Glencoe & District Historical Society 2016-2017 Programs

We are always willing to post program and event dates for other historical, heritage, and genealogical societies on our blog.

Nominating Committee Report 2015

Board Approved List of Nominees for Tyrconnell Heritage Society`s Board of Directors to be voted on at the Annual General Meeting on February 26, 2015.  Meeting starts at 7pm at the Backus-Page House Museum.

Robert Ellis
Ken Reinke
Susan Chapman-Reinke
Paula Grafstein
Austin Pitcher
Janice Ellis
Isabel Lewis
Betty McLandress

Behind The Scenes Sundays

from Angela Bobier, Cultural Manager

I wanted to make mention of three things we do from Backus-Page House Museum that you might not be aware of.  I call them outreach or community engagement.

On Wednesday, Melanie and I spent part of the day at Beattie Haven Retirement Home in Wardsville.  Approximately 40 people were in attendance for a delicious lunch and a guest speaker (me).  Melanie ran all the technical parts of the Power Point presentation while I talked for about 30 minutes at answered questions from the guests.
 
What we showed and spoke of was a brief background of the museum, and a slideshow tour of both the house and the barn so people had a taste of what they would experience when they visit in person.  We also took five of our kitchen and pantry artefacts plus the 20th anniversary society timeline of newspaper clippings and pictures as a small display.  Each guest received a small print of the Moorhouse Doll (artist Jenny Phillips), a copy of the doll's story, a membership/donation form, and some information about the museum and society.  Currently we don't have a set fee for talks like these, but a donation to the museum is always appreciated.  Our focus is to encourage in person visits.  Thank you to Beattie Haven for inviting us.

On our way back from Wardsville, we stopped at Bobier Villa in Dutton to take down the displays that Melanie had put up in July.  One featured our year's events and a reuse of last year's Accounts of a Hard Days Work photographs, graphics, and artefacts.  This showed actual prices of items that were purchased from the Wallacetown satellite store, Hockin and Poole in the 1890's.

    

The second display reused exhibit pieces and introduced a newer artefact for St. Peter's Anglican Church that is located just down the road from our museum and was built in 1827.  We appreciate Bobier Villa letting us fill the two spaces each year as a project for one of our summer student staff and I know they appreciate not having to come up with new ideas themselves.  I hope visitors, residents, and staff enjoy the historical information of the area.

Today my husband, John, along with Tyrconnell Heritage Society President Robert Ellis, Board Member Janice Ellis, and I will be representing the Backus-Page House Museum at Southwold's Remembrance Day Service in Shedden at the Keystone Complex.  I am very much looking forward to hearing Steve Peters' talk about St. Thomas being attacked by the Americans in November of 1814 during the War of 1812.

The committee who organizes this important annual service, contacted me over a year and a half ago for my assistance.  I was happy to help by asking the re-enactor friends and contacts I have made through hosting our past 1812 Events if they would attend.  Kim Lundberg, who re-enacts a First Nations warrior and Roy Winders who re-enacts a Captain of the British Indian Department are placing a wreath in honour of the veterans of the War of 1812.  The Goldsworthy family (who re-enact Americans) and other re-enactors will be attending as well and marching with the veterans.  They will also be staying afterwards to answer questions from the public.  Thank you to the committee for inviting us to participate and thank you to my re-enactor friends for agreeing to attend.  

While you are reading this post, please take a moment to thank all those who have served to protect our rights and freedoms, and those who remained to serve in others way on the home front.

If there is something we can do to assist you or your organization, I'd be happy to discuss the possibilities with you.  A community museum is successful when it contributes to the community as much as the community contributes to it.  Have a wonderful Sunday.
                                                                                                                          Angela
info@backuspagehouse.ca
519-762-3072

Behind the Scenes Sunday 3

Things Backus-Page House Museum staff were saying this week: "Does your computer have internet?  Nope.  (insert huge sigh here)"

The bane of my existence this week was dodgy internet.  Even when we could connect to it, it was so slow it took me over 3 hours to send one email.  They tell me there is an issue at the closest tower so if you send us an email or are expecting one from us, please have patience.  We didn't realize how many tasks require use of the internet until we lost it.  We couldn't even take credit card payments since it requires Wi-Fi.  Let's hope our technological issues are solved by Tuesday morning when we're back in the office. 

New to our collection this week is a Bible belonging to Robert Stevenson of Tyrconnell dated 1876.  It contains a pressed flower, marriage license to Sarah M. Crane and handwritten listings of the family births and deaths.  This item, along with a 1904 W.R.A. medal was donated by Jennifer (Stevenson) Worth, the great great granddaughter of Robert.  Jenny and I went through school together and her mother, Mary Jane Stevenson, volunteered with the Tyrconnell Heritage Society in the early days of the society.  Jenny recalls coming to the Backus-Page House with her Mom before all the renovations and being told to wear her work clothes.  Jenny was so excited to see the renovations complete and how we've furnished the rooms and maintained the grounds.  I was glad for the quick visit to catch up.    

 

Adding an item into our collection (called an accession) involves many steps.  When the item arrives, a Gift Form is filled out listing all the items being donated and the museum staff person and the donor sign the form, giving ownership to the Backus-Page House Museum.  I try to get as much information from the donor about their item(s) such as who it belonged to, where did they get it, how was it used and anything else they can tell me.  The next step is for me to decide whether the item will be added to our permanent or educational collection.  Educational means it can be handled and demonstrated and permanent means that it can be seen, but not handled. 

With the Stevenson Bible, I took the time to transcribe all the handwritten births and deaths for our records and for anyone interested in the genealogical information.  This way we can use or provide the information without opening the actual Bible.  I also included a copy of my transcriptions with a thank you letter to Jenny, similar to the letters we send to each and every donor. 

Every item in our collection has a worksheet for it with such information as measurements, description, history, maker, and most importantly what it's assigned accession number will be and where on the item that number is written.  The funniest description I have seen on one of our worksheets says "like the one the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee carries".  It's a desciption for a honey dipper!!   

The worksheet, gift form, and any other documentation pertaining to the artefact are filed in the current year's binder in order of accession number.  The accession number is written onto the item itself in an inconspicuous location.  Research is done to assign a monetary value to the item so we know the amount for the donor's charitable tax receipt.  These values are approved at the monthly board meeting by board motion and vote.   

Onto the computerized collection records: A photograph is taken and the computer file of the photograph is given the accession number as it's name, making it very easy to find.  The artefact is entered into the Collection Registry for the current year using only it's accession number, name of the item, and the donor's name.  All information on the worksheet is entered into the Master Card Catalogue database plus a digital scan of the gift form and photograph(s).  At this time I decide where the artefact will be placed whether that is inside the museum, the barn, the collection storage room, or for paper documents or photographs, the accessions filing cabinet in my office.  The location is an integral part of the Master Card Catalogue database.  

Once the item is in it's assigned location that ends the accessions process.  Charitable tax receipts are mailed out each February to our donors.  I hope this quick description gives you an idea of what happens after you donate something to us for the collection.  Moving an item through this process can take anywhere from an hour to all day if we have trouble finding information. 

Leave a comment below about other behind the scenes museum work or park management you would be interested in reading about and share all our posts on your social media accounts.  Thank you.

Don't forget Sunday Summer Teas 1-4pm in July and August.  $10 per person includes tea, baked goods in the parlour and a tour of the museum. 

Angela Bobier, Cultural Manager

Trivia Question CLOSED

Want to win a family admission pass to our Annual Heritage Farm Show? This is the last trivia question we will be posting. Answer correctly on our Facebook page and you could win a free one day Family Admission (2 Adults and 2 Children) for our 2012 Heritage Farm Show on September 15th - 16th. 

What do you think this tool was used for? Leave your answer on our facebook page for your chance to win!*

Click here to enter!

*Comments here will not be eligible for the contest

Register Your Equipment for the Heritage Farm Show

On September 15 and 16, 2012 the grounds of the Backus-Page House Museum will once again be filled with pieces of our agricultural past.  We invite you to bring your antique equipment, tractors, and displays, but make sure to register first so we can give you the space you need to showcase your treasures. 

Mail or email the registration form ASAP.  You can find the form under Heritage Farm Show on our Events page.   http://backuspagehouse.ca/Events.html

For more information contact the office info@backuspagehouse.ca or 519-762-3072

Farewell from Lori

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Tyrconnell Heritage Society Members,

As some of you may already know I have resigned my position as Cultural Manager here at the Backus-Page House Museum. My last official day on site was June 14th. I wanted to say thank you to all for your friendship and/or support over the years. It has been an honour and a privilege to have had the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of the Backus-Page House and to uphold and promote the mandate and mission statement of the Tyrconnell Heritage Society.

It has been an enriching experience albeit a very busy one. As I spent my final two weeks onsite, mentoring my replacement, I was reminded of the many benchmarks achieved during my tenure as Cultural Manager. The publishing of seventeen newsletters (expanded from the original 1 or 2 page format), the creation of a THS blog, the continuing upgrade of our website and the institution of a social media program including Twitter and Facebook are a reflection of a commitment to engage the public and the THS membership through all available avenues of communication. Since 2008 the administration has overseen volunteer contributions that have been estimated at well over 12,000 man-hours and seventeen local youth have been employed in seasonal positions. For the past two years the Backus-Page House site has enjoyed the distinction of qualifying for the CMOG program by meeting official Ontario community museum standards. The restoration of the rectory barn and the redesign of the Carriage House office area have provided additional display, administration and programming space.

The museum has welcomed thousands of guests each year who have enjoyed tours, teas, arts and craft shows, workshops on period cooking and corsetry and spinning, sumptuous meals of period cuisine, and lectures on the history of the fur trade in Canada and the effects of the local climate on the lifecycles of butterflies. The museum collection has grown through the accession of hundreds of artifacts and the program has been benefited by the digitalization of our collection registry. Looking to engage a broader demographic, an interpretative program for Carolinian flora and fauna was instituted.

 Over the past 4 and a half years our exhibit program has treated guests to “A Peek at Victoria’s Secrets”, a broad look at the industrial revolution, the secrets of midden treasures, interpretations of spinning and textiles in the Talbot Settlement, the community of signature quilts, the 150^th anniversary of the Wallacetown Fair and then the St Peter’s Church’s celebration, along with an overview of The War of 1812. By the way, don’t forget to stop by and see the current exhibit “Get Stuffed~ A Whimsical Look at the Victorian Anthropomorphic Taxidermy Tradition”. I hope you have as much enjoyment visiting the exhibit as I did researching and putting it together.

I have helped host meetings, special events, family reunions and weddings both large and small. I have welcomed summer day-campers, car tours, dedicated birders and Sunday drivers. I have spoken to guests who have travelled clear across the globe and marvelled that they had found their way from somewhere as far away as India, to this small site along the northern shore of Lake Erie. I hope you all will continue to find your way to “Little Ireland” on the Erie coast.

There have been many challenges along the way but it has allowed for a tremendous amount of growth. I have had the good fortune to encounter and work with some truly talented and dedicated people and for that I am grateful. I bid you all a fond farewell. I wish you all the very best in the future and once again thank you for your support over the past four and a half years. 

Sincerely,

Lori Milos-Ivanski