HISTORY. The Missisquoi Museum is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary. To mark the event, the establishment is presenting an exhibition made up of sixty objects chosen from among the most precious of its collection which includes 25,000 artifacts.
In 1830, Zebulon Cornell built a flour mill on the banks of the Brochets River in the village of Stanbridge East. The mill operated for more than 130 years. A dam on the river provided energy for the mill which played a major economic role in the village. The waterwheel of the mill is still turning.
The Missisquoi Historical Society acquired the mill in 1964 to build a museum. Equipped with an impressive collection of objects illustrating life in the past in the region, the museum presents a temporary exhibition each year to highlight its treasures.
Carte Walling
Among the precious objects on display this summer, a Walling map from 1864 representing the four counties located between the Richelieu River and Lake Memphremagog. The map details roads, railways, lots. It is particularly useful as a genealogical reference, as it indicates the names and locations of the townships’ earliest residents.
In the same display, two wooden items can be seen: an apple peeler dating back to 1790 and a suitcase from the early 1800s that belonged to James McCorkill, who emigrated from Ireland in 1814. His land is now that of the Farnham Nature Centre.
Near the 19th century wheelchair, don’t miss the disc music box in a wooden box. Stella brand, it dates from 1897.
The toys of yesteryear allow us to imagine how children had fun during long afternoons. The exhibit features two 19th-century doll strollers, teddy bears, a 1935 Mickey Mouse slide projector and a hand-made wooden checkers game.
Unusual objects
The exhibition introduces us to unusual pieces from the museum’s collection, such as a cast iron coffin for children. These coffins were designed for long-distance rail transport. They were airtight, which allowed the small bodies to be preserved until their burial site.
Each year, the museum knows how to surprise us with the variety of artifacts in its collection with the presentation of a forger’s toolbox and printing plates of fake banknotes dating back to 1830.
One of the oldest objects is a lunch box from the late 18th century, the ancestor of the lunch box. Made of wood, it belonged to Ebenezer Phelps, born in Vermont in 1773. His father was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who had moved to Stanbridge East.
Among the beautiful objects to admire, a celestial globe made in Albany (NY) in 1840 and a perforated pewter candle lantern from the late 19th century.
After your visit to the temporary exhibition, take a look at the other sections of the museum which extends over three floors.
Three sites
The museum has three heritage sites open to the public. The entrance ticket gives access to the Cornell mill as well as the Hodge general store on River Street, a stone’s throw from the museum, as well as to the famous twelve-sided barn of the Walbridge family located in the hamlet of Mystic ( Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge).
The museum is open until October 20. The Cornell Mill and Hodge General Store can be visited daily except Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On weekends, the three sites are accessible to the general public.
A walk in the village of Stanbridge East will complete your visit to the museum. You will discover the St. James the Apostle church and its cemetery set back on Maple Street, the charming little cottages like the one on the corner of Maple and Saxe-Cornell streets, the beautiful red barn on Saxe Street, the café Blinn housed in the former Blinn general store which has been restored. On the other side of the bridge is the country table in the Old Mill space.
