Windsor‘s Community

Museum News Winter 2015 Francois Baby House and Interpretation Centre

Family Day Heritage Day at Windsor’s Community Museum

Canada’s Maple Leaf Flag

Sunday 15 February 2015

1:00 – 4:00 pm

Canada‘s red and white maple leaf flag is instantly recognizable but it wasn‘t always our

emblem. The maple leaf flag was raised for the very first time just fifty years ago – February

15, 1965.

Before that the Union Jack and the Red Ensign were flown, but Canada didn't have an

official flag of its own. In 1964 thousands of proposed flag designs were considered, and a

bitter debate about symbols consumed the House of Commons and the country. After the

maple leaf was finally signed into law there was a rush to produce enough flags in time for

a raising ceremony on Parliament Hill.

On this special Flag Day 50th anniversary, Sunday February 15th 2015, visit Windsor‘s

Community Museum and see one of the original 1965 first-day-flags and learn more about

Canada‘s symbols with well-known local historian Janet Cobban.

*Refreshments * Colour a flag *Lapel pins and little flags to honour Canada

Quantities limited so come early and come often!

Glengarry Housing Project Thursday 5 March

7:00 pm

Duff-Baby Interpretation Center

Join the Museum Volunteer Group on Thursday March

5th for a discussion with Chris Carter and a viewing of a

video about the redevelopment of the Glengarry

Housing Project. This redevelopment closed many

streets in the downtown area of Windsor. Many

businesses, churches and schools had to be

relocated. Did it do Windsor any good? Was poverty

just hidden in apartment buildings? When this project

was complete they started working on the University

to Riverside section. The town hall and many other

buildings along the riverfront were demolished. One

only has to look at a 1950s Windsor map to see the

difference.

Above:

View of the corner of Cataraqui Street

and Glengarry Ave, in front of the Horse

Shoe Hotel. Bruce Irvine and his dog

Spot are in the foreground while an

electric streetcar approaches behind.

This stop is where Bruce Irvine would wait

to take the streetcar to Essex, Ontario,

where he would visit his aunt, Mrs. Mary

Richardson. c. 1919

P8669

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Views of the Francois Baby House

c. 1900 to 2010

Centre: Unidentified child standing in

front of the Baby House, January 29, 1911

Update on Windsor’s Community Museum Expansion Project

The expansion project at Windsor‘s Community Museum is well underway! Construction

work is continuing on the ground floor of the 401 Riverside Dr. W. site (which also houses the

Art Gallery of Windsor on the 2nd and 3rd floors). Changes are being made to the footprint of

the ground floor in order to accommodate a permanent exhibition on the history of

Windsor, an Original Peoples Gallery, a Hands-On-History gallery for children and a

concourse themed on the Detroit River, along with an A-Zed exhibit of Windsor and a small

gift shop area. Additionally, the new museum site will feature two temporary exhibition

programming spaces, and additional artefact storage. The entrance desk has been

relocated closer to the south doors. Access to both the new expanded museum and the

Art Gallery of Windsor will be through the south doors. Once the construction project is

complete, Art Gallery patrons will access a brand new elevator to the 2nd and 3rd floors.

What about the François Baby House? Plans are underway to refinish the wood floors and

add to the archival area on the 2nd floor. Additionally, work is proceeding on brand new

exhibits themed on the War of 1812, the Battle of Windsor, the History of the Baby House,

and Windsor‘s French Roots, as well as a new open storage concept in the basement.

The museum gratefully acknowledges the Department of Canadian Heritage for partial

funding of this project through its Canada Cultural Spaces Fund.

While the 1st floor of the 401 Riverside Dr. W. building is currently closed, the Art Gallery of

Windsor remains open on the 2nd and 3rd floors throughout the entire project. Their

temporary entrance is through the north doors. The François Baby House is currently open.

Please be sure to phone the museum at 519-253-1812 or check our website at

www.windsormuseum.ca for the most up to date information on museum hours. The

scheduled launch of the new museum expansion is fall 2015. Stay tuned for more details!

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Rugose Coral Fossil from the Middle

Devonian Period (approximately 400 million

years ago). This fossil is representative of

some of the species that would have been

in the Windsor area during that period.

Several different fossils are part of the new

permanent exhibit that is under construction

at the 401 Riverside Drive West building.

2014.12.2-4 Gift Courtesy of University of

Windsor Earth and Environmental Sciences

Department

Recent Acquisitions

Stool from the former Tracy Starr‘s Strip

Palace. Tracy Starr‘s may be considered the

first strip club established which began

Windsor‘s reputation as ‗Sin City‘. It offered

burlesque shows. It was located at Riverside

Drive and Goyeau Street where there are

now condo high-rises. Purchase 2015.1

Museum Hours

10:00 — 5:00 Tuesday — Saturday

Closed Sunday and Monday

Upcoming Meetings and Speakers

6 February — Madelyn Della Valle and Colleen

Middaugh on the Museum expansion project

6 March — Chris Carter showing the film footage of

the Aylmer/Glengarry housing development

3 April — Ted Steele will speak on the Rebellion of

1837, the Battle of Pelee Island and the Battle of

Windsor

1 May — Bill Brundage will be speaking on the

restoration of the Bois Blanc blockhouse, which was a

wreck in 2011, but is now restored to 1839 condition

5 June — Volunteer Appreciation

Museum Volunteer Group Events

Visit or Contact us

254 Pitt Street West, Windsor, ON

N9A 5L5

Telephone 519-253-1812

Facsimile 519-253-0919

Website www.windsormuseum.ca

Email: wmuseum@city.windsor.on.ca

Can you Volunteer?

We are looking for volunteers to

staff the main desk at the museum.

Volunteers are crucial in providing

a presence on the main floor of the

museum for visitors, researchers

and school groups coming to the

museum. Not only will you greet

visitors but also sell items in the

Museum Volunteer Group Gift

Shop.

Commitment required: Three hours

twice a month, enjoy meeting the

public & learning about history!

Call the museum at (519) 253-1812

for details. Volunteer Service Awards

5 year — David Hanna

15 year — Shirley Cheshire

15 year — Kristin Ives

25 Year — Janet Easton

Ongoing Exhibits SOS: Saving our Strait

The History of the Detroit River Canadian Clean-up

Pontiac’s War: Resistance in a Changing Frontier

Hands-on History Room

All are subject to change at a ―moment‘s‖ notice!

Kristin Raymond has

been a front desk

volunteer since June,

2013. In Kristin‘s

words, she chose to

volunteer ―because

I think it‘s extremely

important to know

and understand

Windsor‘s rich history,

both locally and

nationally.‖

Thanks Kristin.