The Rural Voice, 1988-08, Page 38- LIVING HISTORY
The Weaver Family Museum
W
hen Marian Weaver was
in school, she didn't like
history "out of a book."
Today she presides over one of the
most interesting and varied collections
of historical memorabilia in Ontario.
As she opens the door of the Weaver
Family Museum, "today" is left
outside on the doorstep. Once inside,
the atmosphere of yesterday is present
everywhere.
Marian, her husband Stewart, and
their son, Don, have always been
interested in family heirlooms. When
Marian's aunt, Jean Walter, died in
1970, Marian inherited many of her
own family's heirlooms. Marian's
dream was to buy a log house in
which to display the articles in their
rightful setting. After eight years, her
dream came true.
The Weavers took time from their
busy schedule on their dairy operation
to find the log house. A realtor tele-
phoned them one day with good news:
a log house was for sale southwest of
Arkwright, in the Mount Hope area.
The house was covered with barn
boards and green shingles. It had been
modernized and lived in, but had been
empty for about two years. Upon
purchasing the house and taking it
down, the Weavers found all the logs
in good condition.
As they took the log house apart
for moving, the Weavers numbered
the logs, some of which were 24
inches deep. "Someone told us the
logs would keep better if the walls
were built up before winter," Marian
says. So they hauled the logs home
and started to rebuild the four outside
walls on their family farm in Derby
Township near Owen Sound.
In March of 1979, the reconstruc-
tion was proceeding in earnest. With
volunteer help from relatives, neigh-
bours, and friends, the roof and gable
ends of the house were completed.
by Cathy Laird
The Weaver
Family Museum is
a reconstructed log
house in Derby
Township near Owen
Sound. The Weaver
family took time out
from their demanding
dairy operation to
restore the cabin to
its pioneer glory.
Marian Weaver, right,
stands amid the
collection on the
ground floor.
"Years ago, cleaning a house
meant moving all the furniture outside
and whitewashing the entire inside of
the house," Marian says. "So we had
to have the inside sandblasted." The
Weavers ordered new "old-style"
windows and doors for the front and
side entrances, all made from pine.
Then the mortar was put between the
logs and the new windows and doors
were installed. A new pine floor was
laid. All this was accomplished while
running their dairy farm.
The family continued work on the
36 THE RURAL VOICE