Elisabeth, a summer employee at The Historical Museum of St. James / Assiniboia, playing a vintage piano.
You didn’t have to have a gym membership to get fit back in the mid-1800s, you simply had to walk into your kitchen and iron your clothes.
Some of the irons back then weighed almost more than the person using them, as is the case here with Elisabeth, a summer employee at The Historical Museum of St. James/Assiniboia, located at 3180 Portage Ave. at Banting Drive — one extremely cool Winnipeg vintage home to visit.
This particular kitchen was the entire house when originally built in 1853 by William Brown in St. John’s Park. The house later moved (following a major flood) to a river lot by the present Headingley Correctional Centre, added on to a couple of times, then in 1972, for preservation, moved to its present spot on Portage Avenue.
Those of you who travel west Portage regularly will know it as that little white log house you’ve always intended to visit, but haven’t yet. I don’t remember having toured it before, either — or the other really interesting exhibit buildings on site chock full of fascinating local memorabilia and history. Sometimes we have to push ourselves a bit, be a tourist in our own city, to appreciate and enjoy what so many folks from outside the city and province go home raving about.
I know I’m guilty of not yet having taken in all the truly fascinating "tourist" destinations in this city and province, and I’m going to make more of an effort to do so.
Yes, I’m going to say it — if only the walls could talk, or maybe offer a playback feature. Oh, the conversations we would hear in this home.
Thomas Scott, ordered executed by Louis Riel on March 4, 1870, used to meet other Riel opponents in this very house to make plans that ultimately appear not to have gone well.
I’m one of those history people who doesn’t just go to look at the artifacts, to see period correct objects. I love the feel of the residual energy those objects and buildings hold, as with this home, where so much life has been lived and experienced.
This isn’t a replica, conversations within these actual walls included the American Civil War, Lincoln’s assassination, the whole Riel controversy, Confederation in 1867, electricity, motorized vehicles, flight, the sinking of the Titanic, blame for whose idea it was to move to this mosquito-plagued land, and, no doubt, regularly included, "we need another Eaton’s catalogue for the outhouse, which was a bloody frigid sit this morning..."
Curator Bonita Hunter-Eastwood tells me that, yes indeed, this little house on the prairie is haunted, which simply adds to its allure and charm while scaring the Dickens out of a visitor now and then. Sorry, no guarantees on seeing anyone from the other side while you’re there, although... they might be watching YOU!! That stuff is always so much fun.
The tour through this precious surviving 1850s Winnipeg home is fascinating.
A trip back in time to a dwelling where the arrival of the first steam locomotive, The Countess of Dufferin, transported on a barge hauled by the SS Selkirk sternwheeler into The Forks on Oct. 8, 1877 would have been huge news.
And while at its location on the Assiniboine in Headingley, many a steam-driven paddlewheeler would have worked its way slowly past their lot, headed west (upstream) on early spring and summer high waters, loaded with pioneers, entrepreneurs, supplies... and, of course, scoundrels hoping to take advantage of every opportunity to make a little ill-gotten cash, or whatever.
The best source of information regarding our local and western Canada paddlewheel era is available in a book called Fire Canoe written by Ted Barris. An absolutely fascinating read, and first introduced to me by writer, broadcaster, and historian Eric Wells back when I had the pleasure of working with him at CJOB in the 1980s. A prince of a man.
Once you’ve taken in the main floor of this remarkable old pioneer home, it’s "up the old wooden hill" (stairway) for a look at the bedrooms and sleeping quarters of the time. Really worth seeing and an excellent family outing destination, then off someplace after for ice cream. Always... go for ice cream.
Currently, the museum, including this remarkable William Brown and Charlotte Oman House, is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with tours available to groups, and it’s all free. Just another of Winnipeg’s excellent offerings in the local history department. Questions, give them a call at 204-888-8706. Enjoy!
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