by Amy Zoethout | Oct 11, 2023 | Artefacts, Blog, Media Releases/Announcements, Museum News
A George Agnew Reid painting has returned to Huron County thanks to a donation of the painting The Homeseekers Fording the Credit to the Huron County Museum.
Homeseekers Fording the Credit was recently donated to the Museum from the Perkins Bull Collection. Most of the collection’s archival holdings were donated to the Region of Peel Archives, who recognized the connection to Huron County and reached out to the Museum seeking a new home for the piece. The painting was received by the Museum in early October and is now on display in the upper Agricultural Hall.
George Agnew Reid was a Canadian artist, painter, and influential educator who is best known as a genre painter, depicting scenes from ordinary life which were largely inspired by his early memories of Huron County. Born in 1860 on his family’s farm in Wingham, Reid briefly apprenticed with an architect before studying at the Ontario School of Art, Toronto, in 1879. He then studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he was a protégé of Thomas Eakins. He later became interested in mural painting, and in 1897, founded the Society of Mural Decorators in Toronto with Frederick Challener, William Cruickshank, and Edmund Wyly Grier. In 1903, with the help of others, he founded the Arts and Crafts Society of Canada, which became known as the Canadian Society of Applied Art in 1905.
In the 1930s, William Perkins Bull, a lawyer and financier, was injured in Chicago and came back to Toronto to recuperate. During this time, he amassed a large selection of Canadian art, including The Homeseekers Fording the Credit, which is based on one of Reid’s landmark works, The Homeseekers, an historical presentation of pioneering days that uses the Maitland River as its backdrop.
“Bull had, by the 1930s, begun a special Peel Memorial Collection at Brampton, to which Canadian artists were asked to contribute examples of their work painted in Peel County. Since The Homeseekers has a setting not unlike that of Peel County, Bull asked Reid to donate the original to this collection but since it was set into the wall of the artist’s studio-workshop, Reid decided that he could not part with it. Instead, he painted a replica.” – George Reid biography.
The Huron County Museum wishes to thank the Perkins Bull Collection for generously donating this painting to its collection, the Region of Peel Archives for coordinating this donation, and TOTAL Fine Arts for safely delivering the painting to Huron County.
Installed in the Museum’s permanent exhibit space, visitors can enjoy the painting during regular visits to the Museum.
by Amy Zoethout | Oct 27, 2022 | Blog, Museum News
Residents interested in helping to preserve and shape how local history is presented for the future can now make their voice heard. By joining the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol’s Collections Committee, interested individuals will have a say in how the Museum grows, expands and diversifies the stories shared through its unique collection.
The County of Huron invites applications for an open position on the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol’s Collections Committee. The position is for a volunteer community member from Huron County. The committee welcomes applicants that represent different communities, backgrounds, age groups, and cultures across Huron County, including newcomers and generational residents. Volunteers meet every third month, generally on Tuesday mornings, for terms of one, two, or three years with the potential of two consecutive terms.
The Huron County Museum’s collection is built from community donations from people, homes and businesses across Huron, following a collections policy and mandate.
“This is a great opportunity for those who are passionate about Huron County’s on-going history and heritage,” said Senior Curator Elizabeth French-Gibson. “If you love material culture, and want to engage others with the memories, stories and community ties that can be evoked so powerfully by objects from the past then this is a great opportunity for you!”
The Collections Committee presents a volunteer opportunity that is short on time-commitment, but makes a long-term impact on how our community recognizes, prioritizes and preserves history close to home.
The purpose of the Committee is to advise County Council with respect to matters pertaining to the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol collection. Recommendations include review of short and long-term planning regarding collections, site policies in relation to collection development, and requirements of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries’ Museum standards.
“When I was a child, a visit to the pioneer museum, which is what we called it then, was a confirmation that you don’t throw anything out; there was a story or use to every item,” said Collections Committee member Rhea Hamilton-Seeger, who shared what this volunteer experience has taught her. “As a member of the Collections Committee, I now get to learn more of the stories and appreciate what people collect and donate. One of the criteria for items to be in the Collection is that they relate to our [Huron County] history. While I would like to keep everything, there are some unique pieces that simply don’t relate. The staff of the Huron County Museum and this committee work hard to ensure a home is secured where these items do relate. A very interesting committee to be a part of and I have been able to share some of the stories with friends and better understand my local museum and how it teaches us, and reminds us, of our history.”
Those interested in applying for the volunteer position of Huron County Museum Collections Committee Member can submit a written application by Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 to:
Senior Curator
Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol
110 North St., Goderich, ON, N7A 2T8
museum@huroncounty.ca
by Amy Zoethout | Oct 17, 2022 | Blog, Museum News
The County of Huron and the Huron County Museum are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Huron County Art Show:
- 1st prize – Harvest Landscape Huron County, Roman Turczyn
- 2nd prize – With Wonder, Michele Miller
Honourable Mentions:
- Spring on the Maitland – Anita Wood
- Lucknow Road – Kaaren Batten
- Memories of Huron – Sharron Rogers
- razing landscapes #91 – Kelly Stevenson
- Hop on the Bus, Gus – Jerry McDonnell
- Untitled – Don MacGillivray
The two winning artworks will become part of the Huron County Art Bank with a purchase award from the County of Huron. Artworks in the Art Bank remain on display in various County buildings. To date there are 52 artworks that are part of this special collection.
The 20th year for the art show, the exhibit features 31 artworks by artists from across Huron County. The 2022 Huron County Art Show & Sale is on display at the Huron County Museum in Goderich from Oct. 16 to Dec. 17, 2022.
Visitors to the exhibit are invited to submit their vote for their favourite artwork with a special ballot available at the Museum.
The special exhibit is open to the public during Museum hours Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 4:30 pm, extended hours Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, and Sunday 1 pm to 4:30 pm. Regular admission rates apply. Admission is free to the Museum for members and Huron County Library card holders.
by Amy Zoethout | Jun 24, 2022 | Archives, Blog, Collection highlights, Museum News, Project progress
Kyle Pritchard is the Digitization Coordinator at the Huron County Museum. With the Digitized Newspaper Collection nearing completion, the project sets its sights on historical records in the archival collection at the Huron County Museum Archives with the assistance of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Consider supporting the digital collection today by donating at the front desk of the Huron County Museum. You can search the digitized newspapers yourself for free at https://www.huroncountymuseum.ca/digitized-newspapers/
After six long years and the hard work of many, the Huron County Digital Newspaper Project is nearly complete. As the digitization of Huron County’s newspaper collection enters its final stages, the scope of the project is expanding to offer a greater variety of digital content for researcher and the community. Over the coming two years, select archival records held at the Huron County Museum will be added to the online web portal. This has been made possible after Huron County Cultural Services’ digitization project received news it had secured funding with the Department of Canadian Heritage as part of the Digital Museum Assistance Program. The goal of digitizing records in the museum archival collection is to transition our current online repository on the Digitized Newspaper Collection into a digital archive, where a wider variety of source material about local cultural heritage is available for local and academic research, and community engagement.
The Digitized Newspaper Collection has thrived over the last few years, despite the unexpected hurdles, delays and setbacks that have accompanied the trials and tribulations of enduring a global pandemic. In February of this year, the digitization project was awarded the Digital Access to Heritage Grant as part of the Museum Assistance Program, which is contributing to funding the next years of digitization. Huron County’s newspaper digitization also received the Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) Archival and Preservation Achievement Award back in February.
The Huron County Digitized Newspapers Collection began in 2016 to improve access to the enormous volume of local newspaper content previously only available on microfilm and in their physical format. The digitized collection now holds over 550,000 newspaper pages and receives between 7,000 and 9,000 online visitors per year. The papers preserve a century and a half of local historical content and are searchable using OCR (optical character recognition) technology. The collection is designed to assist researchers to advance our understanding of the history of Huron County and its growing community and has proven an invaluable tool for researchers in a wide range of topics, including political, social, cultural and genealogical history. The project aims to increase the accessibility of archival records at the Huron County Museum by increasing researchers’ awareness and knowledge of the collection.
DIGITIZING ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS
The expansion of the Huron County Cultural Services digitization initiative focuses on five archival collections at the Huron County Museum Archive between now and mid-2024. These are the J.G. Henderson Collection, Huron County Assessment Rolls, CKNX films, rural diaries and the Huron County Return of Inhabitants. The timeline for digitizing archival materials prioritizes the release of content based on popularity, preservation, and the materials contributions to local cultural heritage.
The first of these digitization projects is centred on the J.G. Henderson Collection. The Henderson Collection holds a large volume of materials, including a collection of photographs of particular interest to digitization. The collection is named after J. Gordon Henderson, a photographer who moved to Goderich, Ontario when he purchased a local photography business in 1939. Henderson was the principle photographer of the community during his lifetime. The files in the Henderson collection include local photographs like wedding portraits, candid shots, and captures of day-to-day life. The photography studio in Goderich relocated several times over the years, though most of the portraits taken during WWII were captured at the Hamilton Street studio. Throughout his forty years as a professional photographer in Goderich, Henderson only shot and developed in black and white film. All of the photographs held in this collection were taken by J. Gordon Henderson. Around 500 of these photographs have been selected for digitization based on their ability to highlight community activities and events. Those selected for digitization represent just a small part of Henderson’s collection of professional work held at the Huron County Museum Archives which are of benefit to public and academic research.
The second digitization project are assessment rolls located at Huron County Museum Archives for Goderich, Steven and Hay Townships dated up until 1940. This includes four archival series for Hay township, three archival series for Stephen township, and four archival series for Goderich township. Assessment Rolls provide details of homeownership within the county at various points in history, and are of particular use for demographic and genealogical historians. The records also allow for a closer examination of living arrangements and demographic change over time across the region.
The CKNX films will be the third records to be digitized. CKNX radio station was created by W.T. Cruickshank, which started broadcasting out of Wingham in the mid-1930s. In 1955, CKNX expanded to television broadcasting, becoming the first rurally-based television station in North America. CKNX was a pioneer in broadcast television and set the standard for other rurally-based television-stations across Canada. Crews from CKNX travelled all over Southern Ontario filming parades, schools, sports, and other significant events. The culturally significant films showcase how rural Canadians lived, worked, and enjoyed their time in the early-1960s. There are currently 36 CKNX films in the Huron County Museum Archives, which range in content from depictions of local scenery, architecture, organizations and businesses. The project will digitize half of this collection, prioritizing films with important historical value which showcase the local environment and activities involving community engagement.
The Huron County Museum Archives holds a small collection of historical diaries written by members of the local community which will be the fourth set of records to be made available digitally. The majority of the diaries date to the turn of the 20th century, with some written during the Victorian period and others written during the First World War. Historical diaries are hidden gems inside the archival stacks. Often underutilized, historians are only now beginning to discover the value of these rich sources of rural, family and community life. Eight of these diaries were transcribed during a research project in 2017, and their transcriptions will be made available online alongside the digitized diaries.
Lastly, the Huron County Museum Archives holds the Assessment and Return of Inhabitants records for 1842 to 1850, which will mark the final project to be digitized. Records from the return of Inhabitants can quantify the demographics of local populations over time and offer a window into the settlement of the county. These are popular archival records requested by researchers and the community at a higher degree of frequency than other records in the collection. Due to their age and wear, the digitization of these records is important for the long-term preservation of the original documents.
CONCLUSION
The next phase of digitization aims to diversify the digital content available within the collection by focusing on archival materials which capture local cultural heritage through a variety of mediums, which depict a fuller image of rural life and day-to-day experiences within the community. These include archival photographs, diaries, films and government records. The digitization of these archival records is an important contribution to local history and serves the benefit of preserving some of the most popular records in Huron County’s archival collection.
by Amy Zoethout | Feb 8, 2022 | Museum News
The Huron County Museum congratulates the Huron County Library for receiving the Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) Archival and Preservation Achievement Award for the Huron County Digitized Newspaper project.
Virtually presented to library staff at the OLA Super Conference on Feb. 2, 2022, the award recognizes significant achievements in the field of preservation and/or conservation for library and/or archival materials.
Beginning in 2014, the digitization project has been a collaboration between the Huron County Library, Huron County Museum, the County of Huron, and the local community. The project has resulted in the digitization of more than 350,000 local newspaper and magazine pages from microfilm and hard copies. This collection preserves more than a century’s worth of local history from communities across the County.
“The Huron County Library has always been one of the most modern and innovative library systems in the province.” said Huron County Warden, Glen McNeil, “The Digitization Project is just one example of its leaderful and progressive work. Congratulations to everyone involved in this project. The recognition received is well deserved.”
The online collection brings together newspapers and magazines, spanning from 1848 to 2019, in one convenient location that anyone can access, for free, from anywhere there is an internet connection. Over the past two years, as libraries and museums were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers, students, researchers, historians, and genealogists could still easily access Huron County history from around the world. In 2021 alone, the digitized newspaper collection received close to 20,000 visits, making it one of the most popular online resources that the County of Huron offers.
“The digitization project serves as an important contribution to improving access to community history for researchers, historians and genealogists, who continue to expand our understanding of our rural past,” said Beth Rumble, Director of Cultural Services and County Librarian. “New content is being digitized and added to the collection on an on-going basis, further preserving our archival resources for generations to come.”
Support for this project from the community has helped shape the success of this project.
“We appreciate how the news of the day provides tidbits and notes of interest to many researchers and are impressed how this remarkable project has evolved to become a rich asset to our community,” said Rhea Hamilton-Seeger, on behalf of the Huron County Historical Society. “We are proud that this unique resource was made possible through the foresight of the Huron County Museum and Huron County Library and is used not only in Huron, but across the digital world.”
With members across Canada and the United States, the Huron County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), having access to this digital collection has helped those researching their families’ Huron County roots.
“Newspapers provide a snapshot into our ancestors’ lives that is not available in government records,” said Huron County Branch, OGS, Chair Debra McAuslan. Having these available digitially for much of Huron County is a unique resource for an rural area in Ontario and we are grateful to the Huron County Library and Huron County Museum for making this possible.”
The full collection can be accessed from both the Huron County Library and the Huron County Museum websites or by directly visiting https://pubdocs.huroncounty.ca/WebLink/.
Watch the award presentation on YouTube: Ontario Library Association Awards Ceremony 2022 (presentation to Huron County Library starts at 35:15)
