KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
The pretty village of Williamstown is home to a wonderful museum with exhibits reflecting the lives of those that helped settle Glengarry and the surrounding counties. The old Williamstown schoolhouse, built in 1882, is a beautifully maintained, Georgian brick building that operated as an educational building until 1965. Then, as part of Canada’s centennial in 1967, the Glengarry Historical Society re-opened the building to the public as a museum, creating a space that tells the story of the Loyalists that sought refuge and settled in Glengarry in 1784 after the American Revolution.
The museum also has exhibits depicting the lives of early settlers and explorers that were part of the North West (Nor’Westers) Company, a fur trading enterprise competing against the Hudson’s Bay company, that helped to open passageways in Canada and the US. Visitors to the museum can see exhibits of a trapper’s cabin, a restored canoe used to transport goods and animal pelts for trading, as well as an early settler’s kitchen and living space. Each display transports guests to a much earlier time in Glengarry, where survival and simplicity were key.
Through artifacts, information and preserved objects, the museum illustrates the challenges in making a home in such a rural and unsettled area. The displays weave the history of Nor’Westers Company’s key partners such as Hugh McGillis, John McGillivray and Duncan Cameron who led expositions to uncharted parts of Canada, opening routes for the fur trade, while at the same time, helping to create maps of areas beyond Upper & Lower Canada and into Western Canada. With historical facts and information at each display, the Glengarry Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum also connects settlers with the First Nations Peoples already living by the St. Lawrence River, their amalgamations through business, marriage and defence of the land. The museum even provides links from Upper Canada all the way to Brantford in Southern Ontario through Molly Brant, an influential Iroquois ally to Britain, and her brother Joseph Brant who also supported Great Britain during the American Revolution.
The Glengarry Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum preserves items from Glengarry’s origins such as explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie’s compass case, David Thompson’s collection of journals, along with elements from the early school days and life in Williamstown. The board of directors continues to expand the displays at the museum, through purchases and donations of artifacts that help to interpret the history of Glengarry.
Additionally, the museum hosts artists’ collections to display within the museum, Tea Talks, Paint Nights, New Years’s Eve celebrations, Christmas markets and a walking tour. For youngsters, the museum offers “A Day in 1790’s Williamstown” where students have fun learning about life as an early settler in Glengarry. Through a partnership with Williamstown Green Thumbs, the local gardening community organization with plant expertise, a heritage garden was installed on the grounds of the Glengarry Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum. This garden contains native plants and herbs for both medicinal & culinary uses that were so important in early settlers’ lives.
Although the building is owned by South Glengarry Township, the site upon which the museum stands carries the caveat that it must continue to provide a permanent place of education for the public or the land will revert to the family of Sir John Johnson, who led battles to support Britain in the American Revolution and helped settle the Loyalists along the St. Lawrence. Ensuring the viability of the Glengarry Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum is paramount in conserving and preserving the history of Glengarry. The museum’s dedicated board of directors and volunteers continue to develop voice over displays providing accessibility to the second-floor exhibits that can currently only be reached by the stairs in the former schoolhouse. Through partnerships with local organizations, mini educational programs and new events, the museum looks to the future with anticipation for more visitors and opportunities to expand their membership.
The Glengarry Nor’Westers & Loyalist Museum is open Wednesdays through to Mondays, May until September, but appointments can be made to view the exhibits in the off season by contacting the museum. Visit their website at www.glengarrynorwestersandloyalistmuseum.ca for information on upcoming events for the season.
