For the past 50 years the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia has been operating in our community and beyond to preserve history and bring it to life for all community members.

Today, November 22, 2020, marks the 50th Anniversary of the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia and we would like to take this opportunity to look back over the past 50 years.

FUNDRAISERS OVER THE YEARS:

Signature Antique Show and Sale at Shopping Malls

Raffles

Silent Auctions

Barbecues

Book Sales

Friends of Museum Garage Sales

INCLUSIVE IN-HOUSE AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMING OVER THE YEARS:

SENIORS CENTRES: nursing homes, independent and supportive housing, clubs, friendship centres, organizations.

MULTICULTURAL CENTRES: Newcomers to Winnipeg and Manitoba, Needs Centres, Folklorama groups,

YOUTH/CHILDREN:  Fringe, LGBQT+ groups, residential youth homes, schools, daycares, community

SPECIALIZED:  D.A.S.C.H., St. Norbert Rehabilitation Centre, S.M.D., Alzheimer Society, Autism Society  Manitoba, St. Amant Centre,  Churches, Learning Disabilities Association of Mantioba, Inclusion Winnipeg, Abilities Manitoba

OFF-SITE SPECIAL EVENTS OVER THE YEARS:

John Taylor 50^th Anniversary – Exhibits and Displays Weeklong

Bannatyne School 100^th Anniversary – Exhibits and Displays Weeklong

Heritage Fairs – St. James-Assiniboia School Division – Displays and Informational Tables Weeklong

Polo Park Heritage Fair

St. James-Assiniboia and Weswood Library Exhibits And Displays In Celebration Of Louis Riel Days, Aboriginal Days and Multicultural Days, Other

Bruce Park Historic Walking Tours

Louis Riel School Divisional Schools – Exhibits and Displays

St. James-Assiniboia School Division Schools – Exhibits and Displays

OFF-SITE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING OVER THE YEARS:

St. James-Assiniboia Divisional Schools

Louis Riel School Divisional Schools

River East School Divisional Schools

Seven Oaks School Divisional Schools

Pembina Trails School Divisional Schools

Parochial, Private, Home Schools

Rural Municipality Schools

WORKSHOPS/CONSULTING OFF-SITE OVER THE YEARS:

MLA, librarians and technicians exhibit workshops

SAG, teachers exhibit workshops

University of Manitoba guest lecturers

WCAM guest lecturers

MAS guest lecturers

AMM conference workshop organizer

Seniors Centres of Winnipeg and Rurally

S.N.A.C. Community Play writer

M.C.C.A. workshop consultant

MART workshop consultant

City of Winnipeg Museum Review Board

Select Community Museums/Archives of Winnipeg and Manitoba

MENTORSHIPS OVER THE YEARS:

Canadian Mennonite University – 14 students

University of Manitoba – 5 students

St. James-Assiniboia School Divisional Schools – 4 students

EVENTS ON SITE & OFF-SITE OVER THE YEARS:

“Flames of War” Canadian Heritage Outdoor Celebration, and Red River Collective Performances, tours of Museum Buildings

“St. James-Assiniboia Mini Museum & Celebration of 150^th Anniversary of Canada – Museum Summer Event May-June at St. Vital Shopping Centre centre court, weekend entertainment, children activities

St. Vital Shopping Centre photo shoot at Museum for their Spring advertising campaign.

Movie shoots at Museum for the Super Channel

Paranormal Investigations

Historical lectures and community facilitation/sharing circles

ANNUAL EVENTS ON-SITE OVER THE YEARS:

Pioneer Heritage Days

Heritage Winnipeg Door’s Open Winnipeg

Indigenous Peoples Day

Multicultural Day

Culture Days

Manitoba Day

Pride Month

AWARDS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

MLA, Scott Fielding, Manitoba Legislature letter and standing ovation

MLA, Sharon Blady, Manitoba Legislature letter and standing ovation

St. James-Assiniboia School Division Letter of outstanding contribution

St. James-Assiniboia School Division, Winnipeg One, Pembina Trails, Louis Riel, Seven Oaks, River East/Transcona Private schools letters, responses to questionnaires reporting “excellent” programming delivered.

Heritage Winnipeg Door’s Open three times award winner out of 91 locations and the only Museum to win an award for best overall experience and hidden gem.

Community groups, clubs, organizations, daycares, senior centres, special interest groups letters of appreciation.

Elders of our Community and Elder on Board received Order of Manitoba

SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIPS OVER THE YEARS:

Louis Riel Institute

St. James-Assiniboia Library

Westwood Library

St. James-Assiniboia School Division

District Fire Station

Heritage Winnipeg

Canadian Mennonite University

University of Winnipeg

Red River College

Human Rights Museum

Manitoba Museum

Firefighters Museum

Police Museum

Western Canada Aviation Museum

Artists in the Schools

Red River Collective

Festival du Voyageur

Manitoba Artists Society

Genealogical Society

Archaeological Society

Association of Manitoba Museums

Canadian Conservation Institute

Canadian Museums Association

Association of Manitoba Archives

City of Winnipeg

Province of Manitoba

Government of Canada

Assiniboine Credit Union

Crosstown Credit Union

Thomas Sill Foundation

Media: CTV, CBC, CKND, CJOB; WFP,TWT, Sun, Metro, Coffee News, 23 Seven Inc.

The Museum’s signature “Antique Show and Sale Fundraiser” ran from 1991 until 2016, successfully raising 33% of our annual budget.  In the early days, we hosted five back to back weeklong, and sometimes two week long, antique shows on a revolving basis. Starting with Unicity, setting up displays and vendor tables on a Sunday evening and taking down the following Sunday evening, then moving the whole show to five other malls including: Garden City, Grant Park, St. Vital, Polo Park and North Gate. 

From 1999 to 2016 the Polo Park, St. Vital, Grant Park and Garden City Shopping Centres became a huge draw with shoppers from every corner of the city and rurally.  We set up between 100 – 125 tables, plus large-scale historic displays, information booths on preserving family archival treasurers and memorabilia, and gave free hand-outs and crafts for children.  We ran the Antique Show and Sale Fundraisers all day and evening for 6 – 7 days each week.  Definitely a labour of love given the long hours, arduous set-ups of vendor locations within the entire common area of the various malls, and the incredible work involved in planning and creating new large scale museum exhibits and displays each time we did a show.

The Museum’s vendors came from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and even Nova Scotia.  Eventually, the out of town vendors became older and sadly could not support the Museum due to an inability to travel such long distances.  We were known throughout the industry for providing the highest quality shows with items that appealed to a large audience of shoppers and collectors, with the latter shows showcasing pop culture and vintage wares as well.

We can say without a doubt that this signature fundraiser put the St. James-Assiniboia Museum on the map as the only Winnipeg Museum to attempt such a complex undertaking. One that resulted in an uniquely innovative  and self-generated venue for raising  funds.  It was especially lucrative for our vendors with many becoming like family, travelling with us from location to location.  All in all, we produced close to 100 Antique Show and Sale Fundraisers throughout the City of Winnipeg with the support of 250 vendors.  However, as with most things, all good things must come to an end, and due to the Shopping Centres’ substantial increase in rental costs it was no longer a tenable fundraiser strategy. 

Today, we celebrate our virtual 50^th Anniversary. We had planned our Anniversary Celebration to be open to the public with special activities including new guided interpretive tours, entertainment, crafts for children and complementary treats, but of course that is not possible right now. In place of that event, we have prepared an online event that you can view through our social media. Keep watch on our Facebook and Instagram throughout the day for a look over the past 50 years and special videos of our three museum buildings: our 1856 Red River Frame House, 1911 Municipal Hall, and 1890s Interpretive Centre. Please also take a moment to scroll back through our social media to view posts from this past week commemorating the last 50 years.

This unprecedented time in history is so difficult for everyone. My family, like yours, is feeling the enormous tug and pull of everyday living, working, worrying about our children, grandparents, parents, extended family, friends and co-workers.  “We are all in this together” is what we have heard time and time again from governments and noticed on commercial advertisements.  I believe these words to be true – together we can make a difference in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by following recommended guidelines and health orders.

 I want to say a heart-felt thank you to our front-line medical professionals and ALL essential workers. They are truly the brave and courageous. My heart goes out to those who have suffered enormous losses and those who are recovering.  To everyone, please stay safe and be well!

I would also like to take a moment to honour the memory of Doreen Luhtala who passed away suddenly in October of this year. Doreen was a long-time member of the museum who served on the board in various positions including President of the Board and Past President. She is greatly missed in our community.

Bonita G. Hunter-Eastwood  

Executive Director and Curator

Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia

In the year of Canada’s centennial, a group of community members formed a committee for the purpose of preserving the history of the historic parishes of St. Charles, St. James, Old Tuxedo, Brooklands, Headingley, and St. Francis Xavier. The collecting mandate included the historic   district of Assiniboia extending to the east portion of Old St. Boniface.  In November of 1970, they held their inaugural meeting as The Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia Inc in the 1911 Municipal Hall Building of Assiniboia.

The exhibit and collections committee acquired artifacts from the William Brown and John Taylor families, as well as other residents of the former R.M. of Assiniboia. Margaret Taylor (daughter of John Taylor) donated artifacts belonging to the Taylor family including the buggy, cutter, bed (on display upstairs in the Brown House), and blacksmithing equipment (on display in the Interpretive Building) In the pictures you can see that the William Brown Red River Frame House was initially located behind the Interpretive  Building  but was moved in 1972 (hence the crack in the walls) to its present location facing Portage Avenue to be more visible from the street.

Original Municipal Hall Exhibits in 1970:

Founding Members:

President: E.S. Russenholt

Vice-President: F.W. Armstrong

Secretary: Kay Moss

Treasurer: Peter Moss

Directors: Denyse Belows, John Belows, Alice Brown, W. Bannister , Margot Chester, Cam Mager, B. Enders, and H. Mobberley

We are grateful for all who contributed to the formation of the museum and apologize for any omissions.

On November 11 we honour all who served and currently serve to protect our country.

November 11, 1914 marked the end of the First World War. During World War I over 1300 of Assiniboia’s citizens enlisted, the greatest per capita enlistment of any Rural Municipality in the west. When the war ended on November 11, 1918, seventy-two of Assiniboia’s own lay dead in the fields, pastures and orchards of northern France and Flanders.

Below are select artifacts from the museum’s collection that belonged to those who served during the First World War.

Helmet worn by Private Charles Earnest L’Ami, 16th Infantry Battalion (Canadian Scottish) Canadian Expeditionary Force. Steel helmets were introduced in 1916 to reduce head wounds. The painted insignia on the front indicates division, brigade, and battalion seniority: 1st division, 3rd brigade, junior battalion.

Glengarry bonnet. Distinctive head dress of highland regiments. The 16th Infantry Battalion (Canadian Scottish) C.E.F. was raised in 1914 for overseas service by four Canadian militia highland regiments. Local volunteers came from Winnipeg’s 79th Cameron Highlanders of Canada.

British war medal (l.); Allied victory medal (r.). Awarded to Corporal S.S. Cuzner who was killed while with the 27th (City of Winnipeg) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. The war medal was given to personnel who left Canada on active service. Those who served in a theatre of war received the victory medal.

Spurs worn by Sgt. Wilford Eggleston, Canadian Army Service Corps. The Army Service Corps supplied troops at the front.

Princess Mary’s 1914 Christmas gift to troops serving at the front. The box contained tobacco and either a pipe or cigarette papers.

Join us this Halloween for stories of hauntings inside the museum.

Haunted: Inside the 1856 Red River Frame House

Haunted: Inside the 1911 Municipal Hall