The Road to Culloden May 19 & 20

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays 

Welcome back everyone! Now the Backus-Page House museum is open again our regular hours. Tuesday through Friday 10am -4: 30pm, & Weekend and holidays 12 - 4pm. We hope to see you in for a tour! 

Mothers day weekend is upon us, have you gotten your mothers/sisters/aunts or motherly figures anything yet? Well this weekend is full of activities in Elgin County for you to experience! 

Sunday May 13th at the Kettle Creek Golf and Country Club in Port Stanley enjoy a mothers day brunch! From 9am-2pm, just call or email for reservations.

Another great event is mothers day open house at Mac Lilley Farms it’s a great way to spend some time with your Mom, wife, sister, that special lady in your life, or the entire family on Mother’s Day. 

If you live near Dutton, ON, take the family on a leisurely drive through the countryside to visit the mares and foals at a Standardbred breeding farm!

On Sunday, May 13, Mac Lilley Farms in Dutton, ON, will be opening their farm to the general public for a special Mother’s Day Open House, showcasing their mares, foals, stallions and facilities, providing a great opportunity for people who don’t normally have a chance to visit a horse farm to connect with the horses and the people in the Standardbred industry.

This event is FREE to the general public!

The Lilley family, who own and operate Mac Lilley Farms, have been in the business of breeding, training and racing Standardbred horses for over 45 years, with 57 broodmares, of which seven have foals on the ground, and five stallions on site.

Please contact (519) 762-3423 for more information.

What’s happening at the Museum?

Our next event at the museum is The Road to Culloden! A Scottish Living History Weekend! Saturday May 19th & Sunday May 20th 10:00 am - 4:00pm!  

Step Back in time to 1745, and follow the loyal Scots through triumph and tragedy in their quest to reclaim the throne for Bonnie Prince Charles! Battles, black-powder weapons demonstrations, historic merchants, a piper’s call, traditional singers, story tellers, the life of a jacobite solider, British Military Punishment and an historic church service are just a few of the things planned for this weekend! 

General Admission for ages 13+ is $8.00, 12 and under are free! 

Food is available at fair prices at the site. Proceeds to the Museum!

29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown. Approx, 10km south of Hwy #401. Take exit 149 and follow currie road south to Lakeview Line  (519)-762-3072. 

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays are back! 

         Welcome back everyone! Now the Backus-Page House Museum is open again our regular hours. Tuesday through Friday 10am -4:30pm, & Weekends and holidays 12 - 4:30pm. We hope to see you in for a tour! 

         Come out the the Museum May 5th for our grand opening of our new exhibit! Trailblazers! Curated by our very own Delany Leitch. From 1-4pm come see our beautiful exhibit, where Lorne Spicer himself will make a short address, stay after for coffee and goodies!   

        “Western Elgin features numerous places to appreciate nature. this is largely due to the efforts of local conservationists. Throughout history, people from a variety of backgrounds have impacted how our community experiences and understands the landscapes we share. 

John. E. Pearce, Lorne Spicer and Dr. James Wellington Crane were three such individuals. Each of their stories demonstrate how love of community and nature are deeply connected.“

         Our next event at the museum is The Road to Culloden! A Scottish Living History Weekend! Saturday May 19th & Sunday May 20th 10:00 am - 4:00pm! 

         Step Back in time to 1745, and follow the loyal Scots through triumph and tragedy in their quest to reclaim the throne for Bonnie Prince Charles! 

         Battles, black-powder weapons demonstrations, historic merchants, a piper’s call, traditional singers, story tellers, the life of a jacobite solider, British Military Punishment and an historic church service are just a few of the things planned for this weekend! 

General Admission for ages 13+ is $8.00, 12 and under are free! 

Food is available at fair prices at the site. Proceeds to the Museum!

29424 Lakeview Line, Wallacetown. Approx, 10km south of Hwy #401. Take exit 149 and follow currie road south to Lakeview Line  (519)-762-3072. 

Sabrina Merks

May 20 & 21 The Road to Culloden A Scottish Living History Event

Don't be an Outlander!  Join us at Backus-Page House Museum this weekend for new battles and surprises.  Meet Bonnie Prince Charlie and his loyal Jacobites!  Visit Colonel John Campbell and an historic Sutler's Tavern.  Food available for purchase.  Museum open for tours with the new I Am Canadian exhibit on the second floor and wood stove cooking in the back kitchen.

No debit on site, but credit card available for gate and food upon request.

Scottish History Meme Monday #2

Join us May 20 & 21 for The Road to Culloden event 10am - 4pm.

Scottish History Meme Monday

May 21-22 The Road to Culloden - Scotland Forever Event

Photo credit: Bard Judith 2015

The Road to Culloden a Royal Success!

It's been a busy week since our Scottish living history event, The Road to Culloden, was held on our grounds, May 16-17.  We estimate that over 400 people attended.  The weather was a bit overcast and foggy, just like an authentic day in Scotland.

Special thanks to all the re-enactors, historic vendors and their organizer, Seamus Gunn (Doug Robinson), without all of you there would be no Road to Culloden.  I am so pleased to work with our board of directors, staff and volunteers who give hours of their time and talents and the Lions Club members who ran the gate for us.  We appreciate our politicians and dignitaries for joining us and especially our visitors.  I hope I haven't forgot to thank anyone and if so it is not because you aren't appreciated.  We organize events like Culloden for your enjoyment and to share our history with you.
This was the first time I've ever had visitors come over just to thank me for hosting an event.  Clearly it is not me who is to thank, but many many people.  I thanked THEM for attending.  These ladies live in north Dunwich and were of Scottish descent.  It is obvious to me that our area was thirsting for an event of this type and I'm so grateful for all the help in making this a reality.

One of our reenactors has written about the weekend on his blog and there's lots of great photos.  Click here to read.  http://grenzerjohn.blogspot.ca/2015/05/the-road-to-culloden.html

More photos: https://www.facebook.com/bardjudith/media_set?set=a.10152866200163587.1073741835.517153586&type=3&uploaded=18

We made the front page of the West Elgin Chonicle.  Photo courtesy of the West Elgin Chronicle.  That's Chris Timm, from Kitchener, as Bonnie Prince Charlie on a walk about at Backus-Page House Museum.  He changed our parlour into his bed chamber and our dining room into his Reception Room where he took oaths of loyalty from visitors and reenactors.  

To the individuals, County of Elgin, and businesses who contributed to our advertising campaign, thank you!



Discussions are already underway for the Victoria Day long weekend next year with additional timed happenings throughout and more for visitors to see and do within the 1745-1746 time period in Scotland's history that directly links to the Scottish settlers in our area.  If you have any ideas or are a piper (we need more), we'd be happy to hear from you. Contact our office 519-762-3072

Angela Bobier
Cultural Manager
Backus-Page House Museum

World War Wednesdays: History People Problems #2



    If I had a dollar for every time that I've heard how unemployable a history degree is, I could have it paid off already. I feel like people in this field get a really bad rap and I'd like to try to set the record straight! My goal isn't to write a big boo-hoo defense of history people, but to hopefully add some perspective to the situation and air out some of my thoughts.

     By now, I feel like I've heard all the jokes and opinions out there about how weird historians are and how irrelevant, outmoded, and useless their studies are. I even found this word online courtesy of Urban Dictionary:
historisist

one who knows much history, but only lets out small amounts to either (a) annoy people or (b) try to make themselves seem intellegent/funny/cool.

    

 Now, I would be lying if I said that I haven't encountered a few individuals who fit this description (and there really is nothing more annoying). But, I think it's wrong to paint all of us with the same brush, and I believe there is a good explanation for it. I feel that the root of it is that historians are extremely lucky, and take every opportunity to demonstrate this. To pursue an education in history and then assume a position in the field is to live your dream and be able to harness your passion for your career. There aren't many other fields that allow you to take what you have read about and watched all the movies and shows possible about since you were a young child and apply that knowledge to a job, with the same enthusiasm as when you first found that piece of history that triggered your passion. At the same time, though, it is unreasonable to assume that the rest of the world will share that same passion, or even be remotely interested in it. All through school, we history students see the groups of science, engineering and math students gathered together studying and discussing their class material. Unfortunately for us, we just can't do that in the same way, and I find that the subject can be very isolating at times. Since we mostly have to write long papers on a very specific topic, we are constantly faced with a major concentration of minutely specific facts over an extremely rushed and stressful period in which to organize it into an essay. This makes it difficult to share the burden and partake in a group effort. In a professional setting, the jobs can be just as specific, which leads to the realistic assumption that history jobs are limited. I think that similar to any other field, if you love it enough, you will want to pursue it as much as possible, which ultimately makes you a more qualified prospect for the jobs that do exist.

 

     But what about those people who decide not to make history their career, but still decide to use their free time to learn more about the past? It is absolutely possible to care about interesting events and information without making it your whole life (and without using it to annoy people). This past weekend, I had the opportunity to experience this concept while volunteering as the upstairs tour guide at the Backus-Page House's Road to Culloden event.

A group of re-enactors at the event

 

     Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to encounter people from across the entire spectrum of History People. I met the die-hard re-enactors who travel far and wide to camp at events and live and act completely as though it were the 18th century. I also met a number of people from the surrounding area who have an interest in history in general and wanted to support a great event without really knowing what to expect. I can say with full honesty that there was not one single person I encountered who was anything less than cheerful, enthusiastic, and happy to be there. Nobody tried to wow me with their knowledge, not one person undermined what I was telling them, and I did not have a single closed-off or unfriendly visitor. It truly did prove wrong all of the typical perceptions of people interested in history and I was so beyond happy to be a part of it. What I wish people would know about the history field is that it is made up of a group of passionate people who are determined to keep pieces of the past alive and accessible for all of us. Yes, they may seem obsessive, but it is impossible to put together such great events without the drive to make it happen and realize the dream. As long as we have History People to care, think, write, and do, history is accessible to those who are interested. To me, that's worth it.

     Thanks for reading,

 

      Delany

May 16, 17 & 18, 2015 at Backus-Page House Museum

 

Monday, May 18 we are open for tours from noon-4:30pm.  The Elgin Historical Society is having the annual Talbot Toast at St. Peter's Anglican Church Cemetery at 2pm.  On display in our Textile Arts Room is a winding sheet used when transporting Colonel Thomas Talbot after his passing.  

National Volunteer Week

at Backus-Page House Museum and Tyrconnell Heritage Society

Looking For 2015 Volunteers:

RSVP to Angela at 519-762-3072 or info@backuspagehouse.ca 

April 18 Clean Up Day 9am with potluck lunch at 12:30pm

Setup on May 15

Food Booth Crew for May 16-17

Gate Admissions for May 16-17

Gardening—flower bed upkeep May through to October

Tour Guides May through to October

Heritage Skill Demonstrators May through to October

Applications can be found on our website here.  

Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge April 12 - May 24, 2015

Three opportunities at Backus-Page House Museum to participate.  

1. April 18th—

Clean Up Day

Starting at 9am, bring your favourite food and join us for an appreciation potluck lunch at 12:30pm!  Volunteers please RSVP to Angela at 519-762-3072 or info@backuspagehouse.ca . 

2. May 16th & 17th—

The Road to Culloden

Enjoy a two day Scottish living history event.  Event volunteers needed.  

10am—4pm both days.  Food available for purchase.  Admission $6.00 (age 12 & under free)

3. Learn how to give guided tours and demonstrate heritage skills for visitors.  Shifts starting May 1 through to Thanksgiving Monday.