Long hours were spent researching, copying, and decorating, but it all culminated with a happy executive plus impressed guests following a May 1 open house.
The Harriston Historical Society, just a little over a year in existence, was able to unlock the doors to rooms full of displays plus pictures, records, and artifacts from collections of Harriston and the area.
The motto What belongs to Harriston, stays in Harriston is shown in various ways throughout 10 Elora Street, South.
The building is only a semi-permanent location as plans are underway to transfer to a town culture centre in the renovated Carnegie library when completed in 2012. The opening last week surprised visitors with the amount of material collected and presented.
Although the space is not large, it is divided into several rooms that provide many walls (and nooks and crannies) for exhibits.
Bookcases display commemorative china ware, shelves contain larger items plus family histories, and wallpaper scrapbooks highlight events in and about town from the early 1940s to the 1990s.
A pre-1900 round-top glass cabinet displays artifacts of a more fragile nature.
A DVD plays in the background during the visit.
It features 1947 black and white pictures, along with similar color video from the 1960s.
It also includes parades from the ’70s and area events of the 1980s.
The compilation is the first in a line of anticipated fundraisers for the society and DVDs can be purchased during a visit or by contacting any member.
For the past year, the society has been known for its travelling museums, which have been showcased in store windows throughout the town.
Currently featured are objects, pictures, and records of the various druggists, from the early apothecaries to the present, and are appropriately displayed in the window of Acheson’s Pharmacy.
To augment display areas and be able to highlight more topics, the society hopes to continue the travelling museum storefront window displays.
Visiting hours at the 10 Elora Street history building are Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.
Those will likely be increased during the summer.
