Free cupcakes and coffee on Aug. 10 for town celebration
The Moosehorn Heritage Museum is celebrating 50 years with ground improvements.
This year marks 50 years since the Moosehorn Heritage Museum was created. The result of local volunteers pulling together in 1974, the museum preserves, protects, and displays Moosehorn’s history through artifacts, photos, and more. The museum consists of five buildings today, each depicting the different eras of local history:
– The CN Station, built in 1918
– The Buztynski House, built in 1913
– The Masonic Lodge No. 156, built in 1956/1957
– The CFS Gypsumville Radar Base Site, built in 1961 to 1963
– The St. Thomas Church (replica), built in 2007 to 2009, originally built in 1915
In 2022, the Moosehorn Heritage Museum had a conservator from the Association of Manitoba Museums (AMM) Cultural Stewardship Program comb through the facilities. It came up with a 22-page report on identified issues and concerns with recommendations for addressing them. The museum board uses that report when determining which work needs to be done and using the report’s information when applying for grants.
Over the last two years, the museum has applied for and successfully received funds for several small projects that come from the 2022 report:
– Province of Manitoba Arts, Culture and Sport in Community 2022 grant for $25,000: This grant helped the museum board address mould and insect issues. They carried out well repairs by building an insulated well box, addressed property drainage issues by adding weeping tile, and replaced the carpet with vinyl flooring. The board was also able to address safety concerns by removing dangerous trees, addressing damaging UV light issues by purchasing UV blinds for three buildings, deep cleaning the buildings with purchased HEPA vacuums and N95 masks, buying new museum signage, and purchasing equipment to digitize the museum’s collections.
– Province of Manitoba Arts, Culture and Sport in Community 2023 grant for $23,726: This grant allows the museum board to build 12 new display cabinets and replace the tracking on 14 display cabinets from 40 years ago.
– Province of Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage Community Museum Project Support (CMPS) 2022 grant for $10,000: This grant allowed the museum board to upgrade the wiring in the CN station and address damaging UV light issues by adding motion sensors and LED lighting to every room and display case there.
– Province of Manitoba Sport, Culture and Heritage Community Museum Project Support (CMPS) 2023 grant for $9,576: This grant allows the museum board to upgrade the wiring in the Masonic and install UV lights in the new display cases.
– RM of Grahamdale grant for $1,500: This grant allows the museum board to build a sealed display case for the taxidermized animals and a one-room schoolhouse display.
– RM of Grahamdale grant for $550: This grant will allow the museum board to buy four retractable screen doors, which will allow fresh air in while keeping bugs out.
The Moosehorn Heritage Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday in July and August. This year’s Moosehorn Community Celebration is on Aug. 9, 10, and 11. On Aug. 10, the museum will be giving out free coffee and cupcakes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in celebration of 50 years.
“It’s our history,” said Dianne Bittner, museum treasurer. “It’s why this place was selected, along with the people that were here before us, and to show how the community progressed.”
She noted a few history tidbits that many people don’t know until they visit the museum, like how the town’s electricity was provided by a gas generator at the creamery until the 1950s. To learn more about Moosehorn, the heritage museum is at 15 Railway Ave.
