Hubby and I went on an adventure yesterday to explore Wellington County before the snow gets deep.Our first stop was the Wellington County Archives and Museum. It was once the House of Industry and Refuge (The Poor House), and later a Home for the Aged. I was here recently for a meeting, and the building is on a beautiful piece of land, on a beautiful track of road, and guess what?
That's right...an exhibition of quilts! And all of them Log Cabins.
There's Hubby -- intently examining the antique needlework.
This sampler was stitched by the grandmother of John McCrae, the author of "In Flanders Fields", who was a native of Guelph, ON. It dates to 1820.
And speaking of "In Flanders Fields" there was another very impressive exhibition at the museum: "Far from Home: A Soldier's Life at the Front 1914-1918". This major gallery installation features a life-size trench and takes an in-depth look at the young soldiers who served in World War I. A unique feature of this exhibit: descendants of Wellington County soldiers were used as models for the mannequins and painting in the gallery.
You walk into the trench, and see the scraps of wood and tin holding up the walls, and rats crawling around. There's barbed wire over your head, and flashes as bombs explode overhead. The sounds of battle are all around you. You can climb up for a peek through the periscope and see the German front.
It was incredible to me to see the photos of the descendents of the soldiers, and how much they looked like their great-grandfathers, and great-granduncles. It's hard to tell in this photo, so you'll have to take my word for it.
Another poignant and interesting exhibit that we spent at least an hour examining was "If These Walls Could Speak: The House of Industry and Refuge, 1877-1947. I didn't take any photos of that.
Here's a scene from a 1920's kitchen. My mom has told me dozens of times about her grandmother's "Hoosier cupboard" - that was always just a little bit different from every one we saw in museums and antique shops. I wonder if this "Eatonia" Kitchen Cabinet is like Gramma Sassie's.
Next we were off to Elora where we had a delicious lunch at The Cork.
Pretty fancy Cheese Burger, huh?
As we were leaving, we were given coupons for $10 for the Grand River Racetrack slots. Why not? We came out ahead $2.50! :)
As we were leaving, we were given coupons for $10 for the Grand River Racetrack slots. Why not? We came out ahead $2.50! :)
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I love the log cabin quilts. Such an amazing variety of settings, and each one looks different even though it's the same basic block. What a gem of a museum to have in your community!
ReplyDeleteWe were at themuseum on Friday!
ReplyDeleteThat museum sounds great, right up my alley! Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the loveliest Museum? I was there a few weeks ago with two friends and totally loved it. We had a gathering for our antique sewing machine collector's group here once and had a tour of the archives...very interesting and they do awesome displays. I loved the kitchen area and, of course, the log cabin quilts!!
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