The lands at Wellington Place are a treasure trove of history and new administrator Janice Hindley wants to start showing them off.
She also wants residents and visitors to be involved in a big way.
One of the first things she would like to do it open the barn on the property. Hindley said in an interview it was built at the same time as the House of Industry (1877) that later became the county museum.
Hindley noted the county is already considering plans and public input for the grounds, which also hold the current library headquarters, Wellington Terrace seniors’ home, a newly-opened OPP station, and lands set aside for a new hospital.
The former county poorhouse itself is a spectacular building and was once very much a working farm.
“This whole place supported itself through food production,” Hindley said, noting that at one time it produced 2,500 pounds of butter in a single year, and during the depression years of the last century, the entire front lawn was planted in potatoes to feed the residents.
She said in a report to the county information, seniors and heritage committee, “The Wellington County Museum, or former House of Industry and Refuge, consists of much more than the museum building itself. There are several important outbuildings that form part of the House of Refuge complex, and it is important that we plan now for their future as outdoor interpretive sites for the public’s use, enjoyment, and education.”
The first step is the barn.
“The barn is a wonderful exhibit and artifact in itself,” Hindley wrote.
“The public asks on a daily basis if they may look inside or visit the barn. It is currently only open to the public twice a year – during the Garden Fair and the Harvest Home festival.”
She said it has great potential as an exhibit space for such things as the museum’s collection, which contains six of the original farm implements from the poor house: a seed drill, land roller, turnip pulper, cultivator, hay rake, and disc, in addition to photographs and documents of the farm and its operation.
“The barn is not only a key component in the history of the poor house story, it also highlights the agricultural history of Wellington County, and can be used for educational program offered at the museum,” she said.
Hindley said its main floor is in good condition, and is currently used for storage of two tractors and patio furniture from Wellington Terrace. She said Mark Bolzon, the county’s Purchasing and Risk Manager has indicated opening the barn to the public poses no insurance or liability concerns. She would like to see the barn restored to its original roof and dormers.
Hindley sees beyond the barn to possibilities for outdoor exhibits such as “the connecting historic outbuildings and heritage vegetable garden. The 1918 henhouse stands adjacent to the barn on the south side, and is currently the gardener’s shed.
The 1877 hog pen and drive shed is located across from the barn on the north side, and is currently an implement shed for the maintenance department.
“Both of these structures need to be identified as part of the history of the house and industrial farm, and should be part of the public’s experience and tour of the grounds.”
She said a wash house was torn down, but should be recognized in some interpretive manner in the courtyard.
“When you stand in that area you should know the history,” Hindley said.
A small heritage vegetable garden is maintained by the gardener on the west side of the barn. She said it could be easily expanded to demonstrate the types of vegetables grown on the old farm. She added it could eventually become a community garden.
“We want to triple the space,” she said in an interview.
Hindley hopes to develop a plan to open the barn to the public from May to October annually, and develop a plan to identify and interpret the connected agricultural outbuildings (henhouse and driving shed) so people can understand the entire history of the house and the farm. She would like to get that done within in the next two years.
Restoring the barn’s exterior to its original design, which would include reconstructing two unique roof dormers, replacing the steel roof with cedar shingles, and removing the whitewash from the silo and barn foundation to allow the brick to show through could be scheduled for 20212-13.
Poor house cemetery
There are 266 people buried on the east side of the trestle bridge on County Road 18. Hindley said in her reported “It is an important part of the museum’s story, but is [currently] completely disconnected from the museum itself. Its state of neglect is disrespectful to the people buried there.”
She would like to clear brush, debris, and remove dead trees from the cemetery to make it safe for walking; to allow for benches; and, to improve its overall appearance.
That includes a plan to place interpretive signs and photographs that tell the story of the cemetery and the people buried there, including a memorial stone or plaque that lists all of the individuals in it. She would like to see an exit off the Museum Trail near County Road 18 so people can climb down stairs easily to explore the cemetery.
She said the original white wooden crosses have long disappeared but, at one time, rows of trees were planted to replace them.
Hindley would like to see that work done this summer and fall.
Hidden ruins
The museum lands might hold several surprises for people who are unaware of all that was once there long ago.
South of County Road 18 are the ruins of a windmill, water storage building, and pump house that were once an elaborate work of engineering that provided water to the poor house and its residents.
Hindley said the pump carried water up the hill to a tower on the poor house roof.
She would like to protect the ruins from further damage by erecting a fence around its perimeter, and create a plan to turn the site into an interpretive exhibit.
Farmhouse ruins
There are hidden farmhouse ruins on the museum lands, too.
In 1938, the House of Industry, via the county, purchased 52 acres of farmland that included a stone farmhouse located across from the current Terrace, adjacent to the Elora to Cataract Trailway. That farmhouse burned down in the late 1940s, and there is currently an orange snow fence surrounding the ruins. A small field surrounding the place is leased annually to a farmer.
Hindley would like to see those ruins protected by maintaining the fence, and then develop a plan for the future of the site as interpretive space.
She said it might be possible some day to actually rebuild that farmhouse to help show people how setters in Wellington County lived in earlier years.
She said, “Staff are keen. They want people to know about the barns … and the ruins across the road.
Other ideas
Hindley would like to see the Wellington Place grounds used year round.
“Instead of just festivals, we could have a Winterlude,” Hindley said.
That might include an artificial rink and tobogganing on the front lawn, as well as wagon rides around the property.
She said having the OPP horses on the property would be difficult because they need a large space for exercise, but there is a possibility she is still exploring.
In fact, the farm could actually become a working farm again with the right person running it.
She wondered if the expanded community gardens could provide fresh food to local food banks. University of Guelph students were recently asked for proposals for the entire property, and one suggested an orchard. That could supply not only apples, but the ability to make apple juice for harvest festivals.
She said the place would also tie in beautifully with the growing Halloween celebrations taking place in Elora, and she would even consider selling raffle tickets to allow a winner and several friends spend a night in the museum.
She added that could be supplemented with Ghost Walks.
“This place lends itself to Halloween,” Hindley said.
“It might not happen this year, but next year it could.”
