Village Squire, 1980-08, Page 7The museum was the vision of Herb
Neill, 1885 to 1969. Mr. Neill, a resident of
Howick Township and a "jack-of-all-
trades," began collecting and repairing
antiques in the 1930s. He took displays to
country fairs until his collection grew large
enough to require a permanent home. In
1951, a museum opened with 1,000
artifacts in the old Goderich Central School
under the co-operation of Huron County
Council and Women's Institute.
Curator until 1967, Mr. Neill worked
ingeniously to upgrade the museum. He
"camped out" from Vancouver to Halifax
collecting artifacts in a 1925-26 model
Essex car, which is now a popular display
at the museum. He constructed working
models to demonstrate changing methods
of flour making, maple sugaring, lumber-
ing, harvesting, salt mining and other
pioneer skills. Signs, such as "pump this
lever" and "turn this wheel" delight
visitors, especially children, as much today
as they did thirty years ago.
A LOG CABIN
For many years, Mr. Neill lived in a log
cabin that was reconstructed on the
museum grounds. As the number of
artifacts increased, six additions have
been required to the original school.
Popular artifacts include an orchestral
Regina Music Box made by A.W. Karn,
Hamburg Germany, between 1860 and
1900. Twenty-seven old favourites can be
played on the music box on large steel
records. Several steam engines attract
interest as well as the Sherman tank that
was moved to the museum grounds from
the airport in 1978.
A new display this year includes
hundreds of copies of photos taken during
the late 1800s and early 1900s by R.R.
Sallows, a noted Goderich photographer.
The copies were made available by the
audio-visual department of the University
of Guelph. Mr. Sallows, one of the few
photographers to take agricultural photos
at that time, caught every aspect of rural
life from a lady trimming her husband's
beard to a farmer cutting crops with a
"cradle" to horses pulling plows, disks,
harrows and drills. Many of the imple-
ments and tools in the pictures are on
display in the museum.
During Tiger Dunlop Days, August 16
and 17, demonstrations of spinning, weav-
ing, quilting and shingle making and
contests in wood splitting, sheaf tying and
nail hammering will be held along with a
pork barbecue and modern and old-time
square dancing. A display of restored
Model A's from London will also be on the
grounds.
According to curator Raymond Scotch -
mer, even more elaborate festivities will be
held next year to mark the official thirtieth
anniversary of the Huron County Pioneer
Museum. The museum is open seven days
a week from May 1 to October 31.
A view of outside of Tracey House, which contains St. Marys
Museum, from the landscaped lawns In front of the house. The
Museum and land surrounding It Is part of Cadzow Park.
Outside at the Huron County Pioneer Museum, In Goderich.
VILLAGE SQUIRE/AUGUST 1980 PG. 5