We’ve had a pretty busy week here at the museum filled with tours, tea, and a visit from the doctor!
On July 25th, we filled the porch with people for our Tea at the Ranch House. Mrs. Ruth Karg, our archivist, presented stories about the trials and tribulations of being a settler in the Hanna area. Afterwards, everyone had enjoyed some beverages and cookies served by the student workers dressed in period costume.
Also on the 25th, Communities in Bloom popped by our museum, and seemed very pleased with the work we have put in to keep the place looking great despite the trying weather conditions this year.
On the 26th, Dr. Wilkins, a retired doctor, stopped by our hospital to help us identify some of our artifacts and gave us some great suggestions on how to make the hospital displays more realistic.
This week we are featuring…oh it seems we have a customer! What’s that? You’ve come looking for information on our general store? What a coincidence! That’s the building we are featuring this week. The general store was opened in 1913 at Michichi, thirty miles west of Hanna by a C.N.R. surveyor named G.W.M. Boycott and served the village and surrounding area for fifty two years. In 1915 it was sold to Dr. Johnson and his wife Pauline. When Dr. Johnson died in 1928, his wife and her brother Walter Murdock operated the store under the name of Johnson and Co. It remained in the same hands until 1965. In 1973 the building was moved to the Hanna Museum. A surprising number of containers and household items have since been donated. In fact where else can you ‘shop’ for Magic Baking Powder and an anti-aircraft gun? Trying To find out more about these items, stop by the museum for your personalized tour.
Coming up, Tea at the Ranch House will be on every Tuesday at 2:00 PM until the 22nd of August with tales of our area’s people, places, and events. The Epic Adventures crew will be once again hanging out at the museum on August 2nd. Finally, the Fall Fair will be taking place on August 12th-13th, with entries displayed throughout our buildings.
Must dash as here comes another avid tour group, but before I go I encourage you to stop by the Hanna Museum and learn about our own unique history. You won’t be disappointed.
Author:
Ashlyn McCormick