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“The Museum had a great series of events planned for the 2020 season – but of course, Covid-19 overturned everything. We are now planning for a foreshortened season (with many wonderful events postponed to 2021) and will announce this season’s revised program as soon as we know our opening date. Stay tuned!” In the meantime we held our first "in-person" board meeting in over three months, yay!     Museum is pleased to announce a fundraising concert featuring the dynamic fiddler, Cindy Thompson on September 7 from 7 - 9 p.m. at the Middleville Agricultural Hall.
There is something for everyone in Cindy Thompson’s energetic fiddling. She draws from an extensive range of traditional fiddle styles, learned through personal experience and from a career that has taken her to local, National and International stages for over 35 years. Along with teaching and performing, Cindy continues to develop new traditional styles and enjoys teaching them to her many students throughout Ontario. Cindy will be performing with her son, Jake Butineau, on the keyboard. Jake is a professional composer for video games and visual media based in Toronto, ON with credits in over 40 media projects including video games (music & sound design), film and internet. Joining them as special guests on stage will be Cindy's husband Bruce Strathearn (on fiddle ) and her talented sister, Wendy Phillips. Wherever she goes, Cindy's fun, enthusiastic approach builds an amazing rapport with her audience. Cindy’s passion for traditional music shows every time she performs or picks up her fiddle. Tickets are available in Almonte at Baker Bob's and Mill Street Books, at the Museum in Middleville and by eTransfer through middlevillemuseum@gmail.com. Get your tickets early; you will not want to miss this fun evening. Tickets for this Fundraising event are non-refundable.  A native of Perth, Ontario, Ron W. Shaw studied journalism at Algonquin College and worked for newspapers, radio and television in northern and western Ontario for a decade before a 35 year career with non-governmental relief and development organizations in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Ron will be our guest speaker at the Museum on Sunday July 28 at 1:30. He will be recounting some stories from his latest book, A Swarm of Bees, featuring some of the local families involved in the early days of conversion to the Mormon Church in Lanark and Dalhousie Twps. (The complete list of families is part of the attached map.) A Swarm of Bees recounts a journey begun in 1820 that, over the course of 50 years, took 18 ‘Lanark Society Settler’ families from the slums of Glasgow to the Great Salt Lake Valley. These pioneer families, who first settled in what is now Lanark County, Ontario, were among the earliest converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their story unfolds in the context of the founding and earliest days of the Mormon Church, as they follow their new faith through the Ohio and Missouri settlements, to Nauvoo Illinois, the refugee camps of Council Bluffs Iowa, and finally along Mormon Trail to Utah.
 Celebrate Family History Day at the Middleville Museum with a performance by the fabulous Cindy Thompson on Sunday June 23. Tour the museum, take in a talk on family history resources and enjoy some homemade goodies from 11-3 p.m. Cindy and her husband Bruce Strathearn will play in the afternoon. Admission $5 for adults. Children under 12 free. There is something for everyone in Cindy Thompson’s energetic fiddling. She draws from an extensive range of traditional fiddle styles, learned through personal experience and from a career that has taken her to local, National and International stages for over 45 years. Along with teaching and performing, Cindy continues to develop new traditional styles and enjoys teaching them to her many students in the local area. Come and meet Cindy with her husband Bruce Strathearn as they share their favourite fiddle tunes from the past and present.  Bruce Strathearn started learning the fiddle as an adult and has become a very accomplished fiddle player. He especially enjoys the Scottish and Cape Breton music. Bruce will be joining his wife Cindy Thompson in her performances this season. He looks forward to teaching fiddle music and sharing his knowledge to students in the local area. You can also sit in on a talk by David Murdoch to find out what family history resources are in the museum, including a look at our Lanark Families page on Ancestry. Check out the history and stories of Irish settlers and immigrants. See you there!
CELEBRATE! It’s time to celebrate; time to embrace who we are and where we came from………….and that’s exactly what we did. MIDDLEVILLE AND DISTRICT MUSEUM had it’s seasonal Opening Tea on Sunday May 19, 2019. People were swept back into the past during a day of ongoing activity. Featured was the “Irish Immigrants of Lanark Township. Displays were set up to give visitors and insight into the lives of our Irish ancestors; what brought them here, how they arrived and what they experienced once they got here. Guest speakers from various families gave their personal accounts gleaned from their family archives. Thorpe Moulton advanced us through 953 years of their family history from his military ancestor Sir Thomas De Moulton who fought with William the Conqueror in 1066 to William Moulton who was heralded for saving numerous lives when he was sent by the British Navy to round up the mutineers of the “Bounty” in 1791 and on to where their family is today in the farming community of Lanark Highlands. Gerald Tenant talked about the rich history of his family and significant contribution they made to the settlement of the Highlands of Lanark. Doris Quinn gave us a preview of what can be expected in her upcoming book about the early Quinn Settlement around Boyd’s and Ferguson Falls. We were entertained in the morning by Irish fiddling from a group of musicians who share their common interest and meet together on a regular basis in Middleville. In the afternoon our toes were kept tapping by another group called “Fiddlers and Friends”. They are a group who meet regularly in Maberly to enjoy their united passion for the art of fiddling. We certainly celebrated in style but the celebration is not over. We will continue our Irish focus for the rest of the summer. Don’t let that stop you from coming if you have Scottish or English heritage because we have lots for you too. Our next big event will be Family History Day on June 23, 2019. If you want to find out more about us go to our facebook page or sign into middlevillemuseum.blogspot.com. Looking forward to seeing you. Sharon Stead We are looking forward to welcoming you to our country museum located in the village of Middleville. Originally set in an 1861 two-story stone school, the museum expanded in the 1970s and then again in 2013. Our facility is now wheelchair accessible.
We are currently undergoing a bit of construction (which will not interfere with your visit) while we install some much needed indoor plumbing. The Museum is home to an extensive collection of local artifacts, and archival and genealogical records. Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday Holiday Mondays 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Victoria Day thru Thanksgiving or by appointment. Admission: $5.00 per person, 12 and under free. Contact: 2130 Conc. 6D, Middleville, Ontario, K0G 1K0 Phone: 613-259-5462 or 613-259-0228 email: middlevillemuseum@gmail.com Highlights:
At the Middleville Museum we love the past. We no longer want to live in the past - at least as far as our indoor plumbing goes.
So, we are embarking on a much needed renovation project to upgrade our facilities to include both a public (wheel chair accessible) washroom and events prep area to accommodate the individuals, families and tour groups that come to the Museum. This project will include installing a septic bed system, new well and electrical upgrade as well as the accessible washroom itself. This renovation will add a level of comfort and convenience to the museum visit that will allow visitors to spend additional time viewing the exhibits, researching and talking to staff. It will also allow the Museum to plan more special community events, workshops, seminars and be able to accommodate the needs of touring groups. Phase one of the project will involve drilling a well and installing a septic system. We are very fortunate to have received a generous donation to get us started that will pay for a good part of phase one. People and organizations have been responding to our newspaper article and mailing. We would like to thank Lanark TimberMart for committing to donate the construction materials for the walls and to Blackburn Plumbing for a submersible pump. Perth Planing Mill has donated an interior door and trim, thank you. We are beginning to receive individual monetary donations which will be acknowledged here and on our Donors Wall in the Museum. To complete the next phase of the actual indoor reno (plumbing and electricity) the Museum has to rely on much need financial donations and donations of materials that would reduce the overall costs. We are looking for anyone that can help in providing any of the basic items that it has on its “shopping list” and some of the items that are need include: 10 or 20 gallon pressure tank New Hot Water Tank (up to 40 gal) Handicap Accessible Wall mounted sink 8 ft Kitchen Counter (with doors) Kitchen Sink Faucet Washroom faucets Kitchen Wall Light Fixture Interior Door Handle with Lock The Museum has reached out to local businesses who, as we've said, are really stepping up to help us. We also want to reach out to the Community to see what can be done to help achieve its goal of being more accessible and valuable to the community it serves. Items such as light fixtures, bathroom fixtures and paint have already been donated but so much more is need. If you can help with any of the above or would like to contribute financial to our Indoor Plumbing Project please contact middlevillemuseum@gmail.com Mike Sobol 259-2406 Alice Borrowman 259-5462 Any kind of donation big or small will help catapult us into the 21st century while still maintaining our love of everything (else) that is old.  We kick off the 2019 season with our Opening Tea in honour of Lanark Township's Irish settlers on Sunday May 19, 2019 from 11 - 3 p.m.
Although, it is well known that many of the first European settlers to the area came from Scotland, many Irish families came at the same time, seeking a new life and prosperity. Only the most enduring made the trip over the rocky terrain from Perth to Lanark Township, bringing with them skills in weaving, carpentry, blacksmithing and shoemaking. Over the next many years, hundreds more followed, including those fleeing the potato famine in the late 1840s. A genealogist will be on hand to help with your family searches. Come out and enjoy some lively Irish fiddling as well as a taste of the food of Ireland. View items donated by descendants of the original settlers. We invite any Lanark Township Irish descendants to bring artifacts and/or stories to share on that day. Display space is available. The Art of Being Green Festival was held at the Middleville Fairgrounds this year and the Middleville Museum took the opportunity to have some fun. One would argue that most of the artefacts at the museum are "green" seeing that they use elbow grease instead of electricity or gas. But undoubtably the highlights were Tipsy the butter-churning dog and a horse-powered hay-bailer. Tipsy isn't the first dog in the area to help out by working the treadmill which in turn powers the butter-churn, and hopefully won't be the last.
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