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Arts & CultureMiddleville Museum curator wins important award

Middleville Museum curator wins important award

Alice at right
Ontario Museum Association Honours Alice Borrowman

The Ontario Museum Association promotes museums and advances the standards of professionalism for museum workers throughout Ontario. Their 2020 virtual conference is being held in three sessions from October 29 to November 26.

On October 29, Alice Borrowman, curator of the Middleville Museum, was presented with the Association’s Volunteer Award of Excellence for her many years of service to the museum and the community. Alice followed in the footsteps of several dedicated curators, one of whom was her father. She became a Board member in 1995 and served many years as President and Curator. She was also the Middleville museum’s representative on the Lanark County Museum Network since 2000. In 2013 Alice received a Certificate of Achievement, through The township of Lanark Highlands from the Ontario Heritage Trust in appreciation of volunteer work to identify, protect and promote our province’s heritage. Alice stepped down as President in January 2020 but remains Curator and is delighted to conduct personal tours by appointment.

The museum started in the 1861 stone schoolhouse when local schools were consolidated in the 1970s and the Board of Education gave SS #6 Lanark to Lanark Township for a museum. An addition was added to house the artifacts locals had been collecting for Pioneer Days, and so began the small local museum that just kept on growing. In 2011, a $100,000 Ontario Trillium Grant allowed the museum to build a second addition which opened in 2013.

The addition let Alice dream bigger. The museum acquired the “Old Baptist Manse,” a log cabin built in 1838. Volunteers took it down and reassembled it inside the museum. A 1911 Hearse from the Young Family, a 1918 Chev Truck, a 1921 Model T Ford car…a bit of something of interest for everyone.

Your visit starts with local First Nations items, then to European settlement, life in the local farming community, the domestic scene, transportation, and ends with First and Second World War exhibits. The Genealogy room has many family histories, photo collections, plus Lanark Township Tax & Assessment Rolls from 1851 to the mid-1900’s to help people with their research.

This not-so-small museum located in the tiny hamlet of Middleville is entirely run by volunteers from Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving. Like many other organizations, 2020 was a difficult year and we were only open for one month. However, we are looking forward to a full 2021 season. Follow us online for more info.

www.middlevillemuseum.org

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