The Lost Villages Museum
presents
Artisans in the Park
This museum, located between Cornwall and Long Sault, ON showcases a cross-section of buildings from the villages that were lost as a result of the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
In all, six villages (Aultsville, Farran’s Point, Dickinson’s Landing, Wales, Moulinette and Milles Roches) were lost and the two new towns of Ingleside and Long Sault were created and new homes built to re-house the people affected. In some cases, huge house-moving equipment was brought in and homes were relocated to new foundations elsewhere, or they were marked for destruction and either burned or torn down.
Since outdoor events aren’t always agreeable with books (wet weather and paper products don’t get along well) I decided to see if I could get one of the buildings and then persuade my crafty friend, Dorothy Bush, to come along and we’d split the cost.
Can you guess what these cute articles on hangers are? All morning, my poster board for A Shadow in the Past stayed on the easel but by afternoon, I had to bring it inside and sit it on the bench so it could ‘wait for the train’, too.
The train station isn’t very big inside so it was hard to decide the best way to set up. The museum provided the table and it was almost too big for the available space. Note to self, next year bring my smaller 6-foot table.
Plenty of people stopped in and it was wonderful to chat with them about the history of the area. I even met a woman who used to work at Quarriers Village (formerly the Orphan Homes of Scotland where my father was raised) during the 1980s and knew some of the same people that I knew from my trips to Scotland!
My husband came along for the day and enjoyed welcoming people into ‘our train station’. He held the fort a couple of times so Dorothy and I could go on a wander to see what/who else was there.
Homemade jewellery, quilting, paintings, stepping stones, artisan breads and many other items were on display.
There was even another author there! Jennifer De Bruin was set up outside the log cabin with her two books, Shadows in the Tree and A Walk with Mary.
It was a wonderful day and the best part is, I even sold some books. You’ve got to like that part of things. I’m looking forward to attending again next year.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Lost Villages but don’t want to read dry, factual accounts of the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway and accompanying Power Project, then perhaps Maggie Wheeler’s mysteries would be more to your liking. Maggie skillfully weaves the facts into her fiction making it an enjoyable way to discover the history of the area. I’ve read the first three and can tell you they are great reads! I can’t wait to read the fourth book in the series.
Do you think you know what the cute articles on hangers are? Leave your guess in the comments.
