Cover Girl

A few weeks ago I found out that I made the cover of the 2015 Black Creek Pioneer Village Guidebook, and I'll be honest, I was quite excited. It's fun to think that my smiley profile and berlin work might help encourage people to learn more about history in Ontario. (Berlin work is a style of needlepoint which incorporated the bright new colours of yarn being developed from aniline dyes. Stitching into canvas meant that the pieces were also more durable and could be shown off by the lady who stitched them. The pattern and colours I was using came from a pattern created in 1852, and was for the top of an ottoman - we turned it into a cushion instead for the gift shop.)

I'm (not so secretly) proud of my hair that day.

Visiting an historical village is an excellent way to gain knowledge and understanding of a previous era, or, of another culture. You are allowed the opportunity to walk through buildings decorated and filled with consumer goods/tools/furnishings/foods etc. and talk with interpreters on the importance of those items, and how they were used. You often get to see interpreters and skilled tradespeople at work. Blacksmiths, printers, tinsmiths, and millers are eager to show you how things were done in a particular period. Not only that, you also get to see what the women were up to: baking, running households, spinning wool, doing needlework, or overseeing the Inn. These examples of course come from Black Creek, which represents an 1860s rural village, but variations can be applied to other sites.

What I think visitors have to be aware of before they visit any historical village, is how it came into being, when, and what the interpretive method/goals of the institution are. To use Black Creek as an example, I'll answer these questions and demonstrate their importance.

The 1860s "village" is an assemblage of buildings relocated there from throughout Southern Ontario. Their movement to the site just north of Toronto was spurred on by the rise (and excitement) of historical awareness and funding during Canada's Centennial (1967), as well as an availability of undevelopable land (Hurricane Hazel did not hesitate to show in 1954 that the area was in a massive floodplain). Classic nostalgia for a pre-war era informed the village's creators and their inclusion, placement, and interpretation of buildings. The Victorians are, after all, the originators of the nuclear family, and the cementers of gender-roles. Black Creek Pioneer Village is lucky to have so many original buildings - other sites that interpret older periods of history must rely on reconstructions. No rural village would be complete without the farm, and Black Creek's farm buildings are the only ones that are original to the site (ie. never been moved). That being said, farms were generally hundreds of acres large, and wouldn't have had so many neighbours, so close. Here's a map of the village to give you a better idea.

The finished product: A 22" square pillow that sold in the
Black Creek Pioneer Village gift shop, 2012.

Knowing these things brings out a more critical eye in the visitor. Black Creek isn't so much of a village as it is an (amazing!) outdoor museum with a collection of historic buildings and artefacts. The interpreters and their demonstrations help to create a story which often ends up nostalgizing the lives of those from the past - which is ok for a family outing on a Sunday afternoon so long as you realize there's more to the story.

Thinking of my time as a costumed interpreter reminds me of the many and varied interactions I've had with visitors. My favourite visitor of all time was an American gentleman who asked "what Confederation was all about anyway". My historic heart leapt. For the next 20 minutes we chatted about the formation of Canada in the kitchen of a house built before Confederation was even an idea. One of my proudest accomplishments was finishing this piece of berlin work in under three months using only daylight or oil lamps for light. The awkward always follows the good, however, so I would be remiss if I didn't include the following: Remember that interpreters and historic site staff are not automatons, or props, or seals. They go home at the end of the day, have feelings, get hot wearing seven layers of clothing in July, and want to teach rather than simply entertain. They are people. Best of all, they're well educated people (who are often volunteers) that are there for you! They want to answer your questions, teach you something new, dispel myths, and inspire you to learn more. As you venture out this spring/summer to historic villages and sites in your area, or beyond, remember to acknowledge the interpreters that bring that site to life. If you ask nicely, they might even pose for your own photos.

Sources
The Canadian Encyclopedia Online, "Confederation"
Black Creek Pioneer Village, Homepage

Further Reading
American Needlepoint Guild 2000, "Berlin Work"

It Takes a Village

A census is a wonderful tool for looking back at a population at a particular point in time. What were their names? Where did they come from? What did they do to get by? While census data is often bare-bones and provides the most basic facts, it can help us to understand a community and create a framework that can later be filled in by other source material.

In 1851 a census was completed for Galt, which included information on its 2,246 residents: Name, Place of birth; Religion; Occupation; Age; Marriage status; etc. If you've ever wondered what you might do for a living in a small Victorian village, take a look at the graph I've compiled below. Not every census taker had an occupation listed, and I have a sneaking suspicion that there were in fact more farmers... but this information, though incomplete, is eye-opening. You can check out the rest of the census in an easy to read PDF document here.

You do what exactly? Well, a Spinster is an unmarried (and not likely to become married) woman. She might be living and looking after the welfare of older relatives, or living with and looking after the education of nieces and nephews. Coopers are makers and repairers of casks and barrels. A Teamster is someone who drives a team of draft animals and a wagon. You can think of them as the equivalent of transport truck drivers today. Sadlers make, sell and.or repair saddlery. A Mill Wright is someone who builds and maintains mills and their internal machinery. Cordwainers are actually shoemakers who work with cordovan leather. Fleshers flesh hides and skins and tan them in the production of leather. They may also sell meat - in other words, a butcher. Pedlers are travelling salesmen, often going from door to door to trade and sell any number of items. Lime Burners process limestone (by means of baking it in large kilns) into a number of agricultural and home products such as quicklime for home construction, whitewash, and for spreading on fields as a fertilizer. A House Joiner is a type of carpenter that cuts and fits wood without the use of nails, screws, or other metal fasteners. Lastly, a Carriage Trimmer is someone who preps and finishes the lace, linings, and other trimmings for carriage makers.

Sources
Waterloo Region 1851 Census, Transcribed by the Ontario Genealogical Society in 2001.