museum – Page 2 – Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

January 21, 2023

Historic Carding Bench: A 1930s Craftsmanship Legacy

The Heritage Museum would like to share this carding bench we received recently. Emanuel Nelson made it in the 1930s for his mother, Ingeborg Nelson. It was then passed down to the donor’s mother, Bertha Blakely. A handful of wool was placed on the carder; the handle would then be pushed back and forth to…
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November 5, 2022

Historical Toys: A Tribute for National Child Day

November has many essential and commemorative days, such as Remembrance Day on the 11th, Indigenous Veterans Day on the 8th, and National Child Day on the 20th. The federal government recognizes National Childs day to celebrate the rights of children. The 20th of November was chosen as the day because the United Nations Convention on…
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October 29, 2022

Celebrate Halloween: A Look at 1940s Pumpkin Crafts

Happy Halloween! We wanted to share a Halloween artifact to share in the festivities. Pictured is a paper cut out of a pumpkin that June Hughes displayed in her classroom during the 1940s. Hughes attended Camrose Normal School for her training as a teacher. Her first post was in a one-room school at Ascot, Alberta…
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October 22, 2022

Exploring the Order of the Bath: Dr. Johnson’s WWII Artifact

This week the Heritage Museum is proud to share with you a military artifact. This pin belonged to Dr. Johnson while serving in World War II where he served as a Capitan. The pin represents the Order of the Bath, which dates to 1725 and would be worn by British Army Officers. Only twenty-four of…
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September 9, 2022

Vivian Stansberry’s Historic Collection at Wetaskiwin Museum

This week at the heritage museum we accessioned into our collection items from the Royal Purple lodge and the Order of the Eastern Star that used to be here in Wetaskiwin. The items belonged to Vivian Stansberry who lived in Wetaskiwin throughout the 40s while married to William Stansberry. The items accessioned includes a Royal…
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August 26, 2022

Heritage Museum Receives Historic Donations from Yee Family

Over the last few weeks, the Heritage Museum had some generous donations from Roger and Faye Yee from when they ran the Stanley Café in the late 1940s until 2002. These items include a cash register, receipt machine, calendar clock, and an oil lamp. Most of these items were already in the store before the…
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August 9, 2022

Exploring Norma Bennett’s World War Two Military Uniform

Norma Bennett Military Uniform This week at the Heritage Museum we accessioned a Military jacket and skirt worn by Norma Bennett during her service in World War Two. The buttons on her uniform represent Wings Over Alberta. The uniforms for the Royal Canadian Air Force Division were controversial, with many considering the first caps to…
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June 25, 2022

Exploring the Fishers Humane Poultry Killer

This week at the Heritage Museum we accessioned a Fishers Humane Poultry Killer. The tool is designed to kill chickens swiftly and humanely. It is shaped like a pair of pliers, with a blade on one arm and the other having a flat surface. The devise is used by grabbing the bird by the neck…
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June 17, 2022

Beda Ronn Hannah: A Key Figure in Wetaskiwin’s History

This week at the Heritage Museum we accessioned a variety of black and white photos. Most of the individuals in the photos we could not identify. These photos are either individual portraits or group photos. One photo is of Doris Hanna, one of five Children to Beda (Beatrice) Ronn Hannah one of our Women of…
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June 6, 2022

Donation of Historic Friendship Quilt to Heritage Museum

This week the Heritage Museum got a Donation from Carol Beswick, she wrote us a card about the history of the quilt: In January of this year, I contacted your museum to see if you would be interested in a textile know commonly as a “Friendship Quilt” made by ladies from Rosyth, Hardisty, Hughenden, Amisk…
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