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Cottage Shack Articles: You’ve Got Mail (A-Team Part 4) – Nov. 18, 2021

To read the original article and others visit the Cottage Shack

My name is Clay and I am one of the original members of the A-team at Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum (CCHM). The A-Team is a group of dedicated volunteers who use their particular skills and experience to improve various aspects of the museum. On any given Wednesday you will see anywhere from six to twelve of us working on up to three different projects. These might, for example, include erecting a pole barn, restoring a buggy, installing a new roof, replacing old boards on a barn, adding signage, creating a kid-friendly playhouse, maintaining a steam-powered tractor. The list is endless.

Although there is a lot yet that needs doing of that we wish to accomplish, a truly amazing transformation is taking place at CCHM and we are proud to have a part in it. You could too!

In earlier stories of the A-Team, I wrote about volunteering at the museum on Wednesday mournings and about how our group was expanding. I also shared some details about the early restoration and refurbishment projects we tackled.

Over the winter of 2017/2018 we were blessed with the use of a large, well-equipped workshop that belongs to my brother-in-law. By this time the A-Team was working both mourning and afternoon of a Wednesday and had grown in size to six members, so we were able to tackle two projects. One was the pre-fabrication of the framing for a future storage shed and Playhouse for kids – it will be the subject of a future article.

Restored Mail Sorter and Post Office Display 2021

The other project involved the restoration of an antique mail sorter donated by Tom and Terry Malloy who had obtained it about 15 years earlier in a Severn Township barn. It is a beauty. They had kept it high and dry in their basement throughout their tenure.

Sadly, they were unable to provide any knowledge about its origin. We chose to believe that it very likely had been employed in one of our local village post offices.

It’s fascinating that the modern postal system, having started with the inception of the adhesive postage stamp, came about in Canada mid-19th century around the time that pioneer Archibald Woodrow was building his homestead, the centrepiece of the museum.

The mail sorter was the forerunner of today’s post office box system. Whereas today people can whip into the post office with key in hand and quickly get their mail from their P.O. Box, in earlier times the mail was sorted into numbered, glass fronted boxes nestled together in a cabinet mounted one a table. The postal clerk or, in most places the size of Coldwater, the postmaster stood behind the table and handed you the mail from your numbered box. This meant that on occasion you would find yourself in line while another ahead of you may engage the postmaster in idle gossip. Customer: “Well…I heard…the cherry pie Mary Chater entered in the Fall Fair came from Walker’s bakery. And it won second prize!” Postmaster: “Perhaps Walkers might henceforth want to advertise their pies as prize-winning.” “NEXT!” But I digress.

That winter we restored our new gem. Bob remembers how a visit to a car wash solved the issues of some layers of crud. The next step required a level of dexterity since much of the finer pieces – the ones that were not already missing – had to be detached. Replacements for the missing and damaged pieces needed to be fabricated. John worked some serious magic by hand-carving a couple of rosettes. He also produced a long piece of scrollwork that crowns the front of the sorter. All the glass was replaces. Trip around the boxes posted a challenge. A few lengths of a closely matched moulding were the ticked. These we cut, fitted and attached to the glass with double-sided adhesive strips.

The completed assembly required sanding with two grades of fine sandpaper. Providing a finish that is close to the original colour required the mastery of our two most experienced antique refinishers, Mike and Bob. Mike grew up in a family of “antiquophiles.” When I asked him about the formula for the final coats of finish he said, “If I tell you, Clay, I’ll have to kill you! It’s a secret family recipe that my mother got a long time ago from a farmer in Trois Rivieres.” All I was able to determine is that it consisted of a highly flammable mixture of linseed oil, beeswax and turpentine in approximately equal portions. Apparently, the secret lies in the manner in which the elements are “cooked.” Two coats of this unique finish were buffed on with soft cotton cloths. Minwax stain was added to the mix when applied to the newer pieces to get a good colour match.

The final step of the process was numbering the glass fronts of the 54 boxes. This assignment was given to me, the very armature artist. Numbers, letters and sign painting not being in my wheelhouse, a trip to Staples was in order. There I obtained several sheets of peel and sticks decals that were relatively easy to apply. Voila! And very professional looking, I might add!

While we were busy at Gary’s shop, our honorary A-Team member, Rollie produced in his home workshop the elegant able upon which our mail sorter so proudly rests – the dilapidated table that had accompanied it was neither original nor salvageable. Therewith we were able to install the completed ensemble making it the focal point of the village post office on Main Street in the display barn at CCHM.

And now, dear reader, we have a problem and we need your help. Ad mid-point of the sorter and at the table level there is an opening for the pass through across the table of mail stamps, money, etc. It has a door the postal clerk can raise and lower as required. That is clear enough. However, there is also in that vicinity a turned rod about an inch and a half in diameter mounted between two protruding brackets. At approximately sic inches long it looks similar to the core of a toilet roller and is accessible from the front only. And it doesn’t rotate, but is locked in place with no apparent means of release. We are done stratchin’ our heads! Somebody Tell us what it is, and what is its purpose! PUH…lease!

If you are are retired – or not – and want to spend one day a week with a group of really great guys doing some remarkable historical preservation works, give me a call at (705) 209-1087. Or email me at clayyoung695@gmail.com.

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Cottage Shack Articles Museum Articles

Cottage Shack Articles: The A-Team at the Coldwater Museum Part 3 – Oct. 15, 2021

You can read the original article and the rest of the series from the Cottage Shack magazine

My name is Clay and I am one of the original members of the A-team at Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum (CCHM). The A-Team is a group dedicated volunteers who use their particular skills and experience to improve various aspects of the museum. On any given Wednesday you will see anywhere from six to twelve of us working on up to three different projects. These might, for example, include erecting a pole barn, restoring a buggy, installing a new roof, replacing old boards on a barn, adding signage, creating a kid-friendly playhouse, maintaining a steam-powered tractor. The list of the dos at the museum is endless.

Although there is a lot yet that needs doing or that we wish to accomplish, a truly amazing transformation is taking place at CCHM and we are proud to have a part in it. You could too!

In Parts 1 and 2 of the stories of the A-Team, I wrote about how a friend and I began volunteering at the museum on Wednesday mornings and by year two we had expanded to a crew of four. I also shared some details about the early restoration and refurbishment projects that we tackled.

Year 3 was all about building fences.

As you drive along Woodrow Road next to the museum you’ll see cedar split-rail fencing the full length of the property that appears to have been there for over a century. Although the rails may be that old, it was in 2015 that all this fencing began to appear in its present location.

It had become evident in recent years that trespassers were causing damage to the lawns and gardens and that some artifacts were disappearing. A fence was in order. The board of directors felt that a heritage fence such as the 30-foot section by the arbour would be appropriate.

Enter the A-Team – quite the scavengers. Volunteer Doug noticed that his neighbour had a massive amount of cedar rails in an overgrown section of his property. The posts had long since rotted away, but many of the rails were salvageable. The neighbour kindly donated the material. And a friend of volunteer Gord donated a slew of cedar logs that were ideal for posts.

The team, including new volunteer Mike, decided to dig the post wolves the old-fashioned way by using a manually operated posthole auger operated primarily by “Posthole Bobby.” One of us called it the hysterical way. 120 postholes were dug and 120 poles were debarked and installed.

110 rails were attached, the larger ones having been split in two using wedges the hysterical way. The following year we installed a gate and completed the project.

If you are retired – or not – and want to spend one day a week with a group of really great guys doing some remarkable historical preservation works, give me a call at (705) 209-1087. Or email me at clayyoung695@gmail.com.

Categories
Cottage Shack Articles Museum Articles

Cottage Shack Articles: The A-Team at the Coldwater Museum (Part 2) – Oct. 1, 2021

My name is Clay and I am one of the original members of the A-team at Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum (CCHM). The A-Team is a group of dedicated volunteers who use their particular skills and experience to improve various aspects of the museum. One any given Wednesday you will see anywhere from six to twelve of us working on up to three different projects. These might, for example, include erecting a pole barn, restoring a buggy, installing a new roof, replacing old boards on a barn, adding signage, creating a kid-friendly playhouse, maintaining a steam-powered tractor. The list of to-dos at the museum is endless.

Although there is a lot yet that needs doing or that we wish to accomplish, a truly amazing transformation is taking place at CCHM and we are proud to have a part in it. You can too! Earlier this month in Part 1 of the story of the A-Team, I wrote about how a friend and I began volunteering at the museum on Wednesday mornings and by year two we had expanded to a crew of four. I also shared some details about the early restoration and refurbishment projects that we tackled. We continued our commitment into the following year and took on two challenging projects; the buzz saw and the dog walker. Here is a brief description of what was accomplished:

The Buzz Saw

It is a large saw mounted on a horse drawn sled that was used to convert downed trees into shorter pieces to be split for firewood. A log is placed on the carriage about the size of a part bench and as it is slid forward the overhanging log is cut by the massive circular blade. The early versions such as the one we are about to restore are belt driven by a tractor. Others on display at CCHM are motorized.

Our buzz saw was so rotten that the entire chassis and even the runners had to be replaced. We clearly needed to hatch a plan before driving in on this project. We took various pictures at different angles and mounted them around the workshop. We collaborated and formed a plan and subsequently sources the materials. Volunteer Bob – he is a scavenger – provided the makings for the new 9-foot runners from a couple of beams taken from a barn demolished years earlier at a golf course in Cambridge.

Then began the careful disassembly of all the rotten framework, keeping as many pieces as possible as templates. Next came the forming and fitting of the saw. It was then that we were forced to learn some new skills including mortice and tenon carpentry and how to drill square holes. Things went surprisingly well which prompted us to remark, “I love it when plans come together.” We said it so many times that we decided to call ourselves the A-Team and I potty the foo’ who gives us a hard time about that! This is how we became the A-Team at CCHM.

Today the buzz saw is stored under cover, but now the carriage is in need of repair. Another project to add to the list! Just so we don’t get too full of ourselves there is one small piece left over from the original. There is a prize for anyone who can figure out where it goes.

The Dog Walker

Near the end of our 3rd year, before time to close the museum for the season, the A-team was asked to assess some items in need of repair that were taking up space in the schoolhouse. They included a large octagonal turntable, some gears, a treadle wheel and several wooden shafts of various shapes and sizes. After some head scratching by the rest of us, Bob explained, “These are the parts to make up a dog walker that was donated to the museum by Joe King.” “You can’t be serious!” said we. “Yes, I am and I’m not joking,” he quipped.

It took some serious Googling to find out how a mechanical dog walker works – not a hire who walks dogs – before we were able to do all the fixes and add a fresh coat of paint.

It wasn’t until a few years later that, much to the relief of our school-marm Miss Patti, we removed all the components and sun-assemblies from the schoolhouse and created a permanent home for the dog walker in a unique structure – designed by volunteer Richard – that we built next to the original homestead. It was through the genius of volunteer Jay – he’s a millwright – that we succeeded at mechanizing it. We could not convince Richard’s dog Sass to walk on the turntable.

The dog walker is now on permanent display at CCHM. An electric motor turns the table and its gears drive the treadle which in turn works the arm up and down to operate a water pump. Dog walkers were also commonly used to work butter churns. Talk about a modern convenience of the time!

Stay tuned for Part 3, Building Fences.

See the original article and others at The Cottage Shack magazine

If you are retired – or not – and want to spend one day a week with a group of really great guys doing some remarkable historical preservation works, give me a call at (705) 209-1087. Or email me at clayyoung695@gmail.com.