series of recommendations developed by a community Advisory Committee regarding proposed changes for Beautiful Joe Park and Improved Accessibility. The purpose of the suggested changes are made to improve full access to people of all ages and abilities, to share in the heritage and history of Meaford, Beautiful Joe Park, M. M. Saunders and Beautiful Joe.

Contact the Beautiful Joe Heritage Society at: 519 538-5895
E-mail: admin@beautifuljoe.org