Visit to Dundas Museum and Archives

Curator Kevin Puddister  gave us an excellent review of the history of the Museum and then a guided tour of the renovated facilities.  Briefly the place in which we met was built in 1873 by Alexander Witherspoon and from 1912 until 1975 was the home of Dr & Mrs Pirie. The Pirie’s donated their orchard to become the location of the original museum which was opened in 1956. In 1974 Dr Pirie’s former office building was moved to the site and in 1975, on the death of Mrs Pirie, their home was purchased by the museum.

The recent renovation and expansion resulted in the Pirie house being incorporated into the full working of the museum (until recently it was rented out as a home), the construction of a new foyer, full accessible access and major new archive and display spaces. Funding came largely from a Provincial grant  with some Fed dollars for the accessibility structures (elevator etc).

Pictured below is Curator Kevin showing members Wayne and Ross a topographic model of Dundas Valley.