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Stewartville Women‘s Institute Tweedsmuir History Book Three searchable pdfa Waba museum honors early pioneers -m‘ 15mm“. m.AWIi.I993 ,_ Artifacts also kept in 1835 home of infamous Archibald Laird By ART mun-:5 StallWriter WHITE LAKE â€"â€" When you step into The Waba Cottage Mu- seum. a hrge portrait of Archfltald. 13th Laird of McNab. dominates themomandheseemstowatchyou ' as you tour through I replica of his home. , The museum stands as a memor- hl to the Laird and the settlers he brought to the area. beginning in the 1820s. The infamous Laird. who ruled the settlers with an iron fist until they ousted him after an 18'year battle, built the small home in 1835. He lived there with his common- law wife before leaving for Gmt Britain in l852. His common-law wife. Catherine Fisher, Stayed in the house until the l870s. After her death. the house began to fall into disrepair and was eventually dynamited in the 1930s it was rescued during Centennial Year in 1967 and by 1968. the McNab Centennial Committee had a faithful recmstruction open and (panting as a musetm. Museum curator Olive Some- rville says visitors shouldn't come expecting to see an elaborate tribute to the Laird. 08 "The museum was built. not first in memory of Chief McNab, but in memory of all the pioneers who settled the land in McNab Town- ship.” she said. "They (the settlers) put up with a lot of hardship." With this in mind, the two floors of the museum are filled with actual anifacts from pioneer life. “People will come in and say, ‘I use to see that at my grandâ€" mothers.” Mrs. Somerville said. “A lot of these things were items settlers acmally used." lterns on display include period photographs of British Kings and Qreens, buttermaking equipment and enough blacksmith‘s tools to fill a pioneer shop. Only a pipe. silver sword. walking stick and table are said to have belonged to the home's mom famous residenL Mrs. Somerville said about 900 visitors come to the museum meh year. "We get people from all over.” she said. “When people have visi- tors from another country, they of- ten bring them here, so people from England. Scotland and the United States lave visited." Besides the laird's lune, visi< tors can visit an authentic 24»seat. single-room log school house which was built in 1868. McNab School Section No. 15 originally stood at a site in Clay Valley and moved to White Lake in 1978. Some older Ottawa Valley residents might be ablewretumtorhesiteoftheir schooling as the old school house wm used up until the 1960:. The McNab Commutin Church building is also a part of the mu- seum. This log structure dates back to l868 and was built as a “Penny Reading House" for I local temper- ance society. It served various other purposesbeforebeingmovedtothe. museum in 1978. Only then was it restored as a community church. “We‘re still waiting for a couple to get married I’Iere." Mrs. Somew rville said. 1 Visitors are weloome to picnic a the site and tables are provided. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 pm. until Labour Day. From then l until Thanksgiving, the museum will only open weekentk. i ltcanbeopenedatothertimesbyl special appointment and anyone in- terested should call 623-8853 for further information. Admission is free but donations are accepted. 45