Orval Shaw Comes Home to Chatham: Join Me November 13
Some stories belong in the place where they happened. This Friday, I’m bringing Orval Shaw back to Chatham. On Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. , I’ll be presenting the story of Orval Shaw – The Bandit of Skunk’s Misery at the McKinlay Reception Centre, 459 St. Clair St., Chatham. The evening is hosted by Kent Branch Ontario Ancestors and the Kent Historical Society, and you can join us in person or online . Why Chatham? Because this is where Orval made headlines. In 1928 he broke out of the Chatham jail, and a police manhunt followed that has been described as the largest in Ontario’s history. Orval knew the Skunk’s Misery swampland near Newbury like the back of his hand, and he used it to vanish while police and civilian posses searched. Legend has it he laughed at them from the tree branches above. Over the years his name became known in more than 40 Ontario communities. He stole cars, wore disguises (including a British army uniform) and kept escaping, and ordinary people s...
