May 2008
AGM & Book Launch
Shipbuilding in Westmorland County
compiled by Charles Armour with additions (and editing) by Al Smith
Wednesday, May 28, 7:30 pm, Sackville United Church Parlours
THT members and new members are cordially invited to attend the Trust’s Annual General Meeting and Book Launch. Following the business portion of the meeting, President Paul Bogaard will provide a brief update on restoration and construction activities at the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum. Refreshments will be served.
Executive Directors 2007–2008
- President: Paul Bogaard
- Vice-President: Michael Weldon
- Secretary: Barb Jardine
- Treasurer: Geoff Martin
Staff
- Administrator: Adèle Hempel (full-time)
- Exhibits Assistant/Researcher: Angela Hersey (contract)
- Curatorial Assistant/Researcher: Marianne Lagacé (contract)
Editorial
Dear friends,
In the course of history, times of joy are often tempered with periods of sadness. This issue of The White Fence provides you with both: sad news about special departures of those who sowed and cultivated the grand fields of the Tantramar, both natural and academic, and great news of reconstruction and a barn raising! Like me, you will be deeply affected by both conflicting emotions.
Dr. William (Bill) Godfrey came to Mount Allison’s History Department when I was beginning my second year as a student at the same institution. Fellow students of history always spoke warmly of Bill’s classes, his knowledge and fairness. He was a widely-published and respected Canadian historian, married to Rhianna Edwards, Mount Allison archivist and former president of the Tantramar Heritage Trust. With Bill’s recent passing from the Tantramar landscape, and on behalf of the Trust’s membership, I pass along our most sincere sympathies to Rhianna and family.
Another member of the Tantramar Heritage Trust, Bud Doncaster, also passed on to greener pastures. Bud was a neighbour of ours on (East) Main Street in Sackville, a local farmer with a love of farming and antique farm implements. Like Bill, he loved to teach and did so by holding annual shows of antique farming implements in Sackville. And at that special time, he would inform visitors about the history and values of his beautifully-preserved machinery, many of which could still function effectively because of the love and care he applied to them. Ray Dixon shares his memories of Bud with us in the pages which follow.
Bill would have been familiar with the Wesleyan Academy of 1844 which his former Mount Allison University colleague, Eugene Goodrich, informs us about in the pages which follow. Furthermore, Eugene also tells us the story of the old bridge across the Tantramar River; not the old bridge that Donna Beal wrote about in the last issue of the White Fence, but the one before it!! A fascinating step-by-step description of the construction of that original bridge, based on the original documentation, is set for you by Eugene, like a rich historic dinner table, covered with local delicacies, waiting for you to feast!
On your behalf, I dedicate this issue of The White Fence to two special bridge-builders, Bill and Bud, in thanks for their devotion to our history and their affection for the land and people of the Tantramar. They will both be deeply missed by so many. Read on, continue to enjoy our stories, and remember fondly our past members, off on a new journey.
—Peter Hicklin
Robert (Bud) Doncaster — 1931–2008
by Ray Dixon, Organizer, Antiques Road Show; THT Heritage Day Committee
Robert (Bud) Doncaster
I first met Bud Doncaster in the fall of 2006. Someone told me that Bud had a ship’s half model. I phoned with a request to photograph the model and I was warmly welcomed into his home. I saw the Trojan for the first time. Every one of the 100 or so ships built in the Sackville area was created from a half model of the actual ship. Measurements were taken from the model and expanded to create the finished measurements for the ship. The Boultenhouse Heritage Centre did not own even one half model for display.
Trojan ship’s half model
Bud decided after the Trust’s 2007 Heritage Day Antiques Road Show that he would lend the Trojan half model to the museum for display in the Marine Room. Bud was shy enough that, when I held up the Trojan at the Road Show and talked about it, I looked around for Bud and couldn’t see him in the back and he wouldn’t come up to the front.
This year Bud phoned me about two weeks before the “Antiques Road Show” to share with me the bad news that he had received about being seriously ill with cancer and stated that, after talking to his family, he wanted to donate the “Trojan” to the Boultenhouse Heritage Centre. At the “Antiques Road Show” last February, he stood proudly with the microphone (see photo) and presented the treasured half model to the Trust.
We will all miss the huge Christmas tree in Bud’s yard, the antique farm implements day, and most of all we will miss Bud Doncaster.
The Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy in 1844
by Eugene Goodrich, Sackville, N.B.
While going through the Journals of the New Brunswick House of Assembly for a totally unrelated project, I happened upon a school inspector’s report, dated November 1844, describing the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy which had been founded the previous year. Since it describes the fledgling institution in some detail and concludes with an assessment that should appeal to local pride, I thought it might be of interest to readers of The White Fence. It should be noted that the Academy had not yet become a degree-granting college, but was rather a combination of primary, secondary and preparatory school, and in its first years open only to boys.
The following is the original text, with report title, in full:
Report from J. Brown, Esquire, on Wesleyan Academy, Sackville (1844)
The Academy stands on rising ground (which in honor of the noble hearted founder is called Mount Allison) in a most delightful situation, between the Tintramar Marsh and the Great Road from Saint John to the Nova Scotia Line. The building is of wood, one hundred and fifty feet long, forty feet wide, and three stories high. The exterior has a substantial and pleasing appearance, and the inside arrangements are comfortable, convenient, and complete.
The branches of Education taught are Reading, Writing, English Grammar, Geography, English History, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Navigation, Chemistry, French, Latin, Greek, Declamation and English Composition.
There are 84 Students in attendance — 31 Readers, 74 Writers, 48 in English Grammar, 36 in Geography, 13 in English History, 53 in Arithmetic, 5 in Algebra, 17 in Geometry, 2 in Navigation, 31 in Chemistry, 28 in French, 45 in Latin, 12 in Greek, and 80 in Declamation and English Composition.
Of the number in attendance, six are under 10 years of age, eleven are over 10 and under 12, thirteen over 12 and under 14, twenty four over 14 and under 16, fifteen over 16 and under 18, seven over 18 and under 20, and eight 20 years old and upwards; one of these is from England, one from Canada, four are from Prince Edward’s Island, seventeen from Nova Scotia, and the rest from almost all parts of New Brunswick.
The conductors consist of a Governor, a Principal, a French Tutor, an English Master, and two Ushers. So far as I can judge, the mode of instruction is calculated to give the pupils the most thorough knowledge of the several branches of study, a great portion of it being communicated by way of question and answer, and by oral and visible demonstration by means of Maps, Black Boards &c.
The class in Chemistry was taught by question, answer and explanation. Geometry, Algebra, and the higher branches of Arithmetic, were orally taught and demonstrated; the Students by turns, under the eye of the instructor, and in the presence of the class, drawing their own Geometrical Figures, or working out the Algebraic and Arithmetical examples, with chalk on the Black Board, and then severally subjecting the same to audible and ocular demonstration. Many useful portions of Arithmetic were performed mentally in answer to questions put by the Tutor, and much was also done with slate and pencil. Geography was taught chiefly by means of Maps and Black Boards; in the latter case, the most prominent features and outlines of certain portions of the earth were drawn out and represented with chalk by the Students, and afterwards minutely pointed out and described. Reading and English Grammar were taught carefully and thoroughly. Writing was taught in the usual manner, and the specimens were generally very good.
The supply of Books is quite sufficient for all the immediate purposes of study and instruction, but the Library is yet small. There are also, for the present, a sufficiency of Philosophical and Chemical apparatus, Globes, Maps, Black Boards &c.
The Students were dressed in plain, clean and comfortable clothing, and appeared to be cheerful, healthy, and happy.
The interior arrangements of the building are excellent, not only for the purposes of instruction, but also for the comfort and accommodation of the Students as a home or place of residence during the continuance of their studies.
It so happened that that time of my visit was immediately after the commencement of one of the terms, and therefore somewhat unfavourable; it also fell on a Saturday, when according to custom, the labours of the week were closed at noon. The bell soon after rang for dinner, at which, by invitation, I also attended. It was a good substantial meal, consisting chiefly of bread, meat, and vegetables, and pure water to drink. The Governor, Principal, Tutors, Ushers, and Students, all sat down together in the same apartment; the repast was received thankfully and cheerfully, and every thing was conducted decently and in order.
The greater part of the afternoon was spent in examining the building. It contains, besides all the Class Rooms, Library &c. a large Lecture Room, or place for Public Worship, with seats for an ordinary Congregation; convenient apartments for the use of the Governor and his family, similar apartments for the Principal, and excellent Bed Rooms for all the Students.
I am unable to describe the numerous apartments, with the several purposes to which they are adapted; but taken altogether, with its pleasant, healthy, and retired situation, the comfortable and commodious condition of the building, the Religious, Parental, and Moral character of its Government, and the moderate price of Board and Tuition, the Wesleyan Academy is, perhaps, the very best Educational Establishment in the Province (italics mine).
26th November, 1844
JAMES BROWN, School Inspector.
Sackvillians and Allisonians may take the more satisfaction from Brown’s glowing description in that the same report found most of the public schools in New Brunswick to be in a deplorable state. It was, in fact, a general indictment of public education in the days before teacher training and certification, regular revenues in support of schools, prescribed curricula and adequate pay. The inspectors found teachers who did not know the difference between a vowel and a consonant, schools in which reading and spelling were the main subjects taught and indeed had no books beyond the Speller and the New Testament. In one case at least, there were no pens, ink, paper, slates, pencils or desks; in another, children shivered in the cold because fifteen panes were broken out of the windows. One hapless teacher even complained that he had lost pupils by insisting on trying to teach them arithmetic and writing! Of course some other schools besides the Wesleyan Academy received praise in the report, but it appears to have made an especially favourable (and, given the general state of things, welcome) impression on the inspectors, and reminds us again of the enormous contribution to the life of this community made by Charles Frederick Allison, Humphrey Pickard and all the other dedicated souls of that pioneering generation who laboured so faithfully and fruitfully in that “most delightful situation between the Tintramar Marsh and the Great Road.”
Readers interested in learning more about education in early New Brunswick will find an excellent account in Katherine MacNaughton, The Development of the Theory and Practice of Education in New Brunswick 1784–1900 (Fredericton, 1946).
The Saga of the Tantramar Bridge
The prelude
by Eugene Goodrich, Sackville, N.B.
In the February issue of The White Fence Donna Beal wrote an interesting article on the burning of the covered bridge over the Tantramar River in 1901 and its subsequent rebuilding over the next two years. She mentions that it had been in a decrepit state for some years and that residents were not unhappy to see it go before it could fall and injure someone. Readers may be interested, although perhaps not surprised, to learn that this was not a new problem with the Tantramar Bridges. The tides, wind, ice and salt water had made maintaining them a challenge from the beginning. A number of annual reports to the New Brunswick House of Assembly from Supervisors of Roads and Commissioners of Public Works tell a long tale of frustration and neglect in the face of wind, water and limited resources to combat them.
The first bridge on this location, near the present railway bridge, was built in 1840 when the “Great Road of Communication”, also known as the Post Road, was altered from its route over the High Marsh road. The reasons are explained in a report, dated 1839, written by Commissioners Rufus Smith, George Oulton and E. Botsford:
… the alteration…will shorten the Great Road of communication…seven miles and nine tenths in a distance of fourteen miles and six tenths… Independent of the advantages that the public will derive thus so materially shortening the Post Road…..all the proprietors of the lands adjoining will be greatly benefited and ought to be disposed… to contribute liberally, and as there are a great number of wealthy individuals thus interested in the undertaking, it would aid in no small degree towards its accomplishment.
The bridge seems to have been planned with considerable care; at £2,450, its cost was four or five times that of a normal bridge in this period. By January,1840, the Honorable E. Botsford, who was also “Supervisor of the Great Road from Sackville to the Nova Scotia Line” was: happy to have it in my power to state, that five hundred pounds has been raised by individual subscriptions towards the work, and land to the value of £200 given by the owners for the use of the Road….I have entered into a Contract for the erection of a Bridge upon Colonel Town’s improved Truss principle, over the Tantramar River, being 580 feet wide and 36 feet deep, to be completed by the 1st day of October in the present year, for the sum of £2,450, with two substantial Sureties for the faithful performance of the work.
As Donna noted, the contract went to Timothy Gallagher, younger brother of the Hugh Gallagher, who will build the second bridge. W.C.Milner claimed that the Hon. William Crane, who was a member of the House of Assembly at that time, was “instrumental in effecting this public improvement” and remarked sardonically that he was “rewarded at the next election by a smashing defeat at the polls.”1 I did not find any trace of Crane’s lobbying in the Journals of the House of Assembly but the story is plausible enough, and Crane was certainly defeated in 1842 after holding his seat for eighteen years.
It was normal for the smaller, poorly-built bridges (of which there were about 1400 in the province in mid century) to fail within ten or twelve years2 but something better was expected of the larger and more expensive ones. In this respect, the first Tantramar bridge was a decided disappointment. In 1851, after only ten years in service, the Supervisor of this section of the Great Road, Silas C. Charters of Dorchester, had to report:
The bridge over the Sackville River,on the postal route, is considered in a dangerous state, and will probably require a large amount in repairing the same….In making the above estimate, [of the total cost of repairing his section of the Great Road from Hayward’s Mills (east of Moncton) to the Nova Scotia border] I have not taken into consideration any accident happening on the Sackville bridge.
The reports of the Supervisor and Chief Commissioner for Public Works (after 1855) over the next several years tell a tale of mounting anxiety:
1853 — Dorchester, 25th February, 1853
… The bridge over the Sackville River, on the post road, having been built eleven years, is in a very decayed state. This bridge is partly built on piles which are frequently out of repair from the heavy quantity of ice accumulating on the bank and around them. A considerable sum was expanded last season in repairing the same; this year other repairs will be required.
I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
SILAS C.CHARTER, Supervisor
1854 — Dorchester, 10th February, 1854
… A new bridge will be required over the Sackville River; I reported the same last year as being in a very dilapidated state; any further expenditure on the same in repairs would be a waste of money. I would recommend the bridge be built on piles similar to the present bridge; the cost of which I estimate at £125. The cost of the bridge might be some less if the material was procured this winter, when the snow is on the ground.
I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
SILAS C.CHARTER, Supervisor
Dorchester, February 10
… I have frequently brought under the consideration of the Government the state of the Great Bridge over the Tantramar River on the new line of Road; from the late inspection, it requires something more than repairs, the top works of the large abutements are in a very decayed state, and the bottoms are a good deal injured, and it is impossible to resheath them in consequence of the corners being wholly broomed up by the ice; also some of the stringers which receive the flooring are in an unsafe state.
I have the honor etc…
1855 — General Report of the Chief Commissioner of Public Works
… The Bridge over the Tantramar River, built on “Town’s Truss principle” fifteen years ago, at a cost of £2500, has been racked by the wind, and is in other respects seriously out of order; it is doubtful whether it will stand another year.
1857 — General Report of the Chief Commissioner of Public Works
… The Bridge over the Tantramar River, on Town’s lattice principle, has been for some time in a bad state. Last spring the centre pier was again badly damaged by the ice, and several of the beams and braces of the truss were broken. Its reconstruction next year will be necessary. The remaining large Bridges [on the post road] are in very fair condition…
Before work could begin on the new bridge, Tantramar tides and winds did yeoman’s service in demolishing the old one. According to the article in the Saint John Globe, June 24, 1901 cited by Donna, it met with a much less spectacular fate than [the one that burned in 1901], collapsing unostentatiously in the night under the influence of wind or tide or both… Fortunately it did so at time when nobody was on it, but there was apparently a near miss. Avid and attentive readers of W.C. Milner’s History of Sackville may recall a story he tells about Miles Hoar, a well known driver of the mail stage between Moncton and Amherst with a gift of the gab:
He [Miles] used to tell how his coach was once saved by the sagacity of a horse. It was at night when the darkness was intense. The leaders suddenly stopped. One of them kicked and “flared up”. He dismounted to find out the trouble. A bridge on the Tantramar had been carried out by the tide. A few feet more and there would have been a disaster.
Curiously enough, there is no mention of the collapse in the reports of the Commissioner of Public Works. Perhaps this was because of bureaucratic embarrassment, unless Miles was even more of a storyteller than Milner realized, and the Globe story was itself based on Milner (a distinct possibility).
Whatever the case, the new bridge was begun with the usual optimism:
From The Saint John Weekly Chronicle and Colonial Conservative, April 24, 1857
SACKVILLE BRIDGE TENDERS will be received at the Office of the Board of Works until SATURDAY the 11th day of April, at noon, for building a new BRIDGE and APPROACHES at Sackville, over the Tantramar River, according to Plans and Specifications to be seen at this Office, and at the Office of Joseph F. Allison Esq., Sackville. Satisfactory security will be required for the performance of the Work; and each Tender must be accompanied by a Letter from two responsible parties satisfactory to the Government, willing to become Sureties. Further information can be obtained at the Office of Mr. Allison aforesaid. C. MacPherson, Chief Commissioner, Office of Board of Works, Fredericton, 6th March, 1857.
1857 — Report of the Chief Commissioner of Public Works: Sackville Bridge
A contract was let on the 11th day of April to Mr. Hugh Gallagher, of Sackville, in the County of Westmorland, for £4,500, for this Bridge, to be completed by the 1st of October. The general plan is for two abutements of 107 and 98 feet respectively, and two piers in the channel 12 feet wide at the top, supporting a lattice truss Bridge of a total length of 428 feet in three spans, the centre one being 140 feet and the others 120 feet.
The piers and abutements up to high water mark, are faced with square timber, fitted close, the corners dovetailed, and protected by birch planking and iron straps. From the level of high water neap tides, the piers and abutements are carried up with masonry, laid dry and filled solid with earth and stone. As this is the only part not constantly wet with salt water, the durability of these piers and abutements may be considered almost equivalent to rubble masonry. The lattice truss work over the spans contains an unusual amount of timber, and is of a stronger description than the old Bridge, and being covered from the weather ought to be durable and permanent for a number of years. When this fails the cost of renewing the Bridge will be confined merely to the superstructure, and be very much less than the present outlay. Though the Contractor had not completed the Bridge at the time specified, yet the old Bridge kept up the communication, and the public did not suffer any inconvenience on consequence. At the present time it is finished except the covering, approaches, and ornamental fronts at each end of the truss.
The Tantramar Bridge then drops out of the reports until 1862 when we learn that it cost $80.00 to repair its roof (the change to dollars and decimal currency having been instituted in this year; $80.00 would have been £20 in the old currency, a relatively trifling sum). Unfortunately, the Commissioners’ reports after 1859 become much less detailed, giving only bare figures and no description of conditions. The Sackville Bridge is mentioned regularly in the annual list of bridges repaired, but no large amounts are expended. In 1863, it was $123.00. I did not search all the records before 1901, but in 1899, two years before the fire, only $165 was spent. This seems to indicate that the second bridge was much better built than the first one, which should have been the case, considering that it cost almost twice as much, and for some time did not require so many expensive repairs. But from two items forwarded to me by Donna, it is clear that before too many years had passed, it was, on the contrary, a case of “déja vu all over again”:
Amherst Daily News, June 22, 1901
The Sackville Post says that a feeling of general satisfaction seems to prevail that the old wooden bridge was destroyed in the manner it was by fire. For years it has been considered unsafe, and of late many people have become timid about crossing it. They did so only because they were obliged to. A few years ago a high wind gave it a bad shaking. Traffic was suspended for a short time while the structure was patched up, but the placard “unsafe” was not taken down.
From a letter written June 23, 1901
by Katherine J. Stark, Music Faculty, Mount Allison University (married John Hammond of the Art faculty in June 1902):
…so the old bridge has gone. I think it was just as well it should go before it had time to collapse, probably causing some loss of life.
In defense of the Department of Public Works, it may be noted that the Tantramar bridge was only one of some 500 larger and probably over 1500 smaller bridges on the more than 1700 miles of “Great Roads”3 in a province whose government was almost perpetually strapped for revenue. A similar story could probably be told of many other New Brunswick bridges, and, while the Romantics among us may regret the loss of the old “kissing bridges”, perhaps our little “Saga of the Tantramar Bridge” will make us look a somewhat less unkindly on the bone-jarring potholes and heaving expansion joints of today’s roads and bridges. At least it’s not quite “déja vu all over again.”
Footnotes
- W.C. Milner, First Mail Routes and Post Offices in the Maritime Provinces, read before the NS Historical Society on 5th November, 1929, republished from the Halifax Chronicle, p. 10.
- Report of the Chief Commissioner for Public Works, 1857.
- The Commissioner’s Report for 1856–57 states that there are 470 larger and about 1400 smaller bridges on 1,630 miles of Great Road. I assume that by 1900 the numbers were considerably larger.
Membership Report
We regret the passing of Trust Members
- Jean Steeves
- Robert (“Bob”) McLeod
- William Godfrey
- James (“Jim”) Snowdon
We welcome these New Members in 2008
- Sabine Dietz (Honorary Member)
Reminder ~ Membership Dues
Membership fees for the calendar year 2008 are now past due. To ensure continued service, please remit at your earliest convenience.
The Campbell Carriage Factory
Rebuilding an Old Addition
by Paul Bogaard, Mount Allison University and Tantramar Heritage Trust
In 1908, the Tribune noted: the first and only meeting house of the Second Baptist Church, sold three years ago to George Campbell & Sons and is doomed doubtless to be converted into a paint shop.
It seems the Campbells purchased a 66-year-old meeting house, which they attached to the backend of their Carriage Factory providing space for finishing and trim work, storage of lumber and materials, and the addition of a large hand-operated freight elevator for raising materials and lowering finished carriages. Decades later, the Campbells had the workman captured in this photo [one of three] taking down this old addition to the Carriage Factory.
The old addition being torn down.
Plans are now underway to rebuild this old addition, roughly the size and shape of the one joined to the CCF in 1905, with windows and walls that look much like the remaining CCF, but fitted out with completely modern functions: washrooms, a proper reception area, office and storage space for summer staff, and all without needing to steal space from the original building. In fact, it will allow us to reclaim the corner long used to greet visitors and to begin restoring the horse mill which powered the old factory, and, in the long run, to reestablish the freight elevator in the new “old” addition. Meanwhile work has begun by the EnerGreen Builders Co-op refurbishing the existing CCF.
It desperately needed a new roof and various repairs. By early June a foundation should be in place for a major timber frame raising scheduled for the second week of June. We’ve been able to rescue a 200 year-old timber frame, which is being reconfigured by TimberHart Woodworkers into the plan shown below. Once all is prepared, they assure us it will all go up in about three days! Come join us for a good old-fashioned barn-raising on 10–12 June!
New construction by EnerGreen Builders Co-op.
New “old” addition
Spring Dinner Fundraiser
by Marilyn Prescott, Board of Directors
An enjoyable “Taste of History” was presented by the Trust at its annual fundraising dinner, held at Tantramar Civic Centre on April 12. Before-dinner music was played by Jennie Wood on the keyboard. The roast pork dinner, catered by Laurie Anne Crossthwaite, was delicious and enjoyed by all.
Guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Bill Hamilton, who entertained everyone with his information and tales about the theme of the evening, “the Saga of the Rum Running Days”. As well, guests were treated to an amusing and lively skit on the topic, performed by Ron Kelly-Spurles and the MARSH Troupe.
Bidding was brisk at the Silent Auction table on a wide variety of items donated by various businesses in Town and by a number of Trust members. We raised a considerable amount of money and want to thank all those who either donated or bid on these items.
The evening was rounded off with Trivia Questions and prizes arranged by Al Smith. A number of door prizes were also given out. Master of Ceremonies, Dave Fullerton, kept things moving along smoothly. We want to express our appreciation to Dr. Hamilton, Ron Kelly-Spurles, Al Smith, and Dave Fullerton for their participation in making the evening a great success.
We also want to thank all who supported our efforts. Besides the many members and guests, our MLA, Mike Olscamp, and our Mayor, Jamie Smith, along with their wives, and several town councillors, were in attendance. We appreciate your support.
We especially want to thank the organizing committee consisting of Marilyn Prescott, Joanne Goodrich, Ray Dixon and Mike Weldon who worked hard to bring it all together. Thanks also to the girls from the Trust Office, Angela Hersey and Marianne Lagacé, who helped out during the evening, and to the very helpful staff of the Civic Centre. We must not forget our thanks to Laurie Anne who put on an amazing meal. All worked together to present a very enjoyable and successful evening!
Welcome to our incoming summer students!
by Adèle Hempel, Administrator
This is always an anxious time of year, waiting to find out that we will be granted enough positions to cover both museums. Fortunately this year, we are in great shape, with four positions approved and two others pending. Three students have already started work – in addition to our veteran students, Angela Hersey and Marianne Lagacé, so things are really gearing up. A warm welcome to our four newly-hired students: Jana Parks, Kellen Burnett, Ina (“J.J.”) Steeves, and Theo Holownia!
Front row (left–right): Marianne Lagacé, Ina (“J.J.”) Steeves, Jana Parks; Back Row (left–right): Angela Hersey, Kellen Barrett.
Jana Parks is a 3rd year Mount Allison University student working on a B.A. in Environmental and Religious Studies, returning to the Carriage Factory because, as she admitted to us,
she really enjoyed her summer there last year.
In the senior position of Operations Assistant, Jana will be the lead student, overseeing day-to-day operations and student scheduling at the site.
Kellen Burnett will be Jana’s counterpart at the Boultenhouse Heritage Centre. Kellen is also a 3rd year MtA student working on a B.A. in English and Philosophy. Kellen is a talented musician, whom we look forward to hearing in performance at our various events this summer.
Ina (“J.J.”) Steeves has just completed her B.A. in Photography and English, and will bring much creative talent to us in her capacity as Collections Assistant. “J.J.” will be photographing artefacts in the collection, cataloguing, entering data into the Virtual Collections database, and assisting researchers in the BHC Resource Centre.
Theo Holownia is a 1st year History major at MtA, with a passion for the Tantramar Marshes and animals. As a Museum Interpreter at the Campbell Carriage Factory, Theo is looking forward to helping out in any way that he can, even as a painter!
Without a doubt, our visitors will be able to enjoy some very informative site tours this summer. Be sure to drop by and say “hello” to our fine team — they’re getting ready to greet you! Remember, summer hours start June 14, Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.
