Current Activities

You may access our heritage displays, files, information at Maple Cottage, 75 Regent St., by calling 275-3826 for an appointment.

February Update 2011

.. Just to let you know that the staging is finally down around the house and they are working at building the deck on the south side overlooking the park. Inside they are doing the plastering and work in the rooms and we are now beginning to think about what might actually go in each of them.

Maple Cottage should be completed, at least the construction side of it by the end of this week or the beginning of next. Currently they are putting the railing around the ramp and front verandah, painting the walls inside and planning to do the floors this weekend. The painting of both buildings will have to wait until spring.

The garden club is busy planning for heritage plants etc. for the outside, not that they will do them, but rather that they will give us a plan to do it.

Plaques have been chosen for the windows and should be along shortly. Still have a bench to order that needs to go between the two buildings, it was donated some time ago, but we wanted to put it there with an overview of the park so the time is coming for that.

Three large dead trees along Union St. are being taken down by Brad Armstrong before we have more problems. If he agrees to take them down you know things aren't good.

At the station, the walls are being painted and Fran Underwood is planning the layout for the display.

Plans are being made for the star camp this summer and with the Art Centre and Playhouse for the summer advertisements of the culture camps. We are hopeful that a gal we know might do an acting camp for the summer, but haven't heard anything yet.

We will be having an opening celebration for Maple Cottage, I think in April or May and then for the main house in August when most of the people are here.

House and Harbour tour plus boat visitations and old cars etc with people in period costumes is in the works... this in conjunction with the Yacht Club and the Chamber of Commerce or so I understand.

The artisan's data base is up and running with all the people we had received information from entered, the inventoried properties done by the municipality in the late 80s and early 90s have been entered along with the pictures we scanned and now we are working on another data base of houses within the municipality, at this point mostly found on the net under real estate listings. Still haven't determined how to best do the architectural database but pondering on it.

The Annual General Meeting of the Chester Municipal Heritage Society was held the evening of April 9, 2010 at the St. Stephen’s Parish Centre, Chester. The Chair, Carol Nauss, called the meeting to order. 31 people were present. Copies of the annual reports, membership form, and April Newsletter and update on Lordly restoration were available for pick-up.

The minutes of the 2009 Annual General Meeting were distributed as part of the handout of annual reports. Moved by John Chandler, seconded by Alberta Duffney, that they be approved as presented. Carried.

Treasurer Sandy Dumaresq presented key points in the report; the full printed financial report was included in the package. Moved by Carol Nauss, seconded by Gary Zwicker, that the report be accepted. Carried.

Bunch Fraser introduced the speaker, Jeffery Reed, Heritage Consultant, who spoke on “Decision Making in Conservation”. He began by posing three questions: (1) What do I have? (2) What am I going to do with what I have? (3) Why? He then proceeded to answer these questions by identifying various “Steps of Knowledge”: “Heritage Value”, “Character-defining Elements”, “Where to Turn for Help”. He identified three types of Conservation: Restoration (past), Preservation (present), Rehabilitation (future), and through information and visuals explained the differences among these. He emphasized the need to document everything. Through its Historic Places Program, National Historic Sites Directorate and Parks Canada, the Canadian Government has produced an informative and practical document: STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (2003). A revised version is presently in preparation. Carol Nauss thanked the speaker.

Carol Nauss then highlighted various parts of her Chair’s report. She thanked a number of people for their committed work to the Society and gave special thanks to Sandy Dumaresq (treasurer), Syd Dumaresq (architect), Jim Barkhouse (variety of tasks), Fran Underwood (program, Maple Cottage), and Barbara Richman (grants writer). Following the call for approval of all reports, Gail Smith moved, Jim Barkhouse seconded, that the 2009 annual reports be approved as presented ( i.e., Building/Grounds, Lordly Park, Victorian Christmas Show and Sale, 250^th Anniversary, Chair’s report). A verbal report on Fund-raising was also given. Approved.

The Fund-raising report indicated that there is approximately $11,000 available for the Lordly House at this time and that a number of fund-raising activities are being planned and various grants being pursued. Nothing further can be done until there is more money. One activity for Lordly House was the “selling” of 19 windows and two doors. Currently, a fund-raiser for this building includes the selling of “bundles of shingles” at $20 per bundle.

John Chandler moved a special “thank you” to Carol for her work and commitment to the Society during the past year. This was supported by applause and a “Job well done!”

Eva Lantz presented the Nomination Report. Further nominations were called for from the floor; none responded. Ted Cleather moved that nominations cease. The report was accepted as presented.

It was moved by Ted Cleather, seconded by Gary Zwicker, that the signing officers for the year be the Secretary, Treasurer, Chair and Vice-chair, and that the auditor for 2010 be Art Mattson. Approved.

Prior to the closing of the meeting, wooden plaques with a “thank you” message, and with birch bark and a nail decoration from Lordly House, were given to those contributors of $500 or more to the Lordly House project. [See newsletter for names.]

This year has seen tremendous strides made toward the completion of Lordly House and the smaller Municipal Building, we call Maple Cottage. With grants from local government, the Federal Government, and donations from local business and citizens we have managed to see the project through to completion. My thanks to Barry Redmond, who over saw the work on Lordly House and whose commitment to the project is commendable; to Jim Rafuse who completed the work on Maple Cottage, a huge thank you. His men worked through adverse weather, and well into the nights, to ensure the project was completed on time. My thanks to Robert Porter who oversaw the work at Maple Cottage, spending many hours ensuring that things went along smoothly, and to Jim Barkhouse who oversees the buildings and ensures things are repaired and in working order. Finishing touches and painting on the outside of the buildings and the grounds will be made when the weather permits.

The entire board has been extremely busy this past year, and I appreciate their support, without it, we would not have been able to accomplish such an ambitious agenda. Over the past year we have:

1. Held our annual auction in July and with Wayne Cameron’s assistance arranged to have articles included in the Braley Auction at the rink later in the summer. This was another fund raiser for the cause as was the reproduction of the 1784 Prescott map donated by Cynthia Walker.

2. Sponsored a Star Camp for children 7 – 12 years of age, to be repeated this summer

3. Held the annual House and Harbour tour with many volunteers , thank you so much for allowing us to show your homes and for being house sitters, tour guides, boat operators, ticket sellers etc. etc. Joyce Hiltz and Mickey Lantz are to be congratulated on a job well done. This year we will be joining with the Yacht Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chester Drama Society and the Antique Car group to expand the offerings for this activity which is scheduled for August 20^th this year.

4. Participated in Harvest Fest and with the Children’s Committee of the Chester Volunteer Fire Dept.

5. Held our annual Victorian Craft Sale at the station, a success this year with the addition of period costumes for the vendors. Everyone enjoyed the experience and we will certainly repeat it. A thank you to Hilary McCarron who has taken over the planning for this event and the artist/artisan’s gallery at the station.

6. Worked with Dawn Harwood Jones to continue the video taped interviews with seniors in the area, begun last year.

7. Applied for and received funding from the Provincial Government to hire a consultant, Jeff Cowling, to help us develop a display for Lordly House entitled, “The American Connection”.

8. Developed , with Media Fusion, a searchable web site for showcasing the artists and artisans in the Municipality. This is free to anyone within the Municipality or Tancook Island. A display space at Lordly House for rotating displays will be provided as well as retail space at the station gallery throughout the summer. I invite you to check the web site out at www.chesterartisans.ca.

9. Received a grant from the Lunenburg Queens Community Access Society to hire a student to oversee the CAP site and to assist in the research and contacts necessary to get the Artist/Artisan’s database active on line.

10. Continued to operate the CAP sites at the station and at Julien’s Bakery. I want to thank them for their contribution to this project with space and overseeing done throughout the year. Once again we hired a student to oversee this during the summer months and to assist where needed. Without this student we would not be able to accomplish many of the programs we offered.

11. Continued to present programs throughout the winter months for the general public here at St. Stephen’s Parish Centre. . I would like to thank them for the use of the hall, it is greatly appreciated.

12. The Key of D Music Revue, we hope, will become an annual event. Special thanks to Danny Hennigar and Fran Underwood who spearheaded this event

13. We are currently developing an Oak Island Exhibit at the station, Danny Hennigar reported on that project. I would like to thank him and his committee for the work they have done both physically and in the planning process to make this happen. We hope that this display, one being mounted by the Friends of Oak Island at the Atlantica Oak Island Motel and Resort and another one on Oak Island itself, will encourage people to come and spend more time in our area.

14. We are once again working with the Chester Art Centre and the Chester Playhouse to advertise our summer Culture camps for children through the schools and the area. This combined advertising makes it more affordable for all of us.

15. Plans are already in place for a summer acting camp for children from July 11 – 15^th , a new addition.

16. The Dept. of Education was looking at the school program we offer to students at the grade 5, 6 level for inclusion in the schools, but the cuts in education funding I am afraid put an end to that possibility at the present time. We will offer this program at Maple Cottage in the fall and spring of each year.

17. Beyond all of this we have continued to fund raise and are still in need of raising another approximately $70.000.00 to repay money borrowed to meet the grant monies received from ACOA.

18. Brad Armstrong continues to monitor our park and the wet land area , clearing and pruning when needed , a huge commitment. He , with Alan Bremner, also oversee the Hawboldt display at the station. This year we will be adding one of the cisterns used in the village homes when Hawbolt’s supplied water to areas in the village. Elaine Collicutt and her team continue to keep the park and the station grounds looking so great. They also prepared the berm for skating this year. It is no small task. I would also like to thank the Chester Volunteer Fire Department for their help in providing water to flood the berm. We will need to purchase a new liner for next year at a cost of $1900.00., to date I have a grant to cover $1000.00 of this but still need to find another $900.00 If this is something that you are interested in supporting then please assist us financially with this project.

19. This year the long standing vice-chair of the society, Duncan McNeill, resigned as an active member of the board, although still there for assistance when needed. We will miss his input and efforts as we move forward. I would like to thank Duncan for his support and assistance to me, as well as his work on the board over the past years. I know that he is actively involved in other projects and I am sure he will bring as much enthusiasm and dedication to those projects as he did to the society.

20. I cannot stress the debt we owe to the fund raising committee who are and have been working to supply the funds that are needed to complete Lordly House, Dudley and Jim Grove, Elaine Solway, John Moore, John r McCurdy, Jim Barkhouse, Frank Metzger, Claudette Sapp, Barbara Richman, Elaine Heisler and John Chandler. Their on-going work has made this possible, but we are still in need of approximately $70,000.00 to repay the money we borrowed to match the funding from ACOA. Your support, is necessary to help us meet this commitment.

21. I also want to personally thank Sandy Dumaresq for her work as treasurer for the board. This is no small task and it has multiplied as we assumed more and more projects that had to be tracked and sorted. She spends many hours preparing reports , paying bills, writing receipts, and keeping me on track with regard to funds available and whether it is possible to undertake newer projects or add to ones already in process.

22. Beyond that , I need to thank Barbara Richman who has donated her time and energy to write and assist in writing grants applications for the society. She is a words- smith extraordinary and it is her ability in this regard that I am sure has made us so successful in obtaining grants for our projects. She has a broader view of what a museum could or should be and this provides us with invaluable insight into the planning and operation of the museum, often heading us is a different direction than we had originally intended to go.

As you know we have received a number of grants from municipal, federal and provincial governments. The Donner Canadian Foundation, and from local businesses, in particular Chester Building Supplies, and Marvin Windows, but in order for the museum continue to operate we need funds that cover costs such as snow removal, grass cutting, electric and phone bills, programs and taxes. Please help us continue our work as we develop a truly municipal museum. Your support is vital. Membership fees, and your participation at fund-raising events, help to ensure that we can meet our day to day bills, for as you know they never go away.

In closing I ask you to keep an eye out for announcements of openings through out the summer for the Oak Island Display, Maple Cottage, and Lordly House. We hope you will join us as we celebrate these milestones in Lordly Estate Municipal Museum’s on-going history. Thank you.

Lordly Park is a busy place year-round. From early Spring to late Fall, the playground was often used. It was inspected regularly and everything was fine. Kids and teenagers playing games, family riding their bikes and people walking their dogs took advantage of the park. Several weddings took place last summer. The park was also used for the Easter egg hunt organized by the Children’s Committee of the Chester Volunteer Fire Department, for the Star camp and for the Take the Roof of Winter fun afternoon. The skating area was installed for the third year and was busy. The path created by the installation of the new well was the favorite sliding spot, – as a result the well had to be padded.

Mowing cost $4000, snow removal $1200.00. Next year we will need a new tarp for the skating area at a cost of $1900.00 of which we have a grant of $1000.00, the rest will have to be raised.. The only concern for the park is the recurring vandalism to the bandstand.

Members and friends of the CMHS, I am pleased to report at this meeting very much has been achieved by the society since we reported at last years AGM.

This has been an extremely busy year with many objectives of our business plan completed. This is the result of many people working together as volunteers for a worthy community cause led by our able and distinguished chair Carol Nauss.

The building has been rewired and upgraded to current code requirements, hot water heating has been put in the baggage portion and soon to be Oak Island room for display and interpretation. Refinishing, caulking, painting and entry way has been completed Lighting has been improved inside and out. The exterior maintenance of grounds and landscape here and Lordly Park have been contracted out to Elaine Collicutt and Sons and an excellent care has been given.

After a season wrapped in blue and orange tarps which came off last fall, the building has received new windows, frames ,doors ,porch, decking, shingles ,trim a complete exterior finish. Inside the walls new insulation was installed and with new wiring and electric heat throughout and then new plaster or gyproc as required to finish the interior with a museum white painted finish. Barry Redmond and team of tradesmen are to be congratulated on the high quality of work and commitment they have given in this project enduring our winter weather without delay. Chester Plumbing and Electrical Ltd led by Gary Collicutt did all of the electrical work, no plumbing existed in the building before and does not have this modern convenience! But we have lights and heat.

The Maple Cottage is also completed from top to bottom from a new basement , framing ,roof, plumbing, electrical, electric heat, public accessible washroom, decks and veranda, and the original Chester Municipal Office with an original decorative tin ceiling! A well had been dug at the bottom of the hill to supply the water to the property. This project was done by a team of tradesmen with contractor Jim Rafuse, doing an exceptional job; contracting the plumbing and electrical to Chester Plumbing and Electrical Ltd led by Gary Collicutt. These teams also worked through the winter weather to complete the project in a timely manner.

Summary; All building materials were obtained from local sources along with trades people providing much work for local industry who we thank for helping us rebuild a part of Chester’s Heritage, and to the many generous supporters who helped raise and fund these projects along with major contributions of funds from the Chester Municipality grants , and federal ACOA grants, to help our community achieve the completion of this great symbol of our past.

The OI display committee was set up in 2010 with the expressed intention of creating a high quality and entertaining Oak Island display chronicling the historic and culturally significant treasure hunt that has been pursued at Oak Island since the late 18^th century and into present day.

The display is being set up with assets donated to the Chester Municipal Heritage Society by the now defunct Oak Island Tourism Society (2001 - 2009) and materials on loan from the family of the late Robert Restall from Ontario. Although the display will be largely static, it is envisioned that the display will also allow for additions, short term displays and focus on stories that include the island and it’s significance within the Municipality and indeed throughout the world.

The display is currently under construction at the Train Station on Smith Road in the Village of Chester a building owned by the Chester Municipal Heritage Society. The room we are using is the former baggage room that at one time held freight in transhipment on the Halifax and SouthWest Railway line. I feel it is fitting that one cultural icon would bend to accommodate another.

The first thing that was done in the late fall of 2010 by the OI display committee was to completely re - wire the Train Station and bring it back up to a fully functioning building. We now have full and adequate power available throughout the entire Station, the water pump house and there is even power available outside with four GFI plugs. At the same time, hot water heat was made available in the room, the first time ever.

The next job was to weather proof the display room. We had the doors made tight, windows repaired, three new door sets installed, ceilings repaired and over 16 tubes of caulking were used to fight the cold winter winds. The Dutch door between the display room and the Artisans display room was made functioning again and a lever type door set was installed to facilitate easy access for people in wheelchairs.

The room has been completed painted from ceiling to floor and unique displays are being added with an anticipated opening for June of this year. An official opening will be held at a later date, hopefully July.

This Oak Island display will be unlike any other and boasts a full size diorama hand created on site by Chester area artist Vivian Bell - Zinck depicting the initial discoveries of 1795. A 4 foot by 8 foot ceiling panel painted and assembled by Lunenburg artist Linda Roe depicting one of Oak Island’s exciting theories will soon be in place. Many photographs that are rare, rare maps and an artifact found by treasure hunter Robert Restall, an example of the coconut fibre found at Oak Island and so much more will be on display.

The 2010 Victorian Christmas Show and Sale was a huge success. The show was open for 4 days in November and saw 200-250 visitors. Again this year, folks came from far and wide to browse and purchase crafts made by local crafts people. We had a total of 14 vendors including several that had not been in this show before. Several of the vendors as well as committee members were dressed in period costume. This was a huge hit among the vendors as well as visitors. Vendors seem pleased with the results and how the show was put together. Many expressed interest in returning in 2011. We have several possible new vendors that have shown interest in joining us during the 2011 show. Santa was another huge hit with the children that were there. Many had their pictures taken with Mr. And Mrs. Clause. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2011.

The annual auction and flea market was a huge success, thanks to every one who donated, bid and assisted.

Throughout this year we have been very busy with the completion of Lordly park, the fund raising kick off for the restoration of Lordly Estate, finalization of a concept and business plan developed by Arbic and Genesis Consulting for the society, and an update of the society’s bylaws. We conducted membership drives, developed a governance document , updated the society’s policies, established a committee to coordinate the 250^th anniversary celebrations of the Municipality of the District of Chester and applied for government grants that were applicable to our situation.

The society voted in January to accept responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the proposed restoration project of Lordly House and its related buildings and properties. A fund raising committee will continue its work and a building committee was struck to begin the work of gathering information needed to begin the project. The plan at the present time is to begin work in spring or summer this year.

We received a license for additional land to the east of the Hawboldt Exhibit at the station where the water tower once stood. It is our intention to eventually clear the area of bushes and make it a picnic area. The survey required by the DNR of the station lands was completed by Mr. Backman. Sink holes in the land near the pump house and nearer the road were filled in and seeded. The insurance at the station was increased to provide better coverage as recommended by our agent.

Mr. Mosher began the finishing work at Lordly park. Brad Armstrong continued working to develop the wet land area and the walking paths. Trees were planted from the money donated by the van de Loo’s and the bandstand was repaired, painted and the electricity was installed. To celebrate the completion of the park we joined with St. Stephen’s for the official opening of their new parish centre and Lordly Park.

We commissioned Malcolm Calloway to write a play to be presented this summer as part of the 250^th celebrations. It has been titled, “A Brief History of Chester-May Contain Nuts,” and will be presented July 11 – 18^th at the Chester Playhouse.

Throughout the year we had discussions with a committee from the Rug Hooking Museum regarding the use of the Station as a possible permanent location. Despite a number of meetings we were unable to reach an agreement and they are continuing to look for other venues for their display.

We participated in a pumpkin sling at the golf club. The “Haunting of Lordly House” and the graveyard tour organized by the Fire Dept. Children’s Committee was highly successful with over 200 people in Lordly Park Friday evening and over 380 children moving through the house.

No report can be complete without my thanks to the directors who have put in many long hours enabling us to successfully complete the work we undertook. I cannot thank them enough for their commitment to our vision and goals. My thanks to Elaine Solway and John Moore who provided their house for the fund raising kick off, to Jim and Dudley Grove who initiated the fund raising committee and the phone-a-thon, to Barbara Richman for her assistance with grant applications, and to all the people who willingly assisted us during the house and harbor tour, the auction and throughout the year, without you we wouldn’t be able to carry on. Thank you.

I would urge all of you to participate in the activities being offered for the 250^th anniversary celebration throughout the year. This celebration supports and focuses on the mission statement for the Chester Municipal Heritage Society which is to create opportunities for residents and visitors to the area to discover and experience the diverse cultural, political and natural history of the Municipality of the Municipality of the District of Chester, which is our heritage and our culture. Please join us in this exciting endeavour.

The weather cooperated for the house and harbour tour, truly a group effort. I would like to thank all those people who helped to make it such a success. People whose houses were open, Joyce Hiltz and Eva Lantz who arranged the volunteers house sitters, Janet Freda who assisted us by suggesting possible locations and to Dave Mills for picking up and delivering the life jackets to the boats, Duncan MacNeill for finding boats, without them we would not be able to provide this portion of the event. Glenda Redden for making arrangements with the local restaurants. Thank you all.

A very successful auction was held in July with many items from a departing Chester. This year we set times when people could deliver items to the station. This worked well ensuring that we did not lose any items or receive items that we could not sell. We also had a large number of books that we sold to dealers and other buyers before the auction and during it. My thanks to Jim Barkhouse and Cindy Lamson for sorting the books, it was a time consuming job. John Carroll with Larry Ryan as backup was our auctioneer. Glenda Redden contacted businesses and picked up the donations from the Bridgewater area. Sandy Dumaresq, our treasurer, who keeps our records a daunting task with the fund raisers we have throughout the year.

2007 Membership Income: Corporate - $1,400 Individual & Family - $2,245.
Total Membership Income: $3,645.
2007 Membership: Corporate - 17. Individual & Family - 131.

Total Membership : 148

2008 Membership Income: Corporate - $1,900 Individual & Family - $2,160.
Total Membership Income $4,060.
2008 Membership: corporate - 20. Individual & Family - 98.

It is important to note that although we have improved our corporate memberships we have lost a number of individual & family memberships. We need to continue to conduct membership drives to improve our support base. This money is the operating funds that we use in day to day operations.

Once again this year we operated a site at Julien’s Pastry and Bakery Shop on Queen Street throughout the year and a seasonal site at Lordly House. Both sites are overseen by our student workers during the summer months. Once again our thanks to Laura Mulrooney for allowing us to use this space and for providing us with an overseeing eye during the winter months. This year we had three student workers who assist in all aspects of society work ranging from helping with the house tour, park cleanup, the auction, fund raising, membership drives, research and computer maintenance. I would like to thank them for their work throughout the season. We were able to lend a computer and printer to the Chester Art Centre to assist them throughout the summer and winter this year.

Members of the Chester Municipal Heritage Society, I am pleased to
submit this report for the year 2008/2009.
It has been a busy year with maintenance of the properties owned by the
society.
The Union St. house has been held unrented until our other major
priorities are under control.
The Train station property has been cleaned up by a group of volunteers
and the waste trucked away to the land fill. Part of the building is
rented to the Chamber of Commerce for Visitor Information Centre and is
open year round on a reduced schedule in the winter; reducing heating
costs. Rent has been increased to reflect cost of operation to the
society. Lawn care was contracted out and some erosion was experienced
last year which was in-filled by local landscapers. Building and its
operation is satisfactory and will be used for art shows ,auction, etc.

The playground at the Lordly property has been well accepted by the
community as indicated by the number of people using the facilities, it
appears to be working well with a few minor maintance repairs.
The wet part of the land below the Lordly house was drained by French
drains installed by local landscaper and the results are very good, much
drier lawn; lawn mowing was also carried out by contractor. Trails have
been laid out and cleared by Councilor Brad Armstrong proving a good
experience for naturalist .The Lordly house was used last summer but it
is awaiting a major refit as plans are well underway and will be
reported elsewhere tonight.

A skating area was established this past season with a berm made from
soil and a tarpaulin to hold the water. Several small bridges were made
to provide access to the skating surface which was well used this
winter. An opening event was held on Feb 14 Valentine’s day; a good turn
out of both young and old took part in the skating park. A minor
adjustment will be made to raise the berm this summer to assist in an
even ice surface. Many thanks to Kevin Benjamin and Fred Countway for
assisting in the installation of tarp and flooding the ice when
required. Also many thanks to members of the Chester Volunteer Fire
Department provided the filling of the skate park with tank loads of water .

The Band Stand received some upgrading and paint last summer along with
new underground electrical power for use at the Band Stand when required.

Rocks were also placed on the side of the property to keep vehicles off
the property.

In summing up I would say many thanks to the many volunteers who have
made the park a nice place to go and enjoy on a year round bases for all
our residents and visitors.
Submitted by
Jim Barkhouse