What's New at the DCMA?

DCMA Open House / Student Art Show Reception / Kids Arts Day

Plan to attend the DCMA on Saturday, May 10, 2008...
a "jam-packed" day of fun for the entire family!  Free Admission!

All day - 10 am to 4 pm:
To celebrate Museum Month in Ontario, the DCMA drops it admission fee and invites the public to explore the museum and archives, and learn about programs, events and volunteer opportunities at the DCMA.  Also on that Saturday, the Museum hosts a big party and reception to officially launch the annual Student Art Show in the Silo Gallery (see below). All are welcome!

Activities for Younger Kids presented by the Headwaters Arts Festival - 10 am to 1 pm:
On the day of the DCMA Open House and Student Art Show, the Headwaters Arts Festival is providing food, fun and activities for younger kids in the morning, starting at 10 am and concluding by 1 pm.  Kids can sign up to make a book or birdhouse in specially designed workshops, or take-in a performance by "Al The Pal".  For more information about activities for younger kids, please contact the Headwaters Arts Festival directly, toll free, at 1-877-262-0545.

Annual High School Student Art Show Awards Ceremony & Opening Party - 2 pm:
The Main Event! As part of the DCMA's public open house, the Museum and Headwaters Arts Festival present this annual show of visual art by students from eight area high schools.  We celebrate this "always amazing" art show with an awards presentation and live musical performances by the students.  Come early to view the Student Art Show in the Museum's Silo Gallery.  The awards ceremony and entertainment starts at 2 pm.  For more information about the Student Art Show, please contact the DCMA, toll free, at 1-877-941-7787. 

Glen Cross Cabin Relocation Project

The Dufferin County Museum has had plans in the works for many years to find a cabin suitable for teaching the Ontario Curriculum based museum program about pioneers. Before the museum opened in 1994 a fire occurred at the former Shelburne Museum site in which we lost the original McCutcheon log cabin. It was replaced by the Gross Cabin from Mono which was to be used outdoors for school programming. The cabin provided a great replacement and the plans for the outside building were never formalized, except for the running of hydro lines to the location on the site that was being considered. The orchard, herb garden and trees were installed on the Museum site. Talk and plans were put on the shelf and somewhat forgotten. The outdoor cabin has yet to be realized.

The Cabin
There is an old building near the entrance to the Hockley Valley Resort. It recently was used by the resort for staff housing and for storage.  The building is covered with white wooden siding.  It is a storey and a half central portion with two single storey “lean-to” additions on either side.  In the 1960s, the newer addition was used as the ski ticket office, before the main resort building was built.  The DCMA holds photographs taken about 1905 at Moffit's barn raising on the north side of the Hockley Road near Glen Cross. In the background, there is a shed, barn and log house clearly visible on the site of the present building.   The roofline, fenestration and doorways are the same as the existing cabin. It had been the home of the Pearson family for four generations prior to the property being developed as a resort.  The building is owned by Mrs. Nancy Adamo. In the spring of 2005, one her employees, John Woolner, suggested that the building could be of interest to the DCMA The Dufferin County Museum and Archives would like to save the building from demolition by removing it from its present site and using it at the Museum site. Through some research we have been able to determine that this log cabin was the Pearson settlement in Mono Township and it pre-dates the 1850s. The construction style is "saddle notched” which would indicate that this would have been the first structure built for shelter on a property in anticipation of winter coming.  The building design has evidence that there was room for a stone fireplace (which has been removed) and still has a loft style bedroom upstairs. These features are indicative of traditional North American single family log homes built in the nineteenth century.  Though additions and changes have been made to the home, much of its historical value remains.

Proposed Use
Community museums have learned through experience that for students, pioneer studies work best when programs are delivered “hands on” and in a setting where a settler's life can be easily imagined. Sight, touch, and smell can all be used as part of the experience. Programs often include cooking techniques, cabin construction, and pioneer crafts such as spinning and weaving: put quite simply food, shelter, and clothing. Our present programming would be greatly enhanced by the addition of this building. It is our hope that it would significantly increase the number of bookings from area schools as well as our increasing number of local home schoolers. We have an experienced instructor on staff and an education collection of artifacts that can be used more appropriately in a cabin setting.

A Community Project
The cost to relocate and preserve this important structure is estimated at $50,000, to be raised entirely through donations and community fundraising efforts. No tax dollars will be used for this project. To achieve this, the DCMA needs help through cash donations and volunteer labour. Please contact the Dufferin County Museum for further details:

Telephone: 705-435-1881 or 1-877-941-7787
Email: curator@duffferinmuseum.com