NOTES FROM THE CAO

Christmas Exhibit

Remember when polyester, leisure suits, bell bottoms and fuzzy vests, were all the rage. How about The Who’s rock opera Tommy, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s Ohio and Deja Vu. What about Let the Sunshine In by Fifth Dimension and Simon and Garfunkel’s hit Bridge Over Troubled Water?

Welcome to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s!

It is believed that Drew Thompson lived at Ruthven during this time period and made changes to the mansion to suit his needs and tastes. In particular, the small parlour was carpeted, walls were papered and the chairs and settee re-upholstered. It was very likely that Drew spent a considerable amount of time in this room. After consulting with a former colleague of Drew’s, it was concluded that decorating the small parlour for Christmas was in order.

During the late 1960's and early 1970's a “back to nature trend” was popular. The Christmas tree of choice was the Scotch pine, a sharp contrast to the aluminum tree craze of the 50's. However, artificial trees gained increased respectability. This was a reaction to the fire hazard caused by live trees and environmentalists who complained that most of the conifers ended up in the garbage dump after the holidays.

Tree decorations were solid coloured balls; clear glass ornaments; felt cut into shapes of Santa, and angels; satin balls and styrofoam balls covered with ribbons. Foiled decorations were immensely popular because they sparkled and the crystal look was revived and made into the shapes of snowflakes. Plastic and cellophane type tinsel, wider and thicker than earlier examples were wrapped around the branches. Lead tinsel with strands in six foot lengths was extremely popular. Lights were always a challenge because if one light was burned out the entire string went out. Every light on the string then had to be checked. In 1973, Hallmark introduced its line of keepsake ornaments. The keepsake ornaments on the mantle was a typical village scene complete with plastic reindeer and cotton batting snow. This display complimented other Christmas themes throughout the mansion representing the 1850’s, 1900 and the 1950’s.

Indiana Cemetery

Last week Martin Brooks, Parks Canada conservator, met with John Shoveller of the Building Conservation Committee and the CAO. The purpose of the visit was to determine a short and long term strategy for conserving the gravestones in the Indiana cemetery. As temporary protection from winter’s freeze thaw conditions, volunteer Wilrik Banda, John and the CAO covered the stones with geo-tech cloth and sand. In the spring a long term strategy for the gravestones will be established.

Volunteering

A tedious task was carried out by Garry Stroud, John Shoveller and Wilrik Banda. They assisted staff with moving the architectural collection from the Coach House to the new storage area in the red brick building. This will enable the collection to stored in a safe environment.

Gerrie Loveys has volunteered her time to tackle the storage of the framed and unframed works of art in the Ruthven Mansion. Gerrie is the Operations Manager for the McMaster Museum of Art. Her expertise will be a valuable asset to creating improved environmental and storage conditions for these artifacts. Included with the project will be a work program for our volunteers.

I would like to thank all the volunteers who assisted in preparing the mansion for Christmas, serving teas and helping to maintain Ruthven Park National Historic Site.

Signage

The Cultural Landscape Committee has initiated the second phase of the signage program. A new road sign has been installed at the south end of the Park along the Cayuga approach and a smaller sign identifying Ruthven appears at the Gate House. A third informational sign has been placed just inside the gate and will be used to announce upcoming events and programmes.

Fall and Winter Programs

Our fall and winter programs were well attended. On November 5, Bill Nesbitt, Curator of Dundurn National Historic Site, lead a lively workshop on the Beers of Olde Ontario. It was so successful that we asked Bill back in the New Year for a single malt tasting workshop scheduled for Wednesday March 3, 2004.

Also from Dundurn National Historic Site, Fran Donnelly, Curatorial Assistant, gave a thoughtful slide show and talk on Canadians in the First World War. This event was appropriately scheduled for Remembrance Day. In attendance were a group of Guides and Brownies from the local community of York. The evening finished with a lively sing-song of popular World War One songs.

Helen Sluis, Decorative Arts Instructor, lead two sold out workshops. Participants created colourful rag-rugs and quilted Christmas stockings.

Thank you also to Doug Jarvis who gave an informative and illustrated talk on Christmas in early Canada.

I encourage all of you to come and visit Ruthven, see the changes at the site, and join us for our upcoming events.

Marilynn Havelka,
CAO, Ruthven Park