Written by Collections Assistant Noah Chapman. Recently, the Huron County Museum began the transfer of artifacts from the (now-closed) North Huron Museum. Among the items was this image of a group of World War One soldiers (object number 2023.0067.352). Unfortunately, the original label has worn off and the North Huron documentation did not have in-depth detail. The only information was the name of one of the photographed soldiers, his wife, and the donor’s name. A mystery was at hand. One of the most important goals of the museum is to restore lost context to items in the collections. For us ..read more

The Huron County Museum celebrated the launch of a new mural in the Museum’s lobby created by Anishinaabe artist Jeannette Ladd.The launch was celebrated on Saturday, March 9, with Ladd, who is an Anishinaabe-kwe from Saugeen First Nation in the Saugeen Ojibway Territory. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture. Throughout her life she was always drawn to expressing her thoughts and experiences through art. “I love creating pieces of art, it gives me an outlet to express myself and I love learning and working on pieces to honour my culture,” said L ..read more

Written by Jacob Smith, Digitization Coordinator for the Huron County Museum. Cliquez ici pour le Français As part of the Huron County Museum’s ongoing digitization project, I have been busy scanning and uploading census records called Return of Inhabitants to the Museum’s online collection (which you can click here to view). The Return of Inhabitants are informative documents for genealogists.  Information ranging from ages of family members to the types of livestock on each property are just two pieces of information that these documents provide.  As someone who has a keen interest ..read more

Written by museum assistant Kevin den Dunnen, who is working on exhibit research projects this summer. Over 6,600 people came through the Huron County Gaol’s long and narrowing hallway between 1841 and 1922. For each entry into the Gaol, employees recorded information about that person such as the crime they committed, the institution they transferred to, their age, height, eye colour, relationship status, residence, religion, sentence length, etc. This registry is essentially a brief snippet into a person who, in many cases, would otherwise never have such detailed information about their l ..read more

Written by museum assistant Julia Jim, who is helping to coordinate this year’s National Historic Places Days event. As we prepare to celebrate National Historic Places Days this Sunday, July 9, at the Museum with a free ice cream social, we take a look back at one of Goderich’s own ice creamery, Bisset’s. Bissett’s earned its popularity as one of the first dairies in Ontario to introduce milk in pre-packaged glass milk bottles. During the early 1900s, the family business decided to develop the dairy into a creamery that produced butter and ice cream for the county. An ad from The Brussels P ..read more

Eloise Ann Skimings was a poet, musician, music teacher, composer, newspaper columnist and author. She was described as “one of Goderich’s best-known citizens” and also “The Poetess of Lake Huron”.  She was often seen in Goderich wearing elaborate dresses, hats, gloves and a parasol, and was described, by many, as “our distinguished townswoman”.  Eloise was born in Goderich on Dec. 29, 1837, to Mary Rielly Mason Skimings and James Skimings. She had two brothers, William and Richard, and one sister, Emma Jane, who died at two years, seven months. Eloise was one of photographer Reub ..read more

“I shall have to take my chance amongst the rest. I have only once to die at any rate.” – excerpt from a letter written by Joseph Hodskinson, March 29, 1862 The American Civil War doesn’t usually come to mind when thinking about Huron County history, but a recent donation to the Huron County Archives reveals the devastating impact the war had on a Brussels family. Joseph Hodskinson immigrated to Canada from Scotland around 1851 with his wife Margaret and daughter Celina. The family settled in the Brussels area where Joseph worked as a farmer before he joined the Civil War. It remains unkn ..read more

The Huron County Museum Gift Shop is adding to its selection of products made by area artists and makers and we are pleased to now carry the work of Huron Candle Works. Hand-poured in Seaforth, the candles celebrate the elements of Huron County: Bluewater Shores, Silo, Sunset, and Woodland. If you would like to pick up some of these candles, the Gift Shop is open during regular Museum hours and does not require admission to come in to shop and to support local! Learn more about Huron Candle Works below! Who are you and what do you make? We are Huron Candle Works, a home-based, two-perso ..read more

Can You Escape the Huron County Gaol? Our new interactive and educational escape room “Escape The Huron County Gaol” will let you explore the gaol even when the site isn’t open.  Navigate your way through the Huron HIstoric Gaol using the Google 360 walkthrough on the Huron County Museum Website and learn historical facts about this fascinating national heritage site as you attempt to escape its iconic walls.  This activity is recommended for ages 7+ and younger children may require adult assistance to read the clues and navigate the 360 tour. This interactive uses the Google 360 w ..read more

According to the Criminal Code of Canada, “a female person commits infanticide when by a wilful act or omission she causes the death of her newly-born child.” Using local resources, student Kevin den Dunnen explores local cases of infanticide in the late 19th and 20th century (the period for which Gaol records are readily available), and the contemporary attitudes towards this act at home and abroad. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, Huron County newspapers printed cases of infanticide, or the act of killing an infant, allegedly taking place in other countries and cultures. These artic ..read more