Halton Region Museum

The Halton Region Museum was a museum owned by the Regional Municipality of Halton. It now operates as Halton Region Heritage Services. Heritage Services preserves the material and cultural heritage of Halton Region, and acquires and shares knowledge of the region’s historical and natural world. Based at Kelso Conservation Area in Milton, Ontario, Canada,[1] Heritage Services offers seasonal on-site and travelling exhibits and public programming. Heritage Services support the preservation and appreciation of the heritage of Halton Region through partnerships with museums, archives, historical societies, cultural organizations and attractions.

History

The Halton County Museum was established in 1962,[2] after being purchased by the Halton Region Conservation Authority in 1961.[2] It resided on the 200-acre, 125-year old farming property of Scottish settler Adam Alexander.[2]

In 1974, the museum became the responsibility of the Region when the new Regional Municipality of Halton was formed.[3] The Halton Museum Foundation was then established in 1998.[4]

In 2014, Regional Council adopted a new Master Plan for the Museum under which it was transformed into Heritage Services, which supports regional heritage organizations and institutions, and cares for Regionally owned heritage assets.[1]

At the end of 2016, the Halton Region Museum site in the Kelso Conservation Area closed and is no longer open to the public.[1] The facility is still used for staff offices, workshops and collections storage and research services are available by appointment.

Collection items

Select donations to the museum collection were featured by the local and Toronto media, over the years. These include:

  • Bell tower of the Bruce Street school, Milton, donated 1975; the bell itself went to the central library[5]
  • Tools of Adam Alexander, stone mason who once owned Kelso, donated in 1976 or before[6]

The museum collection had reached 15,000 items by 1976.[7]

Historic Alexander family buildings

The family's barn, built 1860, was the first building in Halton County to have electricity. Adam Alexander III met Thomas Edison in 1903, and the two discussed electricity. This resulted in Alexander III installing a water wheel to generate power, fifteen years before Ontario Hydro reached the area.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Halton News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories | InsideHalton.com". InsideHalton.com. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Downton-Poirier, Robin (June 18, 2004). "Oakville Beaver, 18 Jun 2004, p. 25". news.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 2 Jan 2007, p. 8". news.halinet.on.ca. January 2, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  4. ^ Sunshine, Fannie (March 30, 2001). "Canadian Champion (Milton, ON), 30 Mar 2001, p. 18". news.halinet.on.ca. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "At Kelso museum: Milton bell tower will rise again". The Toronto Star. Toronto ON. July 10, 1975. p. B1.
  6. ^ "Halton museum features tool display". The Burlington Gazette. March 23, 1976. p. 6.
  7. ^ "Museum receiving fewer donations". The Hamilton Spectator. April 23, 1976. p. 12.
  8. ^ Nyman, Judy (August 5, 1977). "Museum traces life" (Newspapers.com). The Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton ON. p. 38.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.