Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays

What's happening around us.

We will have a display on Saturday of the event in the train station! Featuring information about the Highland games and early Scottish Settlers who arrived in 1819! 

Posted below are all the local Canada Day Celebrations!

We will be closed July 1st 2019. 

CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS & FIREWORKS

Enjoy music, games, face painting, cake, and fireworks!

Fireworks begin at dusk!

Date: 

Sunday, June 30, 2019 - 20:00

Location: 

Fingal Ball Park

Fingal, ON N0L 1K0

CANADA DAY CELEBRATION & KIDS COUNTRY CARNIVAL

The day starts with a kid's Country Carnival, a fish fry at 5pm followed by opening ceremonies. Fireworks begin at dusk.

Date: 

Monday, July 1, 2019 (All day)

Location: 

Miller Park

Jessie Street

West Lorne, ON N0L 2P0

CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS & PARADE IN PORT BURWELL

Parade followed by Flag raising, dignitary greetings, music, food & refreshments. Children's activities at the Museum & Lighthouse. Free parking at the beach.

Date: 

Monday, July 1, 2019 - 11:30

Location: 

9 Wilson Lane

Port Burwell, ON N0J 1T0

CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS AT SONS OF SCOTLAND PARK

A full day of events which start off with our Fire Department Brunch, Bouncy Castle Adventure Zone, craft tables, water games, Dog Contest, musical entertainment, Fire Department demonstrations, Pickle ball demonstrations, great food and licensed event, free swims and Fireworks at dusk!  Our Opening Ceremonies with our local dignitaries will take place at 5pm with cupcakes and refreshments to follow.  Come out and celebrate!

Date: 

Monday, July 1, 2019 (All day)

Location: 

Sons of Scotland Park

Dutton

Happy Toolsday, Folks!

Hello readers! I’m Carlie, and I’m the Agricultural Exhibit Designer at the Backus-Page House Museum. Throughout the summer, I'll be sorting through various tools in the barn to get ready for the exhibit! Every Tuesday I’ll be sharing some of what I learned on our blog!

I didn't have the opportunity to go through the barn this week since we were so busy preparing for the Landing of the Settlers, so I decided to focus on a tool that is in the museum itself. Now this artefact tends to get a lot of stares during tours, and I can see why. While it was common in the 1850s, it looks like something you would find in one of the Saw movies! 

The tool on the left hand side of the page was called a Fruit Auger, but many referred to it as a Sugar Devil. Coincidentally, that's what my Mom used to call me when I had too much candy as a kid!

What was the purpose, besides scaring small children who visit the Backus-Page House? Well in the past, there wasn't always refrigerators to preserve food. In order to preserve food, specifically fruit, it would be put in barrels filled with sugar. This was to ensure that the fruit stayed dehydrated and that no air or bacteria could get inside. If the mixture became too dense or hard, this tool would be used to break up the sugar and fruit to access the food.

Do you or a loved one still preserve fruit, and if so, have you ever tries using a fruit auger? Let us know in the comments below!

Meet The Book Keeper Paula Grafstein

Where are you from?
       " West Lorne (Eagle) "

How long have you worked here?
       "5 years"

Why do you love the Museum?
        " Great location with lots of history."

Do you have a favourite room or artifact?
       "The dining room."

Why should people volunteer here?
       "Events are interesting here and always well done. Learn the history of the area & other volunteers are good to be around. "

Favourite memory or memories from the Museum? 
       " My friendships that have been made here. "


Thank you for reading, tune in next Monday!
Sabrina Merks

Tourism Thursdays

Tourism Thursdays

What's happening around us.

HORTON FARMERS MARKET

Meet your friends and chat over a coffee, or introduce your kids to the farmers who grow the foods they eat! You’ll have fun connecting with your community and you can feel good knowing that your local grower has harvested the foods you’re feeding your family. Not only is it a healthy choice, but you are supporting your local farmers and economy, too! While you're downtown, be sure to visit some of the unique shops and services in our historic Railway City.

Open 8am-12pm every Saturday from Mother's Day Weekend thru November 2nd, 2019.

Location: 

Horton Farmers Market

1 Manitoba Street

St. Thomas

19TH ANNUAL AYLMER CHARITY AUCTION & FOOD FEST

Don't miss out on the 19th Annual Aylmer Charity Auction & Food Fest on Saturday, June 22nd! Auction Preview and Burgers will be held on Friday, June 21st.

Date: 

Saturday, June 22, 2019 - 07:00

Location: 

Aylmer Curling Club

115 Pine St. E.

Aylmer

LANDING OF THE SETTLERS - LIVING HISTORY WEEKEND

200th anniversary of the Scottish arriving in Aldborough and 210th anniversary of the Irish arriving in Dunwich. Military drills, displays, vendors, food, and much more from many historical time periods with this year's focus being 1809 - 1819.

Date: 

Saturday, June 22, 2019 - 10:00 to Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 16:00

Location: 

29424 Lakeview Line

Wallacetown

Seeking McGugan and McColl Descendants

This year we are commemorating the Scottish people who settled in Aldborough Township (now West Elgin) in and before 1819.  Some arrived on the ships the Hope and Harmony in 1819, some in 1818 on the Mars and others before came from New York State.  Some then moved on to Dunwich Township and surrounding areas.

On June 22-23, 2019 at the Landing of the Settlers living history event we hope you will join us to celebrate these people and their contributions to our community.  As a descendant we are hoping you can provide us with genealogy and family history before the event.  

519-762-3072  info@backuspagehouse.ca

McGUGAN

Donald McGugan and Mary McAlpine

Donald McGugan was born in at Coshandrochaid in North Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland in the year 1791, the son of Neil McGugan and Elspeth Campbell.  In 1813 he married Mary McAlpine who was born at Oib North Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland in the year 1792, the daughter of Alexander McAlpine and Katherine McInterand.

Three children were born to them in Scotland; Neil in 1814, Catharine in 1816 and Alexander in 1818.  In the year 1819, Donald and Mary, along with a number of other families from North Knapdale left their homes to seek fortune in Canada, where a number of their relatives and friends had already gone.  After a journey of about eight weeks they landed at Port Glasgow, in Aldborough Township and many, including Donald and Mary settled in that township.  In the following year (1820) Donald and Mary purchased the claims of John Matheson for 50 acres on Lot 6 Concession 7 at Coyne’s Corners in Dunwich Township.  They also received 50 acres on Lot 7 Concession 7 from Colonel Talbot as a settler.  Their nearest neighbour was Mr. Henry Coyne after whom the Corners derived its name.

Donald and Mary spent the rest of their lives at Coyne’s Corners and raised a large family.  Donald died in 1857 and Mary died in 1865.  They are both buried in Black’s Cemetery, near their home.

Their children were as follows:

1. Neil: born April, 1814, married Janet Campbell, died July 3, 1890

2. Katharine: born 1816, married John McLean, died June 13, 1849

3. Alexander: born 1818, most likely died as infant.

4. Alexander: born 1823?, unmarried, died September 19, 1852

5. Elizabeth: born 1824, married Thomas Luxton

6. John: born 1826, married Agnes McIntyre, died January 3, 1898

7. Mary: born 1828, unmarried, died 1876

8. Flora: born 1831, married Alexander Findlayson Feb. 14, 1854, died January 5, 1913

9. Isabella: born 1834, married William Mowbray, died 1867

10. Donald (Daniel): born 1835, married Kate Gillies, died January 20^th, 1924

11. Sarah: born 1837, married Alexander Clark, died 1906.

Donald McGugan and Mary McIntyre

Donald McGugan was the son of Angus McGugan & Effy McMillan who lived in North Scotnish, North Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland. He was born April 28, 1884 and married Mary McIntyre. They had three children in Scotland:

1.       Angus: 1813, Feb. 13, married Isabel McCowan

2.       Donald:1814-15? Died in infancy

3.       Duncan: 1815, Jan. 17 – married Jane McKay

4.       Euphemia: 1818 April 20 – died in infancy

Donald and Mary came to Aldborough in 1818 on the Mars. They settled on Lot 7 Concession 12. Five more children were born here:

5.       Euphemia: 1822, Sept. 12 – married Sam Kirkpatrick

6.       Katie: 1825 – married Colin McPherson

7.       Archibald: 1826, Dec. 25 – married Isabel Buchan

8.       Isabella: 1827 – married William Simpkins

9.       Daniel: 1831 – married Christian McColl

McCOLL

The McColls came from Tulloch Farm, Argyll Scotland to Caledonia New York then in 1819 came to Aldborough

settled  Conc 12 L16 SW SE NW

buried in McColl Cemetery

Duncan McColl  1759-1822  m.  1.  Flora McColl 1754-1801

                                                     2.  Julia McDougald  1772-1847

 their sons-

Samuel McColl  1785-1849  m.  Mary Leitch  1798-1894,  daughter of John Leitch

Elder Thomas McColl  1791-1870  m.  Margaret McIntyre  1802-1873, daughter of Malcolm McIntyre

'ToolsDay'-Barrel Butter Churn

Happy Toolsday, Folks!

Hello readers! I’m Carlie, and I’m the Agricultural Exhibit Designer at the Backus-Page House Museum. Throughout the summer, I'll be sorting through various tools in our Barn to get ready for the exhibit! Every Tuesday I’ll be sharing some of what I learned on our blog!

This week I’m focusing on an object that I would have used a lot- The Barrel Butter Churn!

Today, we use butter in almost every meal. We spread it on toast, use it in baking, drizzle it on our popcorn, etc. We take advantage of the fact that it's readily available at stores. Unfortunately, in the 1800s, butter wasn't as easily available, and it wouldn't have been used so extensively. 

Instead of buying it, families would need to churn their own butter. Churning is the process of agitating a liquid, typically milk or cream, to make butter.  Our collection contains a Union Churn, which had a large wheel on the front to roll the butter inside, making it faster than churning by hand. Additionally, you didn't need to touch the butter with your hands, making it more convenient. It would also help churn enough butter for a whole household.

The 1894-1895 Fall & Winter catalogue of Montgomery & Co advertises the Union Church Butter Churn as costing 4.00$ for a five gallon tank, and 4.75$ for a ten gallon tank. With inflation, that ten gallon tank would cost roughly 141$

 One of my fondest memories of the third grade was learning about the pioneers. One afternoon, our teacher taught us how to churn butter by hand using jars. Even thought it wasn't as extensive as what the settlers would have faced, it was an engaging learning opportunity. If you or your little one wants to try it out, there's a recipe here.

Do you want to see our Barrel Butter Churn and our other amazing tools? Then come to our Landing of the Settlers Event, this weekend! It's only 8$ per person, and the event starts at 10am, going until 4pm. You can find more information about the event here.

Seeking Stewart and Smith Descendants

This year we are commemorating the Scottish people who settled in Aldborough Township (now West Elgin) in and before 1819.  Some arrived on the ships the Hope and Harmony in 1819, some in 1818 on the Mars and others before came from New York State.  Some then moved on to Dunwich Township and surrounding areas.

On June 22-23, 2019 at the Landing of the Settlers living history event we hope you will join us to celebrate these people and their contributions to our community.  As a descendant we are hoping you can provide us with genealogy and family history before the event.  

519-762-3072  info@backuspagehouse.ca

STEWART

Duncan Stewart

settled  Conc 12 LB  NW

likely arrived in Aldborough in 1817 through Caledonia New York

William Stewart

settled Conc 6  LC SE  Dunwich

likely arrived in 1819 on Harmony

James Black’s mother was Nancy / Ann Stuart / Stewart  1749-1826 (her husband had recently died in Scotland)

SMITH

John Smith

emigrated in 1819 on Harmony,

no land reference in 1820

Alvin Smith

settled  Conc 8 L18 NW  Dunwich

Grove Smith

settled Conc 8 L18  NE  Dunwich