Mary Frances Griffin, 1914. Photo provided by David Hammer.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Huron County Museum shares a few images showing excerpts from letters recently donated to the Huron County Archives. The letters beautifully speak to life in rural Huron County in the early 1900s and share a glimpse into young love.
Sixteen letters in total were donated to the Museum’s archival collection, all written by a young Ashfield Township man named Joe during the years of 1913 through 1917 to Mary Frances Griffin. The correspondence between Joe and Mary took place after she had moved to Chicago after a time spent living in the Kingsbridge area. The letters were eventually passed down to her grandson, David Hammer, of Palatine, Illinois, who kindly donated them to the Museum.
In donating the letters, David wrote the following about his grandmother: “When Mary’s father, Timothy Griffin, died in Marquette, Michigan, Mary was sent to live with her aunts and uncles in Kingsbridge [Huron County]. She lived there from 1910 to 1912 and in the following years returned many times during the summer. Sundays she went to church. Weekdays she did chores, working in the garden, helping with cooking and cleaning. On Saturday nights the big excitement was to go dancing with friends and come home late. And always the question: Who was getting serious with whom? The possibilities were endless!”
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. Terms are for one year, two years, or three years with the potential of two consecutive terms.
The purpose of the Committee is to advise County Council with respect to matters pertaining to the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol. Recommendations include review of short and long term planning regarding collections, site policies in relation to collection development, and requirements of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s Museum standards.
Meetings are held every third month, generally on Tuesday mornings as scheduled by the Committee.
The Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol engage our community in preserving, sharing, and fostering Huron County culture.
Please submit a written application by March 19, 2021 to:
Acting Senior Curator
Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol
110 North St., Goderich, ON, N7A 2T8 museum@huroncounty.ca
Technology over the last several years has made it so easy to quickly connect with friends and loved ones that the tradition of sending Christmas cards has not been as popular as it once was. But in the midst of a global pandemic, when we can’t celebrate together like we normally would, people are looking for more meaningful ways to let loved ones know they are thinking of them, and what better way than a lovely greeting delivered through the mail. And while we can’t send out a seasonal greeting to you all through the mail, we can still use the power of technology to share a little Christmas cheer by taking a look through some of the Christmas cards in our collection.
Christmas Greetings, From Germany To Edith Williams From Prison Camp 106684 Co.10 Bar. B A994.0007.033
A Christmas notecard “Season’s Greetings”. On the front of card is a Tom Pritchard print of a farm/house by a hill and is signed by Tom Pritchard. Donated by Town of Goderich. 2011.0021.009
This Christmas postcard features flags of Allied nations in the First World War. The back of the card includes a bio of Ontario Premier William Hearst. 2004.0044.006
The back of this card has a silver embossed border. The front of the card is made of plastic with bells and holly designs on it. On the inside left is printed “THAT YOU’LL REMEMBER ME”. On the inside right is printed A GREETING…ANOTHER CHRISTMAS. A951.0664.001This Happy New Year postcard does not include a postmark, but reads on the back: “Dear cousin, received your cards yesterday and I was glad to hear from you’s. It is about 5 below zero, we have to go back to school next Monday. We have skating on Belles Isle. What did Santa Claus bring you for Christmas. Good bye from Harvey M Brien.” 2008.0032.005
And, of course, we couldn’t share our Christmas card collection without sharing a selection of cards from artist Jack McLaren, who is the subject of our exhibit Reflections: The Life & Work of J.W. (Jack) McLaren. Depending on the year, his collection includes some happy and cheerful seasonal greetings….
And some that seem appropriate for the 2020 holiday season…
The Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol’s Museum Technician Assistant Dana Lumby shares how she created the museum’s donation box.
Creating the museum’s donation box has been one of my favourite projects. I was tasked to make an interactive donation box that would provide some sort of visual “reward” in exchange for a donation. I did not have to look very far to find inspiration. As many of you will already know, our founding Curator J.H. “Herbie” Neill was a maker and a tinkerer. He left us with a collection of handmade, hands-on, demonstrative machines that visitors have been encouraged to animate since the Museum opened in 1951. (Unfortunately, given the current pandemic, visitors are temporarily unable to touch Mr. Neill’s machines, as these artifacts cannot be sanitized.) The donation box features a miniature Herbie Neill pedaling his custom, hand-pedaled bicycle through the countryside while towing our unofficial mascot, the two-headed calf. Depositing a coin, or a folded bill, in the respective slot starts the mechanism and also triggers a recording of our orchestral regina.
Herbie’s articulated body was carved from basswood and his face and hands were sculpted using polymer clay. I painted the clay to give him a realistic skin tone, added a gloss varnish to his eyes, and created a miniature wig out of rabbit fur, then gave him a tiny haircut. I created the special glasses, with copper and solder, to replicate the ones that Mr. Neill modified to protect his eyes. He suffered from sensitivity to light and added the metal shade to his glasses to help. You can see Mr. Neill’s actual modified glasses on display in the Neill Gallery at the Huron County Museum. I made his clothing from upcycled fabrics, including a pair of my own jeans.
Because Mr. Neill suffered from mobility issues, he fabricated a special hand-pedaled bicycle for himself using bike parts and repurposed metal objects. I recreated his vehicle in miniature, working from a photograph. The wheels were made with a slice of 4” pvc piping, stainless steel wire, black electrical wire, epoxy and sugru – which is a moldable glue that remains flexible when cured. The body of the bicycle was made with various dimensions of miniature brass tubing.
The two-headed calves were made of polymer clay on a metal armature. I covered them with a velvet fabric to mimic fur and painted the uncovered bits. I modeled the painted markings after one of our two-headed calves. When animated, one calf nods yes and the other no. I affectionately refer to them as Beau and Vinnie.
Once the models of Mr. Neill, the calves and the bicycle were finished, I set to work creating a set of wooden gears and cogs that would set them in motion. There was a lot of trial and error, taking apart and putting back together, and one very messy workbench, but I eventually figured it out. “Herbie” pedaled, the bike and trailer wheels turned, the calves disagreed with one another, and the hand-painted background scrolled by, all with the turning of a single crank.
Once the mechanics of getting everything moving had been figured out, I had to find a way to pair the contraption with some circuitry so the action would be triggered each time a donation was made. I knew I wanted it to work when either a coin or a bill were inserted, so I decided to use two different switches. I chose an infrared interrupt switch (which senses a break in its infrared beam when something passes through it) for the bills*, and a mechanical coinswitch (not unlike what you would find in a pinball machine) to sense the coins. I wrote a simple program using Arduino that plays an MP3, and powers the motor for a set amount of time when either of the switches are triggered. I had never used Arduino before, but it was relatively easy to teach myself using the resources on the Arduino website, and the forums and tutorials on the sparkfun website. Sparkfun has lots of information, great components and reasonable prices, but they are an American company so I sourced their products via these Canadian distributors: Digi-Key and Elmwood
*Fun Fact: Canadian polymer bills are not quite opaque enough to block an infrared beam, which is why you are asked to fold your bill before inserting.
Here is a video of the donation box in action, or come and see the real thing in the front lobby of the museum! Click here for information about visiting the museum.
This military badge is from the Canadian Medical Corps worn on a Nursing Sister uniform by Maud Stirling, a First World War Nursing Sister. This artefact is one of more than 3,000 artefacts currently available on the Huron County Museum’s online collection.
by student Museum Assistant Jacob Smith
As a final year history student, I have grown accustomed to spending several hours preparing and writing essays. This is an important skill that takes years of practice. If you are developing an essay that is based on local history, the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol has several resources that can aid you in your studies.
The first research tool is the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol’s online collection, which can be found here. This is a database where the public can view over 5,000 artifacts and archival materials in the Museum’s collection. This tool provides background information on the artifacts, such as its provenance, dimensions, and past owners, and allows viewers to examine objects that are not currently on display. Examples of objects currently available in the collection include textiles, tools, personal items, furniture, photographs, documents, and much more.
Another excellent research tool is the Huron County Museum’s Digitized Newspapers. Here, researchers can glance at newspapers dating from the mid-1800s to the late-2010s. This database is free, easy to use, and accessible from the comfort of your own home! The digitized newspapers provide a vast wealth of information, ranging from local news and gossip, fashion, and global affairs.
The Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol also has an extensive archives collection. Here, researchers can locate coroner’s inquests, assessment rolls, court records, voter’s lists, and many more. By booking an appointment with the Archivist, researchers have access to a vast collection of resources, and a knowledgeable staff member to assist you.
This World War I propaganda poster was found through the Huron County Museum’s digitized newspaper database (Source: The Exeter Advocate, 1918-8-22, Page 2).
A bonus resource! Ancestry.ca is a helpful tool that allows people to research, share information, and connect with others. Sources such as military death, and census records, images, and family trees. This source requires a paid subscription, but often has free trials that allows researchers to access its extensive content. Researchers can also access Ancestry Library Edition free from home until Dec. 31, 2020 with a Huron County Library card.
While writers may feel overwhelmed at the thought of composing a research essay, there are helpful resources close to home or even accessible without leaving home. With the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol’s resources, writers have the exposure to a wealth of extensive resources, which are readily available from your personal computer. Keep these resources in mind when you are composing your research essay.
