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.
OriginalMunicipal Hall Exhibits in 1970:
Founding Members:
From 1954-1962, Russenholt (first president of the Museum Board) was CBWT’s first local weatherman in Winnipeg. His daily catchphrase, “Ah yes, the heart of the continent,” reflected his fondness for his community.
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 Charlotte as she explains the process of buttermaking.
Charlotte Taylor, the daughter of John Taylor and granddaughter of William Brown and Charlotte Omand, lives in Headingly in the year 1890, where she attends school and visits her grandparents to help them around the farm. Charlotte loves company and has many stories to share about her grandparents and life on the farm.
Take a peek at the collection of the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia as our staff highlights artifacts from our collection.
During WWII, ration coupons were just one element of a national nutrition campaign that encouraged efficient production and consumption of food, creative cooking, and the creation of the first Canadian food guide.
Canada was a major supplier of food for overseas allies and this required rationing on the home front. By the end of the war, Canada was suppling 57% of the wheat and flour consumed in Britain, as well as 39% of bacon, 15% of eggs, 24% of cheese, and 11% of evaporated milk. Government regulations on Canadian farms ensured that the products that were needed overseas and at home were produced.
For the most part, Canadians were eager to contribute to the war effort by participating in the many food-related campaigns. Sugar, coffee, butter, and meat were regulated with coupon rationing and a universal price freeze guaranteed stable food prices. Canning and creative recipes were promoted in women’s magazine and newspapers. “Canada War Cake” was made without eggs, milk, or butter. A fat and bones collection campaign repurposed animal waste for munitions production.
All of these programs were accompanied by propaganda that convinced Canadians of the importance of food production and consumption. Products that couldn’t be sold overseas, such as apples and lobster, were branded as patriotic to increase Canadian consumption. Non-essential purchases, like candy or pop, were described as a purchase for the enemy. Donald Gordon (chairman of the Wartime Price and Trade Board) gave a radio address before implemented the universal price freeze in which he echoed this rhetoric: “You, who are listening to these words, will be going into the fight next Monday…In this fight against inflation you cannot be a neutral. You will either be helping to save yourself, your family and your country from a terrible calamity – or you will be working for the enemy.”
Despite the many restrictions on food, many Canadians ate more and better than they had during the depression before the war. The first food guide, called Canada’s Official Food Rules, was created after significant numbers of Canadians were rejected by the military for medical reasons. The rules promoted balanced consumption of six food groups: milk, cereals and breads, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat and fish. Food consumption in Canada decreased after the war and didn’t return to its wartime highs until the late 1950s.
Join Charlotte as she tells us the story of her father’s blacksmith shop.
Charlotte Taylor, the daughter of John Taylor and granddaughter of William Brown and Charlotte Omand, lives in Headingly in the year 1890, where she attends school and visits her grandparents to help them around the farm. Charlotte loves company and has many stories to share about her grandparents and life on the farm.
Historical Context from Charlotte’s Stories
Blacksmithing
Blacksmiths played a vital role in the development of the pioneer economy in Assiniboia. During the frugal and thrifty lifestyle of the settlement era, the blacksmith was gainfully employed mending occupational equipment such as plows, pitchforks, butterchurns, vehicle parts and fittings. Blacksmiths came into decline in the 1900s, because they could not compete with modern factories to produce tools and hardware cheaply.
The musuem’s Interpretive Centre contains an original blacksmith’s forge, anvil, bellows and various tools. As the blacksmith works, the coals are kept hot in the forge to heat the metal which is then shaped on the anvil. The purpose of the bellows is to pump air into the fire to keep it at a steady temperature. It the temperature starts fluctuating, it weakens the final product.
Those training to become a blacksmith would work as an apprentice. The apprentice’s first task would be to pump the bellows (to build muscle). After that, they would have to make a thousand nails before they were allowed to make anything else.
The blacksmith display also includes a branding iron from the Honourable John Taylor, who was William Brown’s (original owner of the 1856 Red River Frame House) son-in-law. John Taylor was the first Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba.
Our display also contains several horseshoes, however, initially horseshoeing was a craft that was distinct from blacksmithing (as was goldsmithing, silversmithing, and swordsmithing).
In 2015 the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia won its third Doors Open Award from Heritage Winnipeg in the category “Hidden Gem”. The museum had previously won in 2011 and 2012 for “Best Overall Experience”.
Read the article from Heritage Winnipeg’s blog here.
Left to Right: Program Director Barry Hillman, Executive Director/Curator Bonita Hunter-Eastwood, and Board of Directors Vice President Mary Longbottom and President Doreen Luhtala
Doors Open Winnipeg, presented by Heritage Winnipeg, is a city-wide event that celebrates Winnipeg’s unique spaces. The museum has been a long-standing participant in Doors Open and often showcases the award-winning historical theatre inside the 1856 Red River Frame House for the event.
Check out doorsopenwinnipeg.ca to see this year’s dates for Doors Open Winnipeg.
Heritage Winnipeg Doors Open Awards | 2011, 2012, 2015 | Best Overall Experience and Hidden Gem
