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THE LEESâ€"Erlond Lee, whose United Empire Loyalist, forebearers come to Canada in 1792, was a prominent farmer. His wife, Janet, was a teacher. SIDEBOARD TREASUREâ€"Mrs. R. C. Walker of Brampton displays fine linen pantalefies. Seven-foot sideboard in kitchen was made of virgin pine from homestead land. ' Wt,‘ THE PARTY LINE By KATHRYN HANSU LD STONEY CREEK - A preview of the Erland Lee Home here, to be officially opened in July by the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario, was given to 540 WI members from all over Ontario this week. Mr. Lee, a prominent and public-spirited farmer, was co-founder of the WI with Mrs; Adelaide Hoodless 76 years ago. The home is the birthplace of the WI which now has eight million members in the .world. Erland Lee, a founder of the Farmers’ Institute, and his wife Janet, arranged the meeting which about 100 women from the Saltfleet Township district attended, and were per- suaded by Mrs. Hoodless, who lived at St. George, to form an organization of their own to improve their skills in homemak- ing and child care. _ Mrs. E. D. Smith of Winona, of the famous jams and jellies family, became the first president-of the “mother institu .” A shuttle service of 14 buses operated between the Universi- ty of Waterloo, site of the 25th animal FWIO officers’ confer- , ence, and the homestead where the delegates were greeted by Mrs. Austin Zoeller of RR 2, New Hamburg, immediate past president of FWIO and chairman of the homestead commit- tee, and Marjory Lee, a daughter of the co-founder. The tours arrived at the Victorian Gothic white board-and- batten house every half-hour from 11 am. to 6:30 pm, where members of Saltfleet WI pointed out features and furnishings of the home which was purchased for $40,000 in June, 1972. t t ‘ Refurnishing of the home “in the 1850 era” is not complete, Mrs. Zoeller told The Record, but it is hoped to have the of- ficial opening “sometime in July.” Appointment of a hostess who will live in a suite being added at the rear of. the house, will be made shortly, likely in mid-June. ‘ . . . “we hope to have it functional, as well, with members in- volved in quilting, weaving and other handicrafts.” El 0 8 THE DINING TABLE, on which the WI constitution was drafted by Erland Lee and his wife, is the focal point of the blue and white dining room, which has wide pine flooring. Mrs. Lee was the former Janet Chisholm of Woodstock, and gave up a teaching career when she married. She biought the dining table from her grandfather’s home in Ancaster to the Lee homestead. After telling us about the historic table, Miss Lee rang the dinner bell â€" a set of four brass bells with pleasing tones, bought by her sister Hilda “who was very fond of bells and had them all over the house." Other furnishings which have remained in the home, which has been occupied by six generations of the family of a Brit- ish soldier, James lee, who came north with the United Em- pire Loyalists in 1792, are the dining room chairs, a pioneer sideboard, the parlor carpet, several beds, dressers and a wardrobe. 6 it 6 THE EARLY VICTORIAN parlor, still sparsely furnished, has a rare Peter Pan brass lamp donated by North Waterloo District WIs.~A what-not sits empty by the window. In the dining room, a bride’s basket (3 blue glass bowl in a decorative silver stand) was donated by Haysville WI, while a serving stand was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. George Murray of Cambridge (Galt) and a blue and white pitcher and glass set was given by Mrs. T. D. Cowan, also of Cambridge. (Mrs. Cowan, a former FWIO board member, campaigned for years to have Mr. Lee’s part in the formation of the WI recognized). I! I? it THE PIONEER KITCHEN at the rear of the house will be furnished in the 1800 period because that part was constructed in 1301 (the front section was built in 1873 from trees cut on the property). The most treasured piece of furniture there is the Lees’ seven-foot sideboard, with 12-paned glass doors, which was crafted from virgin pine trees cut down nearby. A pine harvest table has been donated by Northumberland East WIs, two gunstock chairs from Grey-Bruce Area WI (the committee would like two more) and a Boston arrow rocker from a Saltfleet WI member. The rolling pin, made by Hamilton Lee in 1887 for his bride (used until 1957) was on display, as well as other Dee posses- sions including cookie cutters, a doughnut cutter, candle- snuffer, candle moulds, wicktrimmer, fabric pinker and but- ter curl. The room is still to be plastered and redecorated. , ti! SI 1! , THE FAMILY’S UEL BACKGROUND was evident in the main bedroom where red, green and blue woven coverlets given by the family, were of early American design. Helen McKercher, director of the home economics branch of the Ontario ministry of agriculture and food, told me the ex- citing story of the 1846 red and white wool coverlet she rescued as it was being discarded from a bedroom in the Lee home. “It had been used as a mattress cover, but was still in very good condition.” It has the name of a Lee relative, Abigail Pettit, woven in the corner with the date. The unusual tall narrow windows in the bedrooms (“I’ve never seen anything like them,” one tomist commented) beg fqlflflly curtains Mrs. Zoeller said the home will be, more than a museum l “ , . . on» , A it messages; NORTH WATERLOO GIFTâ€"Mrs. Clarence Diamond, RR 1, New Hamburg, examines rare Peter Pan lamp which was given to the home by North Waterloo district Wls, 'I'here’s still a big furnishing job ahead of the homestead committee but Tuesday’s tourists, having noted the needs, are expected to rally to the call as Wls usually do. C . Kfl‘ kj/g/f/Jlrfl 7/7/1324;