EVENTS
The Middleville and District Museum had a full season of successful events. The Museum's volunteers are grateful for the support of the community and the many visitors that attended the events this season.
Thank you to:
The Middleville and District Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Perth and District Community Foundation through a grant of $3000 to support Scarecrow Day, Apple Cider Day and School visits by students. The money awarded was used toward advertising costs, materials for crafts and supplies needed to host the events.
The Middleville and District Museum is grateful for the support of a Lanark County Community Grant to support events and activities. The LCCG provided support for the Strawberry Social, Live History and Victorian Christmas events.
The Middleville and District Museum is grateful for the support of community partners. Fluid Coffee of Galbraith, Geobern Farm of Rosetta, McLaren's Orchards of Renfrew and Thompsontown Maple Products of Galbraith have supported events this season.
fluidcoffee.ca
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thompsontownmaple.ca
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The 2023 Season...
Victorian Christmas
Saturday, November 25th, 2023
Saturday, November 25th, 2023
Photos by Lori Taylor and Catherine Kelly
Apple Cider Day
Saturday, October 7th, 2023
Saturday, October 7th, 2023
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British Home Child Day was recognized at the Middleville and District Museum on Saturday, Sept. 23rd, 2023
An exhibit featuring local children who were brought to Canada from Britain in the mid 1800's to early 1900's was on display at the Museum on Saturday, September 23rd, in time for National British Home Child Day on September 28th. Museum volunteers have researched the life stories of local Home Children. The exhibit included information discovered about where they were born, how they got to Canada, where they lived here, where they went to school, friends they had and how their lives unfolded as they grew up. Some remained in the community while others left the area.
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William Wilson, James Byers and J.R. Tuggey are three British Home Children who came to Canada and grew up in the local area. Their stories and those of other local children were included in the September Exhibit.
French Settlers
Exhibit Debut
On Saturday, August 26th, a new French Settlers exhibit debuted at the Museum. Many families with connections to the French families who moved from Quebec to the French Line in Darling Township in the mid 1800's were on hand to view the exhibit. Family histories were shared and information about the original altar, St. Declan's Catholic Church and the cemetery was on display. How the families came to settle on the French Line and the familiar names that are still remembered in the area today were interesting aspects of the exhibit. The exhibit will remain on display for the remainder of the season to allow many visitors to enjoy it. The information and research from this project will be available permanently at the Museum.
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Many visitors that had a connection to the French Settlers exhibit making its debut on Saturday, August 26, 2023 were in attendance at the Museum.
Look who dropped by the Museum on a Sunday afternoon...a vintage car club made the Museum a stop on an afternoon of driving. The group had arranged a special tour of the Museum as it made its way through the local countryside.
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Vintage car club members relax with a glass of lemonade and some cookies as Curator, Alice Borrowman chats with them after they have toured the Museum on Sunday.
Scarecrow Day
The second Scarecrow Building Day at the Middleville and District Museum was full of fun for several families who worked to create large scarecrows for the Museum grounds. Other activities included games, crafts, snacks and door prizes. Wendy Phillips was on hand to play the fiddle as kids and adults joined in the fun of musical stumps. Although the weather was a challenge, the event was well attended and the activities were able to continue on in the shelter of the Museum's event tent.
History Came to Life When Live History Came to Middleville
Actors from Live History visited Middleville and District Museum for a second season
The Strawberry Social was well attended by the community and surrounding areas. Here are a few of the visitors enjoying some tasty treats and good conversation!
Opening weekend was celebrated on May 20th, 2023
and the Museum had a special surprise for visitors,
the unveiling of our new logo!
Wondering what happens at Middleville and District Museum events?
Look what happened at The Middleville & District Museum during the 2022 season...
The Middleville and District Museum Board is very grateful to all the visitors who came out and attended the many events during the 2022 season. Please enjoy looking at the photos and descriptions of last season's events.
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November 26th, 2022
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A Family Fun Event happened just in time for the Christmas Card family photo!
The Middleville and District Museum decorated its lovely, old schoolhouse door for the Christmas season. A fun event happened on November 26th (1 - 4 pm) where families enjoyed hot apple cider, hot chocolate, gingerbread cookie decorating, sugar cookies and , of course, posing for a great family photograph just in time for sending Christmas cards whether traditional or online.
The Middleville and District Museum decorated its lovely, old schoolhouse door for the Christmas season. A fun event happened on November 26th (1 - 4 pm) where families enjoyed hot apple cider, hot chocolate, gingerbread cookie decorating, sugar cookies and , of course, posing for a great family photograph just in time for sending Christmas cards whether traditional or online.
Wendy Phillips plays a tune for a young fan
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posing at the old schoolhouse door
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cider, hot chocolate and sugar cookies were enjoyed by all
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dressed in holiday cheer
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gingerbread cookies were a big hit
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decorating gingerbread cookies
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Special guest, Wendy Phillips brought out her fiddle to play several Christmas tunes for the visitors at the Victorian Christmas Family Event
posing in the vintage Moulton cutter at the Victorian Christmas Event
The Middleville and District Museum is happy to share the very special addition of a vintage one-horse open cutter to its collection. The Moulton family of James’ settlement area fulfilled the wishes of the late Thorpe Moulton by donating his family’s cutter to the Museum. A little research hints at it being a Portland Cutter with its side doors. The family believes it probably came into their possession as a means to get around the countryside for Thorpe’s parents, John and Edith (James) Moulton married in 1904. The cutter’s arrival at the Museum coincided nicely with the outdoor Christmas event. Families came out to see this lovely ruby red artifact in front of the schoolhouse.
Thomas McKay with his horse and cutter
Apple Cider Day
The Museum's old cider press was pressed into action once again this fall. This popular family fun activity returned to the Museum this October.
Families participated in this outdoor event on Saturday, October 8th, 2022 on the Museum grounds where we turned rosy apples into sweet cider.
The Museum's old cider press was pressed into action once again this fall. This popular family fun activity returned to the Museum this October.
Families participated in this outdoor event on Saturday, October 8th, 2022 on the Museum grounds where we turned rosy apples into sweet cider.
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A big thank you to MacLaren Orchards for their donation of apples for our Apple Cider Day. We are very grateful for this support.
The Apple Cider Day visitors had fun using the vintage apple press to squeeze out some tasty apple cider. The kids (and a few grown ups) enjoyed some fun crafts during the afternoon. Everyone loved the apple treat table. Yum!
British Home Child Day
recognized at the Middleville and District Museum.
An exhibit featuring stories and photos of local children who were brought to Canada from mid 1800's to early 1900's was on display at the Museum during September in time for National British Home Child Day on September 28th.
recognized at the Middleville and District Museum.
An exhibit featuring stories and photos of local children who were brought to Canada from mid 1800's to early 1900's was on display at the Museum during September in time for National British Home Child Day on September 28th.
On Saturday, September 24th, 2022 the Middleville and District Museum had special displays of the life stories of our local Home Children. Visitors learned where they were born, how they got to Canada, where they lived here, where they went to school and how their lives unfolded as they grew up. Some remained in the community while others left the area. Visitors shared their knowledge of these individuals and other Home Children they knew. Information gathered for this recognition exhibit will be preserved for future reference in our Museum. Several contributors have contacted us and sent in information through e-mail. We are recording and researching the information that has been given to us. We are also adding the information to the Museum's Lanark Family Trees on Ancestry.
Saturday, August 6th
was Scarecrow Day at the
Middleville and District Museum
Families came out to help build some very tall Scarecrows to decorate the Museum's back fence. They worked collaboratively to construct the frames and then chose from a variety of hats, shirts, jeans and bandanas to complete the Scarecrows.
putting the Scarecrows together with teamwork
choosing the Scarecrow's wardrobe
piece by piece the Scarecrows came together
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some enjoyed making small scarecrows at the craft table
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A job well done having lots of fun together!
Miss Jo was on hand to teach a little about the history of Scarecrows and share a favourite book.
Scarecrow Day was full of fun for all ages. Families got to work together to create something to enhance the Museum's outdoor space. Kids enjoyed working together, sharing stories, having a cool drink of lemonade and chocolate chip cookies for a snack. The final activity of the day had kids searching the Museum grounds for some hidden Scarecrows. Volunteers were on hand to make the event happen. Thanks to all who came out to have some fun and support the Museum, as well.
On July 9, 2022, the Middleville and District Museum hosted a Live Theatre presentation. In fact, a hundred year old mystery came to life in front of guests. The afternoon saw guests delighted by sweet treats, tea and great entertainment.
Thank you to all our guests for attending and taking part in this new experience. Your support is appreciated!
A big Thank You to Fluid Solar Roasted Coffee for donating their excellent coffee for our event!
presented
‘A Timeless Gathering’
at the Middleville & District Museum
‘Live History’ is a Governor General’s Award nominated Theatre Troupe that has preformed across Canada and in many countries around the world.
Some unusual characters joined the Tea at the Middleville and District Museum on Saturday! It took a little while to sort out the identity of these mystery guests, but in time, the story was revealed.
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Live History actors engaged with visitors at the Middleville and District Museum's Tea. It was all part of the plot! Guests had to follow clues to unravel the identity of these mysterious characters. Photographs by Catherine Kelly
Opening Weekend Celebrations!
A little background: The Middleville and District Museum undertook a renovation and installation project in 2019-2020. Many hours were spent planning the project and garnering donations of funds and materials. A Trillium Grant of $24 900. was received for part of the project. The Grant was used to complete the installation of indoor plumbing and upgrade our electrical system. Due to Covid 19 concerns, a typical recognition of the receipt of this Trillium Grant was unable to be scheduled as an in person event, but the Museum wishes to recognize the importance of the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Many thanks to donors Catherine Kelly and the late John Brearly who began this project with the installation of a well and septic system.
Thanks to local businesses including Centennial Truss, Lanark Timbermart, Carleton Place Canadian Tire, and Perth Planing Mill for donations, building materials, and fixtures. Thank you to the many individual donors who have contributed to the project.
Thanks to local businesses including Centennial Truss, Lanark Timbermart, Carleton Place Canadian Tire, and Perth Planing Mill for donations, building materials, and fixtures. Thank you to the many individual donors who have contributed to the project.
On Sunday, June 5th, 2022, The Middleville and District Museum Board included a special recognition event as part of its opening weekend celebrations to express appreciation to the local donors that helped make our recent (2019-2020) Kitchen and Bathroom installations a reality. Many hours of labour, quantities of materials and contributions of money were donated to help this project happen. A photo of contributors who were able to attend was taken. A full list of donors for the project is below. The Museum is very grateful for the support for this project.
L to R: Dawn Morrison, President of the Board of Directors, Betty Gemmill, Clarence Gemmill, Alice Borrowman, Curator, Mike Sobol, Wendy Kennedy Sobol, Russ Borrowman, Gene Borrowman, Ron Closs
Donors to the Museum Kitchen and Bathroom Projects
Halls Well Drilling
Blackburn Plumbing
Brad Larocque
Mike Sobol
Wendy Kennedy Sobol
JMM Electric, Mark Mikolaitis
Catherine Kelly
John Brearly
The Perth Planing Mill, Luke McLenaghan
Centennial Truss, Russ & Gene Borrowman
Timbermart, Ron Closs
John Hall
Wendell Cochran
Tackaberry Sand & Gravel
Rodney Stead
Clarence Gemmill
A huge Thank you to all!
Halls Well Drilling
Blackburn Plumbing
Brad Larocque
Mike Sobol
Wendy Kennedy Sobol
JMM Electric, Mark Mikolaitis
Catherine Kelly
John Brearly
The Perth Planing Mill, Luke McLenaghan
Centennial Truss, Russ & Gene Borrowman
Timbermart, Ron Closs
John Hall
Wendell Cochran
Tackaberry Sand & Gravel
Rodney Stead
Clarence Gemmill
A huge Thank you to all!
The generous donation of a piece of adjoining land for the creation of a parking lot was made by neighbour, Lionel Easton in the summer of 2021. The Museum called on several volunteers who brought their machinery and gave their time to take down an old fence line and build a new one to outline the Museum's new footprint. Ken Lalonde brought his many years of fencing experience to the project. The team worked together to accomplish the job.
The Museum is grateful to the following people who contributed to this project.
Lionel Easton
Bob McKay
Kenny Lalonde
Ian Bodnoff
Bob Groulx
Rodney Stead
Kevin Phillips
The Museum is grateful to the following people who contributed to this project.
Lionel Easton
Bob McKay
Kenny Lalonde
Ian Bodnoff
Bob Groulx
Rodney Stead
Kevin Phillips
The Middleville and District Museum would like to recognize the excellent work of Sonja Nichols and her cleaning crew who work to get the Museum ready for a season of visitors. Sonja organizes the cleaning of the Museum and donates her own time in support of the Museum. Many visitors comment on how great the Museum looks! Thanks, Sonja!
Royal Platinum Jubilee Tea
Royal Platinum Jubilee Tea
Menu
Sweet Treats
Fruit
Tea Sandwiches
Tea & Coffee
Gluten-free Queen Elizabeth cake and other treats were available.
Many visitors enjoyed their Royal Platinum Jubilee Tea treats at the picnic tables under the shady trees,
A big Thank You to Fluid Solar Roasted Coffee for donating their excellent coffee for our event!
Menu
Sweet Treats
Fruit
Tea Sandwiches
Tea & Coffee
Gluten-free Queen Elizabeth cake and other treats were available.
Many visitors enjoyed their Royal Platinum Jubilee Tea treats at the picnic tables under the shady trees,
A big Thank You to Fluid Solar Roasted Coffee for donating their excellent coffee for our event!
Guests dusted off their best fascinator or top hat and joined us for a celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee with a Royal Jubilee Tea on Sunday, June 5th, 2022. Visitors enjoyed a delightful selection of Tea sandwiches, fruit and sweet treats with a cup of hot tea or mug of local coffee.
A Pandemic Time Capsule
Time Capsule sealed in the wall cavity of the 1861 School House, complete with cobwebs.
A second time capsule was deposited in the old stone wall of the School House on June 5, 2022. It is scheduled to be opened in 2032.
Students visit and travel back in time to the 1800's for a day full of fun!
Although we weren't open to the public before Victoria Day Weekend, we snuck in a visit from a busload of students from Caldwell Street Public School in Carleton Place on May 12th, 2022.
On Thursday, May 12th, 2022, local school children from Caldwell Street Public School in Carleton Place, visited the Middleville and District Museum to learn about life in the 1800’s. These students were the first busload to try out the newly improved bus and van access. Museum volunteers, dressed in period clothes, delivered a full program of activities for the Grade Three students to give them a taste of local history. In the Schoolroom, they practiced math facts, spelling and learned to do some cursive writing on a slate. A visit to the 1830’s cabin revealed how settlers lived their lives without indoor plumbing or electricity. Other activities included the opportunity to do some weaving and learn about the settlers’ journey from the old country. A guided tour gave the students a chance to see and learn about the Museum’s many, many artifacts. Of course, no visit to an 1860’s Schoolhouse would be complete without some traditional outdoor games on the schoolyard where children have played for over a century. Games like The Graces, sack races and musical stumps showed today’s students how children got exercise and had fun with simple, everyday items at hand.
The Museum hopes to book more visits from buses and vans of visitors this coming season. Contact us to see what opportunities might be available.
The Museum hopes to book more visits from buses and vans of visitors this coming season. Contact us to see what opportunities might be available.
In the mean time...
During the days when the Museum is closed, please continue to engage with our volunteers for research and information inquiries by e-mail or facebook. We keep busy updating our website and posting items of interest.
The 2021 Season
The Museum opened on Saturday, July 24, 2021 for this year's season due to Covid 19 restrictions. . We are open Saturdays, Sundays and Holiday Mondays every weekend until Monday, October 11, 2021. At times when the Museum is closed, you can still reach us by email at middlevillemuseum@gmail.com
While we are all uncertain as to what the future will bring, the past is always with us - lots of it is in our museum!
From the Board of Directors and volunteers of the Middleville and District Museum
The Museum opened on Saturday, July 24, 2021 for this year's season due to Covid 19 restrictions. . We are open Saturdays, Sundays and Holiday Mondays every weekend until Monday, October 11, 2021. At times when the Museum is closed, you can still reach us by email at middlevillemuseum@gmail.com
While we are all uncertain as to what the future will bring, the past is always with us - lots of it is in our museum!
From the Board of Directors and volunteers of the Middleville and District Museum
2019 - 2020 News
Upgrades to our Beloved (but old) Building!
The Middleville Museum is thrilled to announce that we are the recipient of a $24,900 Capital Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The Grant will be used to complete the installation of indoor plumbing and upgrade our electrical system. We will be hosting an OTF Recognition Event & Community Celebration as soon as possible after the completion of the project.
Many thanks to donors Catherine Kelly and John Brearly who began this project with the installation of a well and septic system. Thanks to local businesses including Centennial Truss, Lanark Timbermart, Carleton Place Canadian Tire, and Perth Planing Mill for donations, building materials, and fixtures. Thank you to the many individual donors who have contributed to the project in the last year.
We are so grateful!
Upgrades to our Beloved (but old) Building!
The Middleville Museum is thrilled to announce that we are the recipient of a $24,900 Capital Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The Grant will be used to complete the installation of indoor plumbing and upgrade our electrical system. We will be hosting an OTF Recognition Event & Community Celebration as soon as possible after the completion of the project.
Many thanks to donors Catherine Kelly and John Brearly who began this project with the installation of a well and septic system. Thanks to local businesses including Centennial Truss, Lanark Timbermart, Carleton Place Canadian Tire, and Perth Planing Mill for donations, building materials, and fixtures. Thank you to the many individual donors who have contributed to the project in the last year.
We are so grateful!
When the Museum is closed, staff can be reached by telephone and email Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Tel: 613-259-5462 / 613-256-4997
Email: middlevillemuseum@gmail.com
Tel: 613-259-5462 / 613-256-4997
Email: middlevillemuseum@gmail.com