Monday, August 31, 2015

Memory Mondays- Memorial Benches



This week we are focusing on an object that is bought and displayed in memory of someone else; a bench.  We have a number of benches on the property here at the Backus-Page House Museum that are dedicated in memory of people in the area.  You can find these benches behind the carriage house, beside the Honey House, as well as on the deck outside the carriage house washrooms, to name a few.  These benches are a beautiful reminder of a wonderful human being or human beings lovingly dedicated by family and friends and each time that the names are read, they are in your thoughts.  Have a great week and take care!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Saturday Sightings- The Mourning Cloak

Happy Saturday everyone!  This week's blog is about the Mourning Cloak.

This species is native to Eurasia and North America.  It is also referred to as the spiny elm caterpillar, Grand Surprise and White Petticoat.  The butterfly has a life span of 11-12 months, making it one of the most extensive life spans for any butterfly.  The Mourning Cloak will eat the leaves of primary host plants, such as Willows and Black Willows, American elm, Hackberry, Hawthorn, Wild Rose and Poplar.

Maybe you will spy one this coming week!  Have a great one.

Catie and Ben

Friday, August 28, 2015

Family History Fridays - Do You Know These People?

A photo album has just been donated to the museum collection and none of them are labelled.  The only writing we can find refers to Johnny Sloan, 1887.  If you have any idea who these people are or what family they may belong to (most likely Sloan, McArthur, Allen and others), please contact us.  The photo album is full so we will be posting more photographs over the next few weeks for Family History Fridays.  
Angela Bobier 519-762-3072  info@backuspagehouse.ca 





Thursday, August 27, 2015

Happy Thursday everyone! Below are some fun and exciting events you wont want to miss! 

Come out to the museum tonight for a Party Lite fundraising open house! Stop by anytime between 6 pm and 8 pm. Enjoy refreshments, conversation, fun and shopping! 15% of all your purchases will be donated to Backus-Page House Museum!

Apples Aplenty Workshop at the Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Center. Learn a variety of ways to cook with apples at this hands-on cooking class. Apples Aplenty Workshop will be taking place on September 19th, 2015 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $35.00/person. Pre-registration with payment is required one week in advance.


FREE workshop! Caring For Your Family Treasures Workshop at the Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Center. Learn how to properly store and care for your family heirlooms as well as photographs. This workshop will be taking place on September 27th, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-book your appointment today!

There are only two Victorian Tea Sundays left this summer. Come visit the museum to experience what life would have been like in 1850! Enjoy tea and delicious baked goods in the parlour, followed by a tour of the museum. Teas run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and cost $10/person.



Reminder! Mark this years Heritage Farm Show on your calendar today! The annual farm show will be taking place September 12th and 13th, 2015. Save when you pre-purchase a weekend pass for $15.00. Includes admission for both days as well as Sunday breakfast for anyone over the age of 12. Visitors 12 and under are FREE!  


For more information call 519-762-3072. Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

World War Wednesdays: Time Machine 1943


     Life Magazine is synonymous with Second World War photography, and has captured and featured numerous iconic shots from the most critical moments of the war. At the beginning of the summer, I had the opportunity to purchase one of these original wartime magazines with the intention of using it as a primary source of information, and now seems like a great time to do so. The issue I bought is from 23 August 1943, so it seemed fitting for us to venture back in time to see what was making headlines exactly 72 years ago. I hope my amateur iPhone photography isn't too unbearable!

     The hot topic featured on the front cover of this issue is the newest dance style, the Lindy Hop. As the magazine declares, "A true national folk dance has been born in U.S.A.". Along with some instructional floor step instructions which also pay homage to the dance's roots in the black communities, the magazine had this to say about the country's latest dance craze:
     "In content, the Lindy Hop encompasses hundreds of individual steps, breaks and mutations originated by Americans inspired by American music. With the exception of the tap dance, it is this country's only native and original dance form. All others, "square" or "round", are importations and derivations from European prototypes. American dancers, however, have always been gifted with an aptitude for improvisation. And American jazz imperatively demands more exuberant responses than traditional dance steps can provide. Out of American impatience with the restrictions of conventional forms, the buoyant choreography of the Lindy Hop was born". (p.95)


     In terms of the action overseas, a critical area of focus at the time was the Italian Campaign. A large feature in the magazine is devoted to the surrender of the city of Palermo, during which iconic Life photographer Robert Capa entered the city with the American troops and captured some timeless shots.


     Life reported the events as follows:
     "The Germans last week were reported evacuating Sicily. Across narrow Messina Strait, under a protecting barrage of 500 AA guns, they were ferrying troops and equipment. But in spite of this evacuation, the spectacular Allied successes of the first few days of the campaign had given way to a slow undramatic advance. Over massive peaks and through deep, tumbling gullies American and British infantrymen inched ahead. On the north U.S. troops twice speeded up the advance by landing behind the Germans, but in the center of the line, near Randazzo, and beyond captured Catania, nothing much could be done except knock out the enemy pockets one by one".
"An American Medical Corpsman has shoes shined in Palermo while another soldier, his arms around a girl, waits in line"

     Features like this are interesting to see what life was like in August 1943 in terms of the major events happening in the world, but I am also interested in the content geared towards the everyday life of the time. For instance:

Advice for pickling and canning season



Hair tips for the dog days of summer

Ads for the poor "clothespin nose" hay fever sufferers like myself

And the beautiful yearnings for peacetime homes


I hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past! Life Magazine is a great source for getting a glimpse into what life was like at any given time, and I'm very happy to have found this edition.

     Thanks for reading,
         Delany

Monday, August 24, 2015

Memory Mondays- Malahide House




This week we are looking back on Malahide House, which was the home that Colonel Talbot built for himself here when he was given his 5000 acres of land from the Crown in this area.  It is named after his home in Ireland and was located on Fingal Line, before it was torn down.  As you can see from the photos above, the home was built overlooking Lake Erie and was quite beautiful inside.  It was an example of the rich history of this area, which we unfortunately no longer have. Take care and have a great week!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Saturday Sightings- Easter Tiger Swallowtails

Happy Saturday everyone!  The Easter Tiger Swallowtail is the creature we are going to be learning about today.

This species is native to Eastern North America and is one of the most common butterflies.  The adults feed on nectar of many flowers, but mostly those that are a part of the dogbane, daisy and legume families.

The male Easter Tiger Swallowtail is yellow with four black stripes, similar to tiger stripes, on each fore wing.  The females are either black or yellow, making them dimorphic.  The yellow morph is very similar to the male, but the female has blue spots along the hind wing.  The dark morph is completely black.  These butterflies lay green eggs on plants.

Take care!

Catie and Ben

Friday, August 21, 2015

Family History Friday - Photographs Without Names

A photo album has just been donated to the museum collection and none of them are labelled.  The only writing we can find refers to Johnny Sloan, 1887.  If you have any idea who these people are or what family they may belong to (most likely Sloan, McArthur, Allen and others), please contact us.  The photo album is full so we will be posting more photographs over the next few weeks for Family History Fridays.  
Angela Bobier 519-762-3072  info@backuspagehouse.ca 





Thursday, August 20, 2015

Events to attend @ the Backus-Page House Museum!

Good Morning Everyone! Below are some fun and exciting events you wont want to miss! 

Apples Aplenty Workshop at the Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Center. Learn a variety of ways to cook with apples at this hands-on cooking class. Apples Aplenty Workshop will be taking place on September 19th, 2015 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $35.00/person. Pre-registration with payment is required one week in advance.

FREE workshop! Caring For Your Family Treasures Workshop at the Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Center. Learn how to properly store and care for your family heirlooms as well as photographs. This workshop will be taking place on September 27th, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-book your appointment today!


There are only two Victorian Tea Sundays left this summer. Come visit the museum to experience what life would have been like in 1850! Enjoy tea and delicious baked goods in the parlour, followed by a tour of the museum. Teas run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and cost $10/person.


Reminder! Mark this years Heritage Farm Show on your calendar today! The annual farm show will be taking place September 12th and 13th, 2015. Save when you pre-purchase a weekend pass for $15.00. Includes admission for both days as well as Sunday breakfast for anyone over the age of 12. Visitors 12 and under are FREE!  

For more information call 519-762-3072. Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

World War Wednesdays: One for the Ladies


   This week's post is all about the gals of the Second World War, with a bit of a Scottish twist! Thanks to a great page by Lillian Davis at pipesforfreedom.com, we'll be discussing the Canadian Women's Army Corps Pipe Band.
   
    On 13 August 1941, the Canadian government authorized the formation of the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC) for the enlistment of several thousand women in support roles for the armed forces. Despite the Corps not being a formal part of the army, woman trained as drivers, cooks, typists, clerks, stenographers, messengers, telephone operators, and quartermasters.

    Since the CWAC was not an infantry regiment, its pipe band did not take part in the Massed Bands playing at infantry parades. However, it did play a significant role among the Canadian 1st Army pipe bands which played in Europe.


      The band was formed on 8 August, 1942 and accomplished piper Lillian M. Grant of Victoria, BC was recruited as its pipe major. The intention of the pipe band and its sister ensemble, the CWAC Brass Band, was to improve the perception of women in the military and encourage more ladies to join the forces. At its strongest, the band consisted of 27 drummers and pipers.


     Here is a letter written by Pipe Major Grant to former band members in April 1992:
“I shall be pleased to give you information on the Canadian Women's Army Corps Pipe Band of which I was the organizer and Pipe Major.
The nucleus of the band came from British Columbia where six pipers and four drummers began practising in the old Hotel Vancouver. In 1943 we went transferred to Ottawa where we picked another six pipers and four drummers.
The band played a heavy role in recruiting and morale building for the Canadian Forces. After a recruiting tour of Canada covering over 100 cities and towns, we repeated the same tour, more extensively, the following year. In the spring of 1945 we were sent to Pennsylvania U.S.A. to promote their War Bond Drive. While there we played in 25 cities and towns to hundreds of employees outside factories and indoors at concerts and rallies.
On returning to our base in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada we were given the great news that we were to be transported to Holland! Apeldoorn was "home" for seven months. We were put up in a place called "Jasper Lodge" which was across from Wilhelmina Park, if I can remember correctly. I do not recall the street name as the roads all had army connotations and ours was known as "London Up".

     The band was deactivated in 1946 following the conclusion of the war. The CWAC Pipe Band had the distinction of being the only active-service women's military pipe band in the Commonwealth during the second World War, and it remains the only women's military pipe band in Canadian history.

Edmonton, May 31, 1987: 6th. Reunion of the C.W.A.C. Pipe Band

     If you're interested in reading more about the band, including personal memoirs and photos by Lillian Davis and the nominal roll of the pipe band, check her out at http://pipesforfreedom.com/webtxt/0500THE_CANADIAN_WOMEN'S_ARMY_CORPS.htm


 Thanks so much for reading about this amazing group of ladies who faced adversity from both the home front and the Western Front. Theirs is one of my favorite stories of the Second World War, and their legacy is a huge inspiration.

    Until next week,
          Delany
    

Monday, August 17, 2015

Memory Mondays- The Barn



The barn that now sits on our property with the Backus-Page House Museum was originally the stable down at the Manse beside St. Peter's Church.  In 1896, the original stable burned and the new one was erected later that year.  In 1965, Alistair Littlejohn bought the barn to use as a sugar shack, however the man who was going to move it passed away.  Eventually, the Littlejohn family decided that the museum would be a great place for the barn's new home and in 2005 it was moved to where it sits today.  We now have regular tours of the exhibit housed in the upstairs of the barn Tuesdays through Fridays during open hours.  Come and check it out and have a great week!

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Behind The Scenes Sunday - Horseless Carriage Club

If you weren't at Backus-Page House Museum on Friday, August 14, 2015 between 9-11 am then you missed seeing these beautiful horseless carriages on our front lawn!    

Approximately 60 people took a tour around Lake Erie and stopped in for museum and barn tours, plus coffee and muffins (thanks Betty Ann Bobier). 


To participate these cars have to be from 1915 or before. 

Thank you Horseless Carriage Club for visiting Backus-Page House Museum!!!

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Saturday Sightings- Downy Woodpecker

Happy Saturday everyone!  The blog today is about the Downy Woodpecker; another species found in our park.

The Downy Woodpecker is small compared to the classic woodpecker body.  They have a straight back with wide shoulders and they also have a straight, chisel-like bill, and blocky head.

This bird has black upperparts, with wings checked with white.  The head is striped and the back has a broad white stripe down the center of the back.  Male Downy Woodpeckers have a read patch on the back of their heads while the females do not.

It lives in open woodlands, mostly among deciduous trees, and weedy or brushy edges.  They also live in orchards, city parks, backyards and vacant lots.

Keep an eye out!  Have a good week ahead.

Catie and Ben

Friday, August 14, 2015

Family History Fridays - Can You Name These People?

A photo album has just been donated to the museum collection and none of them are labelled.  The only writing we can find refers to Johnny Sloan, 1887.  If you have any idea who these people are or what family they may belong to (most likely Sloan, McArthur, Allen and others), please contact us.  The photo album is full so we will be posting more photographs over the next few weeks for Family History Fridays.  
Angela Bobier 519-762-3072  info@backuspagehouse.ca