Spring 2012 - Lang Pioneer Village
Transcription
Spring 2012 - Lang Pioneer Village
Spring 2012 Vol. 5, No. 1 BUILDING OUR FUTURE FROM THE FABRIC OF THE PAST The War of 1812 Comes to Lang Pioneer Village! By Laurie Siblock, Assistant Manager The War of 1812 was a defining event in Canadian history and visitors to Lang Pioneer Village Museum can learn all about it at our Heritage Celebration Weekend, August 18 and 19, as reenactors and interpreters bring the era to vivid life. For citizens in the British colonies and First Nations warriors, the stakes in the conflict were high. Rene Chartrand, Canadian historian and former military curator for Parks Canada, aptly described the stakes as “you lose the war, you lose the country.” Not only did the British colonists and forces pull together to defend their land, so too did First Nations warriors and French Canadians. The participation of the First Nations in particular was crucial to the outcome of the war. The War of 1812 was instrumental in shaping a Canadian national identity, in the creation of our military and War of 1812 Primer By Laurie Siblock, Assistant Manager Chief Tecumseh meeting with Major General Sir Isaac Brock Use of image authorized by, but not affiliated with, the Government of Canada the setting of international borders between the U.S. and Canada, yet most Canadians know so little about the conflict that it is often called “the forgotten war.” 49th Regiment of Foot reenactors Because of its Photo courtesy of: Mark Stubbs monumental significance to Canadians and the fact that so few know anything about it, the federal government will be spending $28 million over the next four years to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812. Attending a War of 1812 commemorative event should be a priority for all Canadians. Yet, because there are no battle sites in the Central Ontario region where Lang Pioneer Village Museum is located, there is little going on in In 1812, Britain was fighting for its survival in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars. U.S. interests were interfered with when the Royal Navy blockaded France, preventing American trade ships from reaching any port controlled by the French. Americans were also angered by the practice of impressment, whereby the Royal Navy boarded American ships and removed any seamen deemed to be British, pressing them into service on Royal Navy ships. The “war hawks” in the U.S., intent on territorial gains, sought to conquer and acquire Upper and Lower Canada and also saw the war as an opportunity to drive the Indians out of what would later become Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. They felt further justified in declaring war on Britain because, when attempting to expand into Native territory, they found that Native warriors were armed with British guns. the area to commemorate the war. Therefore residents in the area are less likely to be able to attend an event that will raise their awareness and engage their interest in this critical episode in Canadian history. The lack of commemorations in the area is one motivating factor for our desire to organize a War of 1812 event at Lang Pioneer Village Museum, but it is not the only reason: we wanted to create an event that would distinguish itself from other events that are more focused on the battles that took place during the war. We selected our four event themes to highlight aspects of the war other Continued on page 2 When American Congress declared war on June 18, 1812, a majority of the 77, 000 inhabitants of Upper Canada were recent American immigrants who had moved across the border to take advantage of cheap land and low taxes. Others were Loyalists, who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolutionary War, yet still most Americans expected to be greeted as comrades and liberators, and assumed the conquest of Canada would be, to use former president Thomas Jefferson’s oft-quoted phrase, “a mere matter of marching.” In fact, the U.S. was woefully unprepared for war, and the initial ineptitude of the military, combined with the tactical brilliance of British Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, led to an initial string of embarrassing defeats for the Americans. Brock’s boldness and success at Fort Mackinac, Detroit and Continued on page 2 The War of 1812 Comes to Lang Pioneer Village! continued from front cover than specific battles, and we focused on dynamic themes that would appeal not just to locals, but to a broader audience. Our main themes include: combat weapons and strategies, as well as how they impacted the outcome of the war. infrastructure developments to the area such as the Trent-Severn Waterway. • The Role and Experience of Women: Through the exploration of • The Role of the First Nations: The individual women’s lives, including, but not limited to, War of 1812 heroine Laura Secord, visitors will gain an understanding of the role of women during the war and the impact the war had on the lives of women. Of course, no War of 1812 event would be complete without a battle re-enactment, so we’ve also got an exciting battle planned that will pit American invaders (portrayed by reenactors from Norwood District High School) against British regulars (49th Regiment of Foot), Canadian Militia (East Northumberland Secondary School reenactors) and First Nations warriors (Curve Lake First Nations) in the “Battle of Lang Mill.” In addition to celebrating 200 years of peace between Canada and the United States, we have another good reason to celebrate over the weekend of August 18-19: this year marks the 45th anniversary of Lang Pioneer Village Museum. During the War of 1812 event, there will also be public ceremonies and cake for everyone to highlight this milestone in the Museum’s history. If you don’t come for an exciting step back into a pivotal moment in Canadian history, then come for the cake! < participation of the First Nations played a significant role in the conflict, and warriors from the local Hiawatha reserve fought in the very earliest battles. Based on the report of successful returns of warriors back to their homes from the Battle of Beaver Dams made by Captain William J. Kerr of the Indian Department, it has been determined that 70 of these warriors were from the Rice Lake region in the southern portion of Peterborough County. Of the 70 who participated in the Battle of Beaver Dams, around 20 were likely Mississauga warriors from Curve Lake in Northern Peterborough County. With the participation of the Curve Lake First Nation, activities and interpretation at the event will provide visitors with an understanding of the First Nations’ motivation for joining the conflict, their The War of 1812 Primer continued from front cover Queenston Heights convinced Britain’s Native allies to join the fight and rallied the population to the Union Jack. Encouraged by initial British success and urged to participate in the war by the great Shawnee leader Tecumseh, Native nations allied with the British to defeat the Americans, hoping ultimately to defend Native land against American westward expansion. However, Tecumseh’s death at the Battle of the Thames ended any threat of an Indian confederacy standing in the way of westward expansion. Brock also paid the ultimate price of war when he was killed while leading the soldiers to victory at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Though their stories are seldom told, women had an important role to play in the war. Some wives—and even children—accompanied their men on war campaigns. In the camps, they were laundresses, seamstresses, cooks, nurses and companions to the soldiers. Women were also stationed in forts and garrisons as servants in high-ranking officers' houses where they 2 • Music of the War of 1812: Music has always been an important aspect of events at Lang Pioneer Village. The songs and music that were popular at the time of the conflict or were inspired by it will be performed by Gopher Baroque at the event, further augmenting the living-history experience with the sounds of the era. • The Local Connection: The impact of the War of 1812 on Peterborough County will be interpreted, including the participation of local First Nations warriors, as well as investigations into the impacts of the war on later settlement and worked as cooks, and as nursemaids and laundresses. Women who stayed behind while their husbands went off to war took care of possessions and family and continued to work the farm. One of the most famous women of the War of 1812, Laura Secord, became a Canadian heroine after trekking 20 kilometres through thick woods and wild streams to warn the British of an impending American attack on the British outpost at Beaver Dams. The war ended with no clear winner on December 24, 1814, when the Treaty of Ghent was signed by British and Americans meeting in Ghent, Belgium. But, because 19th-century communication was slow, fighting continued until February 16, 1815, when the treaty finally crossed the ocean and was officially ratified by American Congress and President Madison. In the end, the war had been an inconclusive series of battles—battles that included the burning of York (Toronto) and a retaliatory sacking of Washington and burning of the White House and the Capital to the ground. It was a war in which 24,000 U.S., British, Canadian and Native people were killed in battle or died of disease in the camps. It was a war in which the Native nations lost their great leader Tecumseh and, with his demise, their hope of fending off American westward expansion. The War of 1812, however, was also a war that spawned the American national anthem, the “Star-Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Key as he witnessed a successfully repelled attack on Baltimore. More importantly for Canadians, it was during the War of 1812 that our national identity was born. The defense of what was then known as British North America between 1812 and 1814 was a foundational moment for Canada. What was initially a disparate group of relatively recent immigrants, spread across a vast and lonely expanse, became, with the conclusion of the war, a burgeoning nation with a distinct Canadian identity. The War of 1812, despite its shadowy existence in the Canadian cultural consciousness, is as significant to the birth of Canada as Confederation. It is indeed a moment to be remembered and commemorated. < Repairing Your Old Kitchen Chairs Chairs emerged from Ancient Egypt, and thousands of years, they were mainly used only by pharaohs, royalty and other individuals of high stature. Because of this, they became signifiers of social standing. In the days of royal courts, social status was further indicated by whether one sat in a chair with arms or a chair with a back but no arms. The humblest chair of all was the stool. It was not until the 16th century that chairs became common everywhere, providing seating around even the most modest of dining tables. The chest, the bench and the stool were until then the seats used. This is my lab with many old friends waiting for repair. Today, it is not uncommon to find old wooden chairs at yard sales, flea markets or on the curb with a sign that reads "Free to a good home." Likely these old soldiers are being tossed because they have a broken leg or a loose joint or are covered in layers of peeling and cracking paint. Because wooden chairs are commonly used in high-traffic areas, such as kitchens and dining rooms, they take a lot of abuse. Even the toughest wooden chairs can become wobbly or have spindles and legs that come loose. Chair repairs are among some of the easiest of household repairs. If you can assemble a puzzle, you can put a chair back together. With just a few materials and a little tender, loving care, you can make your wooden chairs strong and sturdy again. If your kitchen chair has a wobbly leg or is missing a rung, don't throw it away! In many cases a simple basic repair could put these old family friends back in service for many years. To make a broken-down kitchen chair into a functional, beautiful piece again, take the following steps: • Clean the chair by wiping it down with a warm damp cloth and just a bit of Orvus soap, a neutral synthetic detergent available locally at Peterborough co-op or tack shops. By Basia Baklinski, Conservator • Missing rungs can be replaced with the right size dowelling from a hardware store; wooden broom handles also often work like a charm. • Finally, if you haven’t opted for the laborious job of stripping the paint off to get a bare-wood look, you can repaint the chair. In the conservation lab, I am careful to match the paint to the original colour of the chair and properties of the paint (e.g., milk paint vs. acrylic) but you can use whatever colour your heart desires! • If you would like to have a natural wood chair, stripping the paint is an option; however, a chair can often have six or seven layers of paint, and stripping it can be a lot of work. You may opt instead to sand the chair down and repaint it. • Before painting, secure all loose parts, such as split seats and detached rails or rungs, with an adhesive. In the conservation lab, I use fish glue (available at Lee Valley), but wood glue will work well, too. Apply the adhesive, then clamp the two sides together, wiping any excess adhesive away with a damp cloth. If you don’t have clamps, use a string to hold the sides together. Tie it good and tight, then use a pencil to torque the string as tightly as possible and secure it in that position. The repaired and repainted (to match the oldest paint layer found) chair ready for many more years of service in the Village. Among other things, I repaired 22 of these types of chairs from the Lang collection last season, preserving them for future generations and, in some cases, ensuring more comfortable, safe seating for visitors, volunteers and staff in the Village. With these repair instructions in hand and a little time and care, you too could sit one or two more guests around the kitchen table. < “I had three chairs in my house, one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.” Henry David Thoreau A great old chair that came to the lab from the Village. It was suffering a split seat, loose rungs and spindles, a wobbly back, a detached rail and layers of chipped and peeling paint. 3 New Victorian Mourning Exhibit in the Keene Hotel By Audrey Caryi, Museum Specialist Walk on up to the second floor of the Keene Hotel, turn right at the top of the stairs and you’ll see that there is a new salesman in town. The Salesman Room, upstairs in the Keene Hotel, has a new exhibit this summer based on the Victorian traditions surrounding mourning. Queen Victoria’s grieving practices during her mourning period for her beloved Alfred (d. 1861) became the traditions copied throughout the British Empire. Black, symbolic of spiritual darkness, was worn throughout the mourning period for both adult males and females. It was used on everything from clothing to handkerchiefs, fans, gloves and black-edged note paper for announcements. Dictates about Victorian mourning fashion were mainly directed at females. This serious period in a widow’s life extended for black furs were allowed. The lack of decoration was meant to show the expression of the widow’s deep sorrow rather than drawing attention to her appearance. After one year of deepest mourning, the second stage of mourning — half mourning — continued for the following six months. Now the veil could be drawn off the face to the back of a hat or a silk bonnet trimmed with crepe and black ribbon. The introduction of white cuffs and collars was a move from the totally black attire of the previous stage of mourning. Materials with decorative patterns, or elaborate fabrics such as velvet, could now be used as trim, but still only the colour black for these decorative pieces was acceptable during this middle period. The last six months saw the introduction Audrey Caryi with Victorian mourning clothing Photo: Rhonda Akey two years. For the first year of mourning, referred to as the deepest mourning, a widow was not allowed to leave her home without wearing full black attire and a weeping veil of crepe that covered her face and extended down the length of her back. Veils were intended to shield widows from the outside world seeing her expression of grief, a private emotion. Her clothing was simple with no lace or decorations. Black jet jewellery, hair bracelets made from the hair of the deceased, or a locket with a picture of the deceased and possibly a piece of their hair were accepted, but otherwise adornments were not worn. In winter, only 4 of colours such as grey, mauve, purple and lavender. In many cases, widows could not afford to purchase their black mourning garments, so it was common practice to dye clothing black. Certain types of dyes were objected to by doctors because, when breathed in while wearing a veil, they could produce catarrhal, a respiratory disease. After the mourning period, those women who had economized by dying their clothing black would now bleach the colour out. Also, jewellery of all sorts was now allowed. Males were less encumbered by restrictions on their mourning clothing. Victorian men’s clothing was often made of black or dark fabrics anyway, so the addition of a black arm band or hat band was added to note his grieving position. A man’s mourning period extended for a shorter time than a woman’s and, during this time, men were not as isolated as women; they were able to continue to conduct their professional business while their female counterparts were expected to minimize social interactions. Children under 17 did not wear black; instead, they wore white with black trim. Mourning for children in many families was a sad reality. It was not uncommon for families to lose more than one child in infancy or early childhood. When out in public, mourning mothers wore black with white lace trim on their dresses to represent the purity of the child that had died. These Victorian practices, imitating the British Victorian Royal Court, were not always practical in rural Ontario. Queen Victoria’s excessive 40-year mourning period, complete with the commissioning of statues of her beloved Albert, was extreme. In most rural situations, the role of the married female was to care for her children, husband and the home, and she was often left with no financial support after her husband’s death. It was understood and accepted that widows and widowers, who both faced the practical need for survival and financial support, might remarry before the end of the grieving period. The Victorian mourning exhibit in the Keene Hotel provides a space for us to share these Victorian mourning practices with our visitors while at the same time enabling us to display artifacts from our collection that have not been on public display before. < What’s New at Lang Pioneer Village for the 2012 Season? By Joe Corrigan,Museum Manager Anniversaries are important dates—they prompt us to remember and reflect on significant occurrences in the past. The year 2012 will see more than its share of commemorative milestones in Canadian and world history. In addition to being the bicentennial of the War of 1812 (June 18, 1812 to December 24, 1814), it is also the centennial of the sinking of RMS Titanic (April 15, 1912), the 95th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9–11, 1917), the continuation of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War (1861–1865), the 145th anniversary of Canadian Confederation (July 1, 1867) and the 45th anniversary of the opening of Lang Pioneer Village Museum (August 19, 1967). Since the last edition of the Lang Register in November of 2011, several important milestones have been achieved here at the Village as well. Last year was one of the most challenging in the Museum’s history. During this time we witnessed the completion of the S. W. Lowry Weaver Shop and Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre, as well as the opening of the Weaver Shop exhibit. The Museum staged its most ambitious program of special events in several years and saw many construction and restoration projects undertaken. None of this could have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of our many volunteers and staff. In December 2011, these efforts were acknowledged when Lang Pioneer Village Museum was presented with the County of Peterborough’s Award for Corporate Volunteering. The Museum also won the 2011 County of Peterborough Environmental Services Waste Reduction Challenge with a campaign spearheaded by Premises Coordinator Graham Varrin. In January, the Museum’s Historic Dominion Day event, featuring its Fenian Raid military reenactment, was named one of the top 10 Laurie Siblock and Joe Corrigan accept the County of Peterborough Corporate Volunteerism Award from County Warden J. Murray Jones on behalf of Lang staff and volunteers, December 2011 Photo: Amanda Dibbets Ontario events of 2011 by the Ontario Festivals Visited website. There have also been several significant senior staff changes over the past few months. The Museum’s Administrative Support person, Karis Regamey, resigned her position in December 2011 and moved to Barry’s Bay, Ontario, following her husband Phil’s posting to the OPP station at Killaloe. Karis continues her association with Lang, acting as the Museum’s Marketing Coordinator on a contract basis. Her Administrative Support position was redefined as a supervisory-level position that would provide enhanced support to our volunteer program. This position was renamed Administrative/Volunteer Coordinator and long-time employee Elizabeth King was hired for this position in December. In April 2012, Julia Gregory and Trevor Merriam, both seasonal employees for the past several years, joined the ranks of our Museum’s part-time staff as Lead Interpreter and Premises Assistant respectively. Rosemary Davidson, a 12-year veteran of the Village in a variety of roles, decided to resign as the Museum’s Visitor Experience Coordinator (formerly Retail and Operations Coordinator) as of the end of April 2012 so she could spend more time with her two daughters. We’re happy to say Rosemary will continue her association with the Museum on a casual contract. The search for a new Visitor Experience Coordinator is underway and a replacement should be in place for the start of the season. Laurie Siblock was named the Museum’s Assistant Manager in December, having served as Special Event and Community Liaison person for the past five years. Laurie’s assignment to this position was in recognition of her dedication to her work and to provide the Museum with an identifiable second-in-command. Seasonal recruitment for our summer interpretive staff took place during February and March. We’re pleased to say that most of our 2011 seasonal interpreters are returning. There were only a handful of openings for positions this year and these have been filled by experienced interpreters from our volunteer ranks, prior year’s staff and experienced staff from other, major livinghistory sites. At the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, in January 2012, Rosemary Davidson made a presentation to the Canadian Museum Association’s Museum Retail and Visitor Services conference in conjunction with renowned retail consultant Barbara Crowhurst. Their presentation profiled the Lang Pioneer Village Museum Gift Shop and Barbara’s suggestions for enhancements. Several of Barbara’s recommendations have been implemented and will be apparent when the Gift Shop opens for business on May 22, 2012. Premises Coordinator Graham Varrin, Premises Assistant Trevor Merriam and Historic Buildings and Facilities volunteers Norm Blodgett, Terry Brown, Andy Crowell, Ron Lang, Alex Lyons, John McIntyre, Peter Nelson, David Mitchell and Harry vanDompseler have been busy with improvements to several buildings and with facilities projects both on and off site. The floors of both the Food Booth and Trades Barn have been repaired. A gravel pathway has been constructed for the Blacksmith Shop, replacing the wooden ramp, and the doors have been replaced on Continued on back cover 5 This Spring at Lang Pioneer Village: Volunteer Workshops and Recruitment Seminars By Elizabeth King, Administrative/Volunteer Coordinator Would you like to sew your own costume? That was the question we asked our staff and volunteers earlier this year. What a way to start the season— with a brand-new dress and a labour of love to call your own! The first workshop of the 2012 season was the Staff and Volunteer Historic Costume Sewing Workshop. The focus of the workshop was women’s period dresses from the 1820s, ’40s, ’60s and ’70s. Over three Saturdays in March, and one in April, 10 women joined together in the MacKelvie Gallery to sew their own costumes with the help of Costumer Janet vanDompseler. The process entailed picking the dress that would be suitable to each individual’s role at the Village, tracing an appropriate pattern (for some that meant as much as enlarging the pieces from a tiny pattern book), selecting authentic-looking fabric and, finally, sewing the garment into a wearable piece. Not only did this workshop help us at the Museum by relieving some of the stress on the Costuming Department, but it was also an opportunity for volunteers with similar interests to come together and spend time getting to know one another. We were an eclectic mix, some of us meeting for the first time. We also made a new friend, Emily Sturgeon, who has been bringing her classes here to the spring educational program for years, and will now be joining the Lang family behind the scenes volunteering at events and in costuming. Janet vanDompseler and Breah Beazer-Clarke working on Breah’s historic costume Photo: Elizabeth King Together we have made an 1890s skirt, jacket and blouse, two 1890s walking dresses, an 1870s day dress, an 1860s maternity dress, two 1820s day dresses and an 1830s gown. I think I see a fashion show in our future! March was a busy month, during which we also hosted a volunteer recruitment seminar entitled “Wildflowers” — Catharine Parr Traill Historical Gardening Presentation. Lang Pioneer Village historic gardening volunteer Joyce Higgs introduced guests to the botanical world of Catharine Parr Traill, an early Elizabeth King and Joyce Higgs Photo: Laurie Siblock settler in 19th-century Upper Canada. The evening event, which was attended by 70 people and took place in the Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre on March 21, highlighted historical plants that we grow in our gardens today. It also emphasized the need for volunteer support for the Village gardens. All in all, the seminar was informative and pleasurable. All of the guests had positive things to say and we have created ties in the gardening community that will help us to grow and expand our own gardening resources. The evening raised $168 in donations to help with this year’s gardens and encouraged awareness about a growing volunteer opportunity here at the Village. < 6 Become a Member of Lang Pioneer Village Museum and Enjoy the Privileges of Membership By Joe Corrigan, Museum Manager Lang Pioneer Village Museum Bronze-Level Family Membership Benefits • Free admission to Lang Pioneer Village for 1 full year • One-year subscription to the Lang Register semi-annual newsletter • 1 $3-off coupon valid for up to 2 guest admissions • 6 free drink vouchers for drinks served in the Keene Hotel • Invitations to workshops, exhibit previews and special events • 10% discount in Museum Shop • 10% discount on Youth Interpreter Program • 10% discount on workshops Ask us about the added benefits of our Silver, Gold and Platinum programs. The Faleiro Family Photo: Karis Regamey Lang Pioneer Village Museum introduced its membership program in 2010 as a replacement for the season pass. Memberships are available at the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels. Bronze memberships cost $95 for a family (2 adults and up to 4 children), $60 for an adult and $50 for a senior or student. Memberships provide great value for regular visitors and make an ideal gift. If you have any questions about the membership program, or to become a member, contact the Visitor Experience Coordinator at 705-295-6694 or by e-mail at [email protected] Cheyenne and Derek Thompson Photo: Dawn Knudsen LANG’S VISION, MISSION AND MANDATE VISION To provide each and every visitor to Lang Pioneer Village with a living history experience of exceptional quality. MISSION To preserve, promote and authentically recreate the rural history of Peterborough County. MANDATE To be a vibrant living history museum that engages our community and actively preserves our cultural heritage in order to provide an interactive and educational visitor experience. 7 Rare Jacquard Looms Are Ready for Harnessing By Joe Corrigan, Museum Manager Since the official opening of the S. W. Lowry Weaver Shop and Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre at the Museum’s Festival of Textiles on August 13, 2011, the Museum’s project team has focused on getting the historic looms up and running. We currently have a two-harness and a fourharness loom on exhibit in the Weaver Shop portion of the building, along with the original Lowry Jacquard loom. Didier Schvartz’s replica is set up in the Interpretive Centre portion of the building. The two-harness loom was warped in time for the opening, and interpreters have been performing demonstrations on it ever since. The four-harness loom and the two Jacquard looms are more complex to set up, and arrangements are under way to bring them on stream. The Museum staff have spent considerable effort over the winter on a worldwide search to track down suppliers of the materials necessary to harness the two Jacquard looms. I’m pleased to say great progress has been made— our team has secured 5,000 tiny eyelets required for harnessing the looms and we have identified a source for the manufacture of the 210 cardboard punch cards each machine will need to reproduce the ingrain carpetting pattern identified on the cards that were left on the loom by Samuel Lowry. Lang Pioneer Village Museum would like to eventually acquire a card-punching machine of its own to assist in the repair of our existing sets of cards and to aid in the development of a more diverse set of patterns. This may be possible somewhere down the road, but obtaining a working set of punch cards for each of the two machines is the current priority. Once the punched cards are obtained, Didier Schvartz will be invited back to Lang Pioneer Village to harness the looms and our volunteer weavers will have the opportunity to learn about the operation of the Jacquard loom. Educational programs have been designed for public school primary and senior grade-level curriculum and will be implemented once the looms are ready and sufficient weavers have been recruited to provide demonstrations. These programs will be unlike anything currently offered in the Province of Ontario and will be expanded to include a wider range of grade levels over time. Audrey Caryi with replica Jacquard loom Photo: Laurie Siblock If you are a weaver interested in volunteering and learning to weave on our Jacquard loom, please contact Laurie Siblock at [email protected] or (705 ) 295-6694 or 1 (866 ) 289-5264. 8 When the building housing the looms was designed, it was determined that to fully appreciate the workings of the Jacquard loom, visitors should have the opportunity to gaze upon the mechanical heads from above. As the fully assembled loom is 10 to 12 feet high, the ceilings were constructed at a height of 18 feet. That will allow for a viewing platform to be built around the Museum’s working replica Jacquard loom. This platform, to be installed once the looms have been harnessed, will be constructed in a way that will also accommodate the weaver’s need to access the loom’s working parts for ongoing maintenance. The S. W. Lowry Weaver Shop and Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre was designed in a heritage architectural style but was also designed to be fully accessible. For those visitors who are unable to negotiate the stairs of the platform, a closed-circuit TV camera and monitor will be set up on the ground level for their convenience. Much progress has been made, but there is still work to be done. Our vision at Lang Pioneer Village Museum is “to provide each and every visitor with a living history experience of exceptional quality.” Our S. W Lowry Weaver Shop and Jacquard Loom Interpretive Centre is now a reality. All that remains is to complete the final touches for our Jacquard loom experience to be unique in North America. The Museum hopes to celebrate the realization of that dream at our next Festival of Textiles event, scheduled for Sunday, August 18, 2013. < Volunteers! You are invited to the Spring Volunteer Meet & Greet at Lang Pioneer Village Museum on Sunday, May 6, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm We hope you can join us on May 6 to kick off an exciting 45th anniversary season. Come visit with your Lang friends while enjoying light refreshments and the traditional music of Nassau Mills. We’ve missed you and can’t wait to see you all again! Please RSVP by May 1st to Elizabeth King at (705) 295-6694 ext. 21 or by email at [email protected] Danica Thompson Photo: Dawn Knudsen 9 Many thanks to Lang’s 2012 Season SponsorshipPartners! EVENT SPONSORS MEDIA SPONSORS SEASON SPONSOR 10 “The Fenians Are Coming! The Fenians Are Coming!” By Joe Corrigan, Museum Manager Historic Dominion Day, 2011 Photo: Dennis Halstead the greater Peterborough area, Lang Pioneer Village Museum’s commemoration event will also focus on interpretations of four major social themes of the War of 1812 era. These include the music of the era, the role and experience of women, the participation by our local First Nations communities in the battles and the impact of the war on the local area. It promises to be a very entertaining and informative event. The 2012 season will see a great many military reenactments staged across the province, including one at Lang Pioneer Village Museum during the weekend of August 18 and 19. Most of these will commemorate the War of 1812. Lang Pioneer Village also plans to stage another reenactment pertaining to an even lesser known, but equally significant, aspect of our military history; our Fenian raids reenactment will take place at the Historic Dominion Day event on Sunday, July 1st. The third armed invasion of Canada, the Fenian Raids, took place between 1866 and 1870. The United States had threatened to annex Canada “by force if necessary” during the American Civil War (1861-1865), but cooler heads prevailed and nothing came of the threat. The Fenian Brotherhood was an organization largely made up of Irish-born Civil War veterans (from both the north and south) that was reputed to be 60,000-strong at one point. Our country has actually repelled armed invasions from our neighbours to the south on three occasions over the last 250 years. In late December of 1775, a colonial American army under generals Montgomery and Arnold was defeated at the gates of Quebec City. After that defeat, the Americans made no further significant attempts to attack Canada for the rest of the Revolutionary War. Act Two came when the American Congress declared war on Great Britain in June of 1812 and focused its military efforts on the invasion of Canada. The Fenian organization came into their own in the days immediately following the American Civil War. Their stated aim was to invade Canada and use it as a bargaining chip to negotiate the liberation of their Irish homeland from British rule. This military threat was a major motivation in bringing the four original provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia into Confederation. It also led to the rapid expansion of the Canadian Militia, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the Canadian Army in 1883. As part of the War of 1812 bicentennial commemorations, over the next two years, people will be able to witness reenactments of the major engagements of the war, such as the battles of Queenston Heights, York, Chrysler’s Farm, Lundy’s Lane and Beaver Dams, as well as our own “Battle of Lang Mill.” Because no actual battle took place in Somehow this major event in our military and political history has slipped under the radar of our national consciousness. For the last three years, Lang Pioneer Village has staged a Fenian raid reenactment at our Historic Dominion Day event to make our visitors aware of this fascinating period of our history and to tell the story of Peterborough County’s contribution to the defense of our then fledgling nation. In 2007, Lang made the decision to refocus the Dominion Day event into one that told the story of Canadian Confederation. For several years our Canada Day attendance had remained around 100 visitors and it was difficult to compete with the vast array of free events staged all over the area. Since 2007 marked the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Dominion, we decided to bring Sir John A. Macdonald out of retirement to read the British North America Act and give an interpretation of the history of Canadian Confederation. We elaborated on that portrayal in 2008 and saw attendance grow to 245 visitors. In 2009, we staged our first Fenian raid reenactment with three Fenians and four members of the 49th Regiment of Foot wearing their 1812 attire serving as “our brave Canadian Militia.” We also introduced the singing of the historic Canadian Militia marching song “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,” which boldly states, “For beneath the Union Jack, we will drive the Fenians back and we’ll fight for our beloved Canadian home!” The event grew again in 2010 with the participation of more members of the 49th Regiment of Foot, this time shedding their 1812-style jackets and shakos to represent the 1860s vintage “Home Guard” volunteers, and the Cobourg High School drill team came to take on the role of the Fenians. Last year the event grew even more. In addition to the 49th Regiment of Foot, our reenactor ranks swelled with the addition of the East Northumberland Secondary School drill team representing the Brockville Rifles Militia Company in their authentic green uniforms and the Norwood District High Continued on back cover 11 Lang Pioneer Village Seeks Gas and Steam Enthusiasts By Graham Varrin, Facilities Coordinator Brian Nelson on the Titan tractor Photo: Larry Keeley We are looking into the potential of developing a Gas and Steam Club here at Lang Pioneer Village. I’m really excited to learn about the level of interest that local gas and steam enthusiasts might have to create a club here at Lang that would work with our tractors, engines and machinery. There are a number of interesting antique tractors, farm machinery and hit and miss engines in Lang’s collection and we are looking to have a group of people meet on a regular basis to share their enthusiasm for preserving these rare and interesting pieces and to perform regular maintenance, run our antique equipment and research appropriate restoration. One of the most complex pieces of equipment at Lang is the Sawyer-Massey Steam Engine; we are also seeking steam engine operators, or those interested in learning to operate and help us maintain the engine. At this point, I would like to ascertain the level of interest in the club, then work with the members to determine the direction the club will take depending on Lang’s needs and the interests and abilities of the members. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please contact me at (705) 295-6694 or by email at [email protected] Lang Pioneer Village Museum is seeking additional experienced STEAM ENGINE OPERATOR VOLUNTEERS to operate our Sawyer-Massey Steam Engine at special events and occasional weekends. Steam Traction Operator Certification is required for the operation of the Steam Engine. While preference will be given to those with the certification, training and certification can be provided. Please contact Graham Varrin at (705) 12 295-6694 or by email at [email protected] Traditional Music Workshops at Lang Pioneer Village By Rosemary Davidson, Visitor Experience Coordinator Once again, we are pleased to be offering our fun and instructive music workshops with Al Kirby this season! This workshop focuses on traditional folk, country and blue-grass–style music. It features instructional and jam sessions, as well as discussions in Canadian music history. The workshops are intended for beginner and intermediate players. Please note that we have changed the schedule this year to avoid the hot summer months. These workshops fill quickly, so please book early! Instructor Allan Kirby has over 45 years of music experience and uses an interactive teaching style that is fun and rewarding for participants. A guitar and banjo player, he has travelled and recorded with many traditional music groups. Session 1 Monday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 16 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day Session 2 Monday, June 11 to Wednesday, June 13 SOLD OUT! 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day Session 3 Monday, September 17 to Wednesday, September 19, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day Session 4 Monday, October 22 to Wednesday, October 24, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day To make enquiries or to register, please contact Elizabeth King at (705) 295-6694 x23 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Traditional music workshop participants Photo: Laurie Siblock A Taste of Time: A Heritage Recipe Collection By Elizabeth King, Administrative/Volunteer Coordinator Spring is in the air. I love that phrase because if spring is in the air, it’s also in the ground and we’ll soon be seeing tender shoots sprouting from the earth and, more importantly, finding their Fiddlehead Photo: Carol Siblock way to our table! Thanks to the beautiful weather we have been having, I think it is safe to say that we are very close to welcoming the wild and abundant early spring vegetables that our pioneering ancestors would have seen as a blessing and even, for some, a means of survival. After a long winter of eating dried and pickled fruits and vegetables and living off hunted game and preserved meat, the fresh, growing wild vegetables of the forest would have been a welcome sight to the early settlers, who were no doubt feeling sickly and malnourished from eating a dwindling store of perishing foods. This spring I have chosen to write about one of the earliest of the wild spring vegetables, the fiddlehead. Fiddleheads are the edible furled fronds of a young fern. They grow wild along marshy areas and rivers and should be harvested early as they have only a very brief season of about two weeks. This season can come as early as mid-April. Historically, fiddleheads have been used both as a food and a medicine by the Native people of New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. They were so revered as a useful plant that many Natives painted fiddleheads on their canoes and wigwams as a sign of their high regard for the plant. It was the Native people who taught the early European settlers about fiddleheads as an edible vegetable. For the modern foodie, fiddleheads can be frozen for later use, and are a known source of antioxidants and iron. Below I have included a traditional, simple way of cooking this delicious wild vegetable. Skillet-Fried Fiddleheads 1 lb. fiddleheads 1 clove minced garlic 1/4 cup butter Salt, to taste Remove any brown ends from the fern shoots and wash the shoots thoroughly in cold water. Make sure to remove any of the paper-like brown skin. Drain, and pat the fiddleheads dry. Heat half of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the fiddleheads and turn heat up to medium-high. Toss and stir continuously so the butter doesn’t burn and until the fiddleheads begin to soften. Crush the minced garlic with the back of a spoon or knife and add to the skillet with remaining butter. Continue cooking another minute or until the fiddleheads are tender. Season with salt. Serve hot. 13 Living History Interpretation: Tips for Success By Sharon Skinner, Interpreter I’m very happy and excited to be returning to Lang Pioneer Village this year. I’m looking forward to renewing many friendships, making new ones and learning new things. Here are some of my thoughts on interpretation and some helpful ideas from the Heritage Interpreter Course I took through the Ontario Tourism Education Corporation. Our job as living-history interpreters is to interact with the visitors and supply accurate information. It’s important that we relate this information to the modern-day experiences of the visitors. When dealing with children, we need to make sure they understand what we are talking about. The information should be presented at their level, not above or below their knowledge. You will be able to tell if you are hitting the mark by watching their facial expressions. If necessary, you can always make some quick adjustments in your delivery style. Our job is communication. Verbal communication is found in the tone of our voice, the pitch, volume, rhythm and rate of our speech, and the words we choose. If we sound interested in our topic, we will be interesting to the visitors. Non-verbal communication is a message conveyed by our behaviour, such as posture, gestures, eye contact and facial expressions. Once again, the visitor will be able to guess how interested we really are in what we are saying, even before we begin to talk. I try to tune in often to my body language to ensure that I am standing straight, making good eye contact and conveying interest in what I am saying through my posture, gestures and facial expressions. Generally speaking, there are three types of visitors who come to Lang—the streakers, the strollers and the studiers. The streakers move quickly through an exhibit or demonstration. The strollers are a little slower and may ask questions. The studiers are focused and want to know everything. I often use my intuition to size people up quickly, and this helps me decide how much information to convey to them. There are many learning styles. “Visual” people learn by seeing. “Auditory” people learn by hearing and “kinesthetic” people learn by 14 Sharon Skinner, 2006 Photo: Didi Anderson doing. As much as possible, we need to make sure our demonstrations are allowing for all these types of learning styles. When dealing with groups of children, I usually ask for the shorter children to come to the front and the taller ones to stand in the back. I always face the group and make sure I have their attention before I begin to speak. Remember to speak clearly and, again, to make good eye contact. Present your information in a logical way, from basic to advanced concepts. Allow time for questions. You may not have all the answers, but do try to find out. It may be helpful to present the question to the group to get their feedback. This is a great way to spark a discussion. Sometimes you will find that the children’s attention is diverted from you and they are interested in something completely different from what you are talking about, but often still relevant to the Village. These are “teachable moments” that I notice and work with. For example, one day while talking to a group of students in the Milburn House, I lost their attention to the noisy pigs snorting and grunting happily in the mud in the pen outside. This was a great teachable moment! I took this opportunity to explain to the group something I had just recently learned myself — that pigs require the coolness of the mud on their body to lower their body temperature or else they can become sick. The pigs weren’t just playing and fooling around; they were keeping themselves cool and healthy. I had the children’s undivided attention after that. If you find yourself in a similar situation, work with the group and try to satisfy their curiosity. You may still be able to return to your original idea, this time with their full attention. As a living-history interpreter, I always feel I am learning as much as I am teaching. It is a very challenging and rewarding position. Good luck to everyone this season! < Youth Interpreter Program: Your Chance to Step into a World So Different from Today By Julia Gregory, Lead Interpreter During the months of July and August, Lang Pioneer Village Museum hosts several two-week sessions of our Youth Interpreter Program (YIP), led by me, Julia Gregory, and assisted by our trained interpreters. This is a fun and interesting way for youths from 12 to 17 to complete their community volunteer hours and learn the skills and trades of the 19th century. Participants wear a period costume and train for a few hours (noon to 3 pm), three days a week, for a two-week period. After each session the participants will receive a Certificate of Achievement for their completion of training in interpretation and 19th-century craft and trades skills. For example, youth interpreters have a choice of learning two skills of interest per session from the following areas: Interpretation: Practice speaking to people using artifacts and history as inspiration. Baking: Develop the skills to bake with a Dutch oven in an open hearth, or in our period wood stoves. First-Year Crafts: Understand the difficult life of the first settlers by making candles and carrying water with a yoke. Woolen Ways: Explore the process of taking raw wool and making it into a knitted or crocheted item. Jewel Hamshaw and Clair Doris, Corn Roast, 2011 Photo: Jake Walling, SNAP The Youth Interpreter Program Dates for 2012 are: Session 1 – July 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 Session 2 – July 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 Session 3 – August 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 For further information, or to register for the YIP, please contact Elizabeth King at 705-295-6694 x21 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The application form can also be found under the Educational Programs section of Lang Pioneer Village’s website at www.langpioneervillage.ca. Get your application in early to avoid disappointment! Recycled Crafts: Reuse material as pioneer women did, making scraps of cloth into beautiful quilted pieces or hooked rugs, or weave rags into useful articles. Decorative Arts: Learn the paper crafts or decorative needlework that were popular during the Victorian era. Blacksmith Shop: Use tools of the trade to pound out iron into objects such as miniature horseshoes. Carpenter Shop: Use authentic tools to craft your own wooden projects. Print Shop: Learn to work our 1827 Washington Flatbed Press. Many of Lang’s Youth Interpreters have found a niche here at the Village and return to volunteer at special events. Not only is it fun, but this program is also an excellent experience for anyone interested in a future career in customer service, history, tourism or teaching. 15 “The Fenians are Coming!” Continued from page 11 What’s New at Lang Pioneer Village?Continued from page 5 the structure to make the building more accessible. Several overhanging trees around the Log Barn and beside the Trades Barn have been cut down to ensure that the roofs on those respective buildings sustain no further damage. With any operation like Lang Pioneer Village, maintenance is an ongoing priority. Painting and cleaning is underway and, by opening day, we hope to provide another accessibility upgrade by extending our entrance walkway to the parking lot by the Food Booth. Perhaps the most visible premises project our volunteers and visitors will notice is the removal of Portable #1, which took place in January, thanks to the efforts of Jim Glenn and the crew from Drain Brothers. Karis Regamey has been busy with her marketing efforts, the highlights of which include a new 2012 Season, 45th Anniversary brochure, an updated website and newly designed roadside and entrance signage for the Village. Elizabeth King and Janet vanDompseler organized a staff and volunteer Historical Costume Sewing Workshop, which was staged over four Saturdays this past winter. Elizabeth also assisted in the staging of a very successful “Wildflowers Workshop” that was developed and presented by Historic Gardening volunteer Joyce Higgs. Both these ventures are profiled in more detail in this issue. Laurie Siblock has been focused on planning for the 2012 season special events and working with Elizabeth King to continue development of the volunteer program. The big event for this season will be the August 18 & 19 weekend, which will feature the War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration and 45th Anniversary Celebration. As profiled elsewhere, Audrey Caryi has been working to complete the Jacquard loom exhibit and, with the support of Julia Gregory and Nipissing University Intern and summer staff member Teri Prendible, to update our educational programs, among other things. We also received help from Renee Homiak, a former Lang intern who has moved on to work in Ottawa, to draft the Museum’s Research and Collections Management Policies. In addition, work in the Collection area was furthered by volunteers Rhonda Akey and Allison Brown, who continue to update artifact records, and by volunteer Rob Paul, who is documenting and researching our collection of carpentry tools. We are also grateful to volunteer Jill Brown for working to establish a database for our research library. Those are just a few of the changes around here and the things we worked on over the winter months. We are all looking forward to another memorable season, the 45th in the history of Lang Pioneer Village Museum. < Dawn Knudsen Photo: Larry Keeley School drill team in their red uniforms representing Peterborough County’s own 57th Battalion, “the Peterborough Rangers,” a militia unit that was formed in May 1867, just over a month before Confederation. The reenactors put on a great show, setting up their encampments, demonstrating their weapons for the visitors and staging a spirited battle between 40 participants for possession of the Douro Town Hall. The skirmish, which broke out just after Prime Minister Macdonald’s address to the crowd, was a rousing climax to the event on a day that saw close to 485 people enjoy the festivities. That’s not all! This past January, Ontario Festivals Visited, a website that attends and reports on events all over the province, rated Lang Pioneer Village Museum’s Historic Dominion Day as one of the top 10 Ontario events of 2011. Our research on the subject of the Fenian raids continues, and preparations are again underway for the staging of the Fenian raid reenactment on July 1, 2012. If you’d like to learn more about this period in our history I’d suggest Ryerson professor Peter Vronsky’s book Ridgeway: The Battle That Made Canada. Published last fall, it contains a thorough and readable summary of the events surrounding a series of battles and troop movements that took place in early June of 1866 around Fort Erie. The Battle of Ridgeway represents the last battle to be waged on Ontario soil to date and the first fought entirely by Canadian Militia units without the involvement of the British, whose commitment to the defense of her Canadian colonies began to wane during the American Civil War. The other way to learn more about this fascinating history is, of course, to join us on July 1, 2012, for the Historic Dominion Day event at Lang Pioneer Village. < Spring 2012 Vol. 5, No. 1 Building our Future from the Fabric of the Past Editor: Laurie Siblock Proofreader: Stuart Ross Graphic Designer: Brenda Mahaffy Illustrations: Audrey Caryi Contributors: Basia Baklinski, Audrey Caryi, Joe Corrigan, Rosemary Davidson, Julia Gregory, Elizabeth King, Laurie Siblock, Sharon Skinner, Graham Varrin