Category: Museums

Gadgets and Gizmos at the Elgin County Museum

11/1/2016

The hands-off observation of a museum exhibition of old gadgets obviously designed to do something is likely to leave the curious on-looker with an unfulfilled urge to set moving parts in motion. However, visitors to the “Gadgets & Gizmos” exhibition at the Elgin County Museum can satisfy that inclination. They are invited to touch and operate several of the artifacts in this show of “labour-saving, time-saving and just plain inventive machines and contraptions of the 19th century”.

History Brought to Life at Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives

8/31/2016

Amanda VandenWyngaert became curator of the Aylmer Malahide Museum & Archives in April 2014. Under her direction, exhibits have included ones which transformed sections of the museum into a Victorian home and into a World War I trench. As we sat upon a quite lovely, very yellow kitchen set which will become part of the upcoming Fabulous 50s exhibit, she shared some of the “behind the scenes” at the museum.

This Year's Vimy Lecture Set Against Exhibit Featuring Elgin's Contribution in WWI

4/9/2016

This year, the Elgin County Museum is featuring the centenary of WWI and Elgin’s contribution to the war both at home and overseas. The current exhibition fills the museum space with archival photographs and displays on that theme. It made an especially appropriate backdrop to this year’s Vimy Lecture, held annually on the anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917.

Aylmer Fire of 1965 Focus of Exhibit Fifty Years Later

3/1/2015

The exhibit “The Holocaust on Main Street” previewed on February 26th, fifty years after the catastrophic Aylmer fire took place in 1965. Other artifacts and materials from Aylmer and Malahide fire departments and from other fires which shaped Aylmer are also on display, but the fire of ’65 takes centre stage.

Elgin County Museum To Show “There Never was an Arrow” on Avro Arrow “Black Friday” Anniversary Feb 20th

2/14/2015

Feb 20 marks the 56th anniversary of the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project, a date which became known as “Black Friday” for the aviation industry in Canada. On Friday Feb 20th, The Elgin County Museum will show "There Never Was an Arrow", the first of its “Friday Films” series related to the Arrow and its current exhibit, “The Avro Arrow: A Dream Denied”.

We'll Be Home By Christmas - A First World War Story by the Elgin Military Museum's Jeffrey Booth

12/11/2014

In 1914, our boys marched off to war. Their battle cry was “We’ll be back by Christmas.”

We all know that the boys did not return for Christmas with their families. On the Western Front, there had been one million casualties and the fast battles of the summer had turned to slow mud-filled trenches of stagnation. Slowly everyone became aware that this was going to be a long war with many more millions yet to die.

Starting on Christmas Eve, many troops sang Christmas carols across the lines, and at spots brass bands joined in their joyous singing.

Prestigious Awards to HMCS Ojibwa & Anniversary of Sub "Landing" in Port Burwell

11/28/2014

Photo Elgin Military Museum

HMCS Ojibwa won the prestigious TIAC Brewster Travel Innovator of the Year Award this past Wednesday evening. The award, for Ojibwa's opening season, was announced at the Travel Industry Association of Canada awards gala in Ottawa.

“This is an incredible finish to a great year,” said Ian Raven, Executive Director of the Museum. “We were honoured to be finalists in the company of such amazing competition. Every one of the four finalists should be on every Canadian’s must see list.”

"The Proudest Girl in Canada" Highlights Service of Twelve Local Women in World War II

11/15/2014

"The Proudest Girl in Canada", written by Emily McKenzie, was launched at the Elgin County Military Museum on Saturday. The collection of twelve stories about Elgin County women who served during World War II is reason for pride on several fronts.

Positive Year for Railway Museum Provides Momentum for "Full Steam Ahead" Renovation Plans

9/20/2014

Railway Heritage panels have appeared in recent months over the east-side windows of the MCRR locomotive repair shops in St. Thomas – the makeover which has attracted appreciative attention is just a hint of the transformation planned for the building in the next five to ten years.

It has been an exciting twelve months for the Elgin County Railway Museum (ECRM) which is based in the shops, with the 25th anniversary of that organization last year and the MCRR shops 100th anniversary celebration on September 20th, 2014. The evening included hors d’oeuvres, special guest speakers, music and silent auction along with some significant announcements.

A Week in the Journey of Project Ojibwa

11/25/2012

HMCS Ojibwa started the final leg of her journey to her permanent home in Port Burwell on Sunday November 18th as she made her way from her makeover stop in Hamilton, through the Welland Canal, arriving in Port Burwell on Thursday November 22. Efforts to stabilize the Otter Creek bed for the off-load from the barge have met with some set-backs, but it is hoped that it will take place Sunday morning. Below you will find some photos of the week, mostly by photographer Mark Girdauskas.

Heritage

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