Windsor’s Community

Museum News Summer 2015 Francois Baby House and Interpretation Centre

Museum Volunteer Group

2015 Volunteer of the Year Shirley F. Cheshire

Shirley was married in August of

1952. She has two children, Douglas

and Robert and three grand-

children, Alicia, Jessica and Daniel.

Shirley has been active in the Heart

and Stroke Foundation for 50 years.

She’s been a member of the altar

guild at the Church of Ascension

since September 1956.

She has also been a member of the

South Windsor Seniors at Paulin

Memorial Presbyterian Church and

the South Windsor Seniors Fun Band

since May 1955.

Shirley has been a member of the Museum Volunteer Group since 1999, and received a 15

year Volunteer Service Award pin this year. She has reported for the card committee, which

consists of Shirley, for the last 15 years and helped with our fundraising yard sales, sorting

and pricing and selling, taken a number of our bus trips and attended most of the Museum

Volunteer Group meetings, except the last one, when she was nominated volunteer of the

year.

Shirley wrote the following for the Museum Volunteer Groups’ 20th anniversary in 2006 .

During the building of the Ambassador Bridge, my brother and I would wander over from

our house on Rosedale Boulevard to Huron Line. The workers were very careless with their

change and I found dimes, quarters and pennies. After it was finished we used to watch

from our bedroom windows when the Shriners would visit and parade up and down the

bridge – laughing, playing their instruments and singing – the trees, at that time, were very

small and we could see very well what was going on. At that time the bridge was not very

busy and the Shriners literally took over the Bridge. This went on until late at night. At that

time our street was not paved – we were considered ―country.‖

This one picture of me and Captain Polluck of the Anglican Church Army was taken when

he visited our church from Ireland. He taught us many little songs such as ―Jesus Bids Us

Shine‖. He played games with us and we loved him. He was noted however for LONG

prayers and once when he visited our house I fell asleep during the prayer.

Clockwise:

Nel Small, Shirley’s son Rob

and Shirley Cheshire

Captain Polluck, Shirley

and a neighbor boy

Shirley and her grandson

Daniel

Page 2

Catherine Reynolds

Catherine Reynolds was born in Detroit sometime

around 1782. The Detroit census of that year indicates

that two daughters resided in the household of

Thomas Reynolds, the Assistant Commissary Officer for

the British forces at Fort Detroit. It is presumed that

Catherine was one of them.

Catherine grew up in a privileged household. Her

father had extensive land holdings in Essex and Kent

counties, and during the 1780s, the Reynolds family

owned at least one Black slave. When Detroit was

ceded to the Americans in 1796, the family moved

across the River to Amherstburg where Thomas

Reynolds continued his military career at Fort Malden.

As one of a small number of women in a military town,

Catherine would have been an eligible "maiden". But,

like many other North American women in this period,

Catherine chose not to marry. She was not alone in

this choice. In the early 19th century, increasing

numbers of well-to-do women chose to lead what was

known as a life of "single blessedness" in order to

develop their own special talents and abilities.

Catherine's special talent was drawing and painting.

Only two dozen or so drawings and paintings

executed by her have survived. In her paintings of

local scenes Catherine imposed the orderly and

restrained lines of the European Neoclassical style on

her Canadian surroundings. Her meticulous copies of

British and European scenes also reveal her sympathy

with European artistic conventions. It must be noted,

however, that many of Catherine’s works are unsigned

and that some of the art attributed to her may

actually have been accomplished by her sister

Margaret. Art historians are still arguing over questions

of attribution.

While her father lived, Catherine resided at home in

Amherstburg. Upon his death in 1810, Catherine, now

a confirmed "spinster", attached herself to the house-

hold of her brother, Robert.

Sometime between 1816 and 1819, a legacy enabled

Robert and his wife, Thérèse Bouchette des Rivières, to

build "Belle Vue", a substantial red brick Georgian

mansion outside of Amherstburg. It is generally

believed that Catherine helped design "Belle Vue".

Catherine died in 1864.

Top to bottom:

Catherine Reynolds

Horse Guards Parade London, England, 1985.5.23

Butterflies, 1985.5.7

View of Craig Millar Castle from the South, 1985.5.1

Page 3

Mark’s photographs can be seen in the outside cases at

Windsor’s Community Museum, 254 Pitt St. W. and in the

display cases at City Hall, 350 City Hall Square.

A Day's Work, 2015 Series by Mark Gasparovic

These photos reflect a component in Windsor's history by

showcasing a part of the post-industrial economy in

which we live today. The images attempt to capture the

"old school" machinery of the tool and

dye craft that was once common

place.

Many of the older machines have been

replaced with compact machines that

are highly efficient and operate on

technological precision. Although this

does increase production and

efficiency, it simultaneously decreases

human interaction and involvement,

resulting in a shift in our community.

With much of the industrial world

changing to the use of robotics there is

a removal of the human hand. In these

works I try to highlight where the human

hand can still be seen and why it is

important to do so.

Thanks to Calframax Inc.

2013, the city developed a plan to expand Windsor’s Community Museum into the ground

floor of the 401 Riverside Dr. W. building. After the resolution of some legal issues, the City is

happy to announce that the Chimczuk funds (which now amount to over $3 million) are

helping to fund this museum expansion, and that the name of the new museum is to be

the Chimczuk Museum. The Chimczuk Museum will house a permanent exhibition on the

history of the Windsor area (entitled The River and the Land Sustain Us), an Original Peoples

exhibition, a Hands On History exhibition for children and temporary exhibit galleries.

And in case you are wondering, the François Baby House at 254 Pitt St. W. is not closing its

doors. Rather, it will feature new exhibits: Windsor’s French Roots, Windsor and the War of

1812, and the Canadian Rebellion of 1838, and some other surprises.

The François Baby House is currently open featuring temporary exhibitions. The opening of

the new displays at the François Baby House and the Grand Opening of the Chimczuk

Museum are planned for this fall. Above: Folk Art painting by Joseph Chimczuk, 2014.11

And the name is....Chimczuk Museum!

The name of the museum on the ground floor of the 401

Riverside Drive West building (which also houses the Art

Gallery of Windsor on the 2nd and 3rd floors) will be the

Chimczuk Museum. Joseph Chimczuk, born in the Ukraine

in 1897, and who died 24 years ago, left the City of Windsor

1 million dollars to build a museum, archive and library. This

was an unexpected and generous gift. It was however,

insufficient to build a stand-alone museum building. In late

Museum Hours

10:00 — 5:00 Tuesday — Saturday

Sunday 2:00 — 5:00

Closed Monday

Upcoming Meetings and Speakers

3 September — Speaker to be announced

1 October — Speaker to be announced

5 November — Nancy Allen, After Midnight - Seeking

Freedom across the Detroit River

3 December — MVG Christmas party

Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and everyone is welcome.

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@citywindsor.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.

Sandwich Festival

Join Les Amis Duff-Baby for the

Dedication of the Jesuit Pear trees

and tours of the Duff-Baby House Saturday, September 12

221 Mill Street, Sandwich

Children’s Activities too!

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.

See the museum’s flag which was one of the six new flags that

were flown for approximately one hour each on Parliment Hill in

Ottawa. Each flag was then taken down and given to the

Captain of the Queens Honour Guard. One such flag was

presented to Captain Don Wellman. The flag was taken to his

London, Ontario home and placed in a lower drawer for 35

years. Captain Wellman retired and presented this flag to the

donor, Dr. Jim Sweetman on his 49th birthday. 2003.8

Museum volunteer Elen Eng with Flag from the museum’s

collection. Photo courtesy The Windsor Star, Jason Kryk.