Hidden Histories Aren't Just Artifacts

Hidden Histories Aren't Just Artifacts

BEACONS OF LIGHT TRIBUTE TO BRITISH HOME CHILDREN

This year marks 150 years since the first Home Children arrived in Canada. The Town of Hampton  participated in the Beacons of Light tribute honouring the Home Children. On September 28th the Town Hall (still referred to as the Courthouse by many of us) was illuminated in red, white and blue.

From the late 1860s right up to 1948, 118,000 children of all ages were emigrated right across Canada to be used as indentured farm workers and domestics. While some were virtually adopted by the families they lived with, many were very poorly treated.

Kings County had the Ellinor Home Farm in Nauwigewauk, which operated as part of this program for several years during the early 20th century. The house is still standing today, although it is no longer operated as a farm.

The Kings County Museum has created a mini-display that will remain up during the winter, sharing some of our materials from the Ellinor Home as well as information on the Middlemore children who also came this area.

We are open Thursdays and Saturdays, 1:00 til 4:00 pm all winter, so you can drop by and explore Kings County history.

More information on the British Home Children is available at: https://www.britishhomechildren.com/

What is Museum Anyway?

WHAT IS A MUSEUM ANYWAY?

I was reading an interesting article this morning attempting to define what exactly IS a museum in today's world? There were many attempts to define exactly what makes a museum a unique experience. After all, as the author said, "To non-museum goers, the line between museum and not-museum is blurry. Museums are quality learning spaces, but so are libraries. Museums are experiences, but so is Disney. Museums house things, but so do libraries. Museums are adjacent and overlap so many other things."

She concludes: "We aren’t just buildings with collections. We are the places people go to learn. We are the people who collect for the future. We are conveners of communities. We are the real in a world full of fake. We are the best of society and the worst—all there to remind people about both. We are humanity on display. We are nature in its most wonderous. We are what society needs today, tomorrow, and hopefully forever."

The Kings County Museum is glad you are all part of our community as we attempt to live up to such lofty goals in our little corner of the world. Thank you for your support.