The Go Get 'Em Gals Clue #2

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The Erland Lee Home : A Place of Inspiration and Learning

From the tall red chimney to the deep green shutters, our team of Go Get ' Em Gals took great pleasure in creating a representation of the Erland Lee ( Museum ) Home. With M.J. as the master-builder , and Margie P. the supplier of markers, yarn, lace, scissors, glue and tape, it soon became apparent to Anna L. and Chrissy B. that conversation and imagination would indeed have a prominent place during the hours of busy building.

As the Lego pieces were sorted by colour, size and shape, Margie P. took great delight in recalling the historical significance of Erland Lee, his wife Janet, and Adelaide Hunter Hoodless as co-founders of the first Women's Institute Branch in Saltfleet Township, Ontario in 1897. Indeed, as pointed out by Margie, in February of 1897 the agreement was made by 101 rural Canadian homemakers to create a Women's Institute. That action sparked the beginnings of what would become the largest international women's movement to ever be established.

It soon became apparent to the Go Get 'Em Gals that creating the Erland Lee Home was fun, challenging and rewarding. It was amazing to realize that six generations of the Lee Family Homestead resided in the home from its beginning in 1808 as a log cabin through to 1972. The hope of the team was that their creation would stand in place long enough to be admired, shared with others and photographed.

With the spirit and determination of W. I. gals, the entire team worked diligently and collaboratively to create the Carpenter Gothic style home, which was part of the Gothic Revival Architectural tradition. M.J. was able to gingerly manoeuvre the Lego pieces in place to create the steeply pitched gable at the front of the home. Margie P. , M.J. and Anna L. managed to cut, tape, glue and place the sculpted white lace in place to represent the gingerbread trim above the welcoming entrance. Chrissy B. once again marvelled at the way M.J. was able to take various lengths of white Lego sections and snap them into place as the board and batten planks of the Lee Family Homestead.

Just as it was a joyous moment on February 25, 1897 when the original Women's Institute Constitution was written on the Lee's dining-room table, it was a joyous moment for all Go Get ' Em Gals when enough green shutters were located among the scattered pieces of Lego, to adorn the windows of the home. Team members watched with bated breath as M. J. slowly and carefully attached the shutters to the walls of the house with the hope that the layered tape would hold the materials in place.

Upon deciding that detail is important, Chrissy B. , with the help of her team-mates, carefully cut and arranged the welcoming sign at the front of the home indicating the 125 year anniversary of the W. I.
All Go Get ' Em Gals shared some tense moments and hilarious laughter as the sign with braided yarn to hold it in place on the wooden stick arm, wobbled and wavered numerous times, in an attempt to slowly break apart and land on the green tablecloth lawn. Who knew that two-sided tape was so difficult to detach from multiple fingers holding on to drying glue under the braided yarn in W. I. colours ! ?

After approximately four and a half hours of building walls, windows, a sloping roofline, chimney and covered doorway, the masterpiece was now complete. The Go Get ' Em Gals stood back and admired their creation of the Erland Lee ( Museum) Home, a recognized National Historic Site of Canada. Everyone was in agreement that this home - past, present and future- represents a place of inspiration and learning

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