HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 9, 1970
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TOWNSHIP OF PICKERING MUSEUM BOARD
6/70
A meeting of the Pickering Town-
ship Museum Board was held on
TUESDAY, the NINTH day of JUNE
at EIGHT o'clock p.m. at the
Municipal Building
PRESENT: Mr. H. Cook, Chairman
Mr. D. McLean
Mr. M. Parkin
Mrs. D. Earle
N. C. Marshall, Secretary
1. MINUTES-
On motion of Mrs. Earle, seconded by Mr. McLean and carried
unanimously the minutes of the meeting held on May the 12th
were adopted.
2. ACCOUNTS-
On motion of Mr. M~Lean, seconded by Mr. Parkin and carried
unanimously the following accounts were approved for payment:
Ontario Hydro
Pervis Chalmers - guest book
Andy Ramsay - 31 hrs.
$ 23.70
18.90
77.50
3.
SALES DESK -
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Mr. McLean reviewed briefly with the Committee the results
of his discussions with the staff at Fort York with reference
to the merchandise sold by them to the visitors. Apparently
the most popular items were such things as pennants, leather
goods, toys, knives, pocket books (of a historical nature).
Many of these items can be obtained through Irwin Co-Operative
and Mr. Cook agreed to check into this item. He would also
explore the possibility of obtaining candy as this was
evidently a very marketable commodity at Pioneer Village.
4.
BUILD¡NG RENOVATION AND FURNISHING -
The Chairman expressed concern over the apparent state of
dis-repair of a ntmIDer of the buildings pointing in part-
i~ular to the Church where most of the contents had more
or less been assembled in the middle of the building with
no semblance of order. In the discussion that followed
Mr. McLean and Mr. Parkin agreed to meet on the site and
assess just what is required to complete a proper display
in the Church. On completion of this assessment the
necessary re-arrangement would take place.
Evidently the Historical Society had expressed a fair amount
of interest in possibly financing the renovation of one or
two rooms in the different homes through the employment of
students.
Evidently Mrs. Fallis and Mrs. Duncan had visited the
Parkin property to determine the items that should be
used in furnishing these homes and had finalized this
aspect of the restoration programme. The suggestion was
made that perhaps they could co-ordinate their activities
with the Historical Society with the latter providing the
means to complete the furnishings.
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5. MR. L. T. JOmTSTON HAS DECLINED TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR CATELOGUING THE ~1USEM ARTIFACTS
He had apparently been in touch with Mr. Miller explaining
that he didn't feel that he could devote the necessary time
to this project in the coming months.
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6. Mr. Miller had been talking to Mr. Postil1 with reference
to the plastering of the Oddfel1ows Hall. He hoped to start
work following the July 1st weekend. Due to the pressure
of work, progress will be sporatic but he hopes to have
the job completed during August.
7. HISTORY IN l\CTION -
Mrs. Earle reported that the Hiawatha Spinners were
interested in coming back for this activity. They have
requested that they be permitted to sell some of their
weaving to defray their out of pocket expenses notably
that of babysitting. The group saw no problem in this.
Apparently Mr. Bowen was a member of a Barbershop Quartet
and Mrs. Earle had discussed with him the possibility of
the group performing during the History In Action festivities.
She also mentioned the possibility of retaining other local
talent such as two girls from the Bay Ridges area who were
apparently quite talented in yodelling, performers such as
the Madill sisters ~rom Claremont, and any other local
talent that might be interested in participating. The
group agreed that such a venture would be very worthwhile
and if at all possible the talent should be spread over the
two days so that entertainment was provided during both
afternoons.
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Mrs. Earle wondered whether the Board would be interested
in having Mr. Bowen's father set up a display of miniature
steam engines that he had similar to one presently owned
by the Museum. Noting that this would relieve some of the
other participants for other duties, the Board suggested
that he would be a welcome addition.
In concluding the discussion it was agreed that Mrs. Earle
work towards a budget of $100. with a view towards provid-
ing entertainment for the History In Action weekend.
8.
Vm~DING MACHINE -
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A suggestion that a vending machine would provide a service
to the visitors to the grounds and also provide a small
revenue was a~ceptable to the Board. ~1e Secretary agreed
to contact a local vending machine company to determine
whether or not such an installation was possible.
9. Mr. James A. Taylor, Township Solicitor in a letter dated
May the 27th advised that a Museum Board foundation could
be established with a view towards providing capital for
renovation programmes. The foundation would be an entirely
separate financial institution established for the sole
purpose of developing the Museum property. The responsibility
for the operation 02 the Museum proper and the ownership of
its assets could not be transferred to such a foundation
and must remain the sole responsibility of the municipality.
Cons~ious of the remarks by Mr. Ken Higgs of the Metro
Region Conservation Authority made during a recent meeting
on the property, the Board recognized the foundation as a
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possible source of revenue for further development. Its
establishment would nevertheless depend almost exclusively
on the interest of influential citizens within the Township
and their desire to raise funds for the Museum.
9. FUTURE OF THE MUSEur·1 -
The members of the Board recognized that the time was fast
approaching when they must establish firm guide lines
and objectives for the future of the Museum. They were
conscious of the many problems associated with their in-
volvement in many activities such as historic buildings,
artifacts, steam engines and gasoline engines and the
limited funds with which they had to develop these various
items.
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Of paramount importance was the difficulty in supervising
the different buildings that should be available to the
public for viewing. One suggestion offered was that
possibly only the Museum building proper, the log cabin,
and perhaps the Oddfellows Hall should be open to the
public during the regular hours of the Museum. Displays
in the buildings would be of a nature that would discourage
theft and vandalism and minimum supervision would be re-
quired. Other buildings on the grounds could be opened
at specific times and dates so that qualified people would
be on hand not only to supervise the various displays but
also answer the many questions that members of the public
might have concerning them.
It was hoped that firm pOlicies concerning the aims and
objectives of the Pickering Township Museum ~ou1d be
crystalized in the very near future in order that future
programmes could be properly directed.
10. FUTURE MEETING -
During the evenings discussion it was apparent that the
need existed to re-organize several of the displays in
the buildings to m~~e the Museum of more interest to the
public. Many of these jobs were small in nature but did
require several people to complete them. With this thought
in mind it vlas agreed that the next meeting of the Museum
Board slated for July the 14th would be a work meeting
in whi-:h the members would meet at the Museum Grounds at
7:30 and complete the necessary re-arranging. It was hoped
that there would be a good attendance.
On motion the meeting adjourned.
DATED
Chairman
Secretary