“Museums Alive and Exciting” ~ “Dispelling the Myths ~ The Museums of Prince Edward County

Ameliasburgh Heritage Village
"Living History"
Ontario Heritage Visited ~ Ontario Visited

Ontario is celebrating MUSEUM MONTH in May! This SCOOP welcomes The Museums of Prince Edward County ~ Jennifer Lyons, Head Curator ~ Museums. The focus of the “SCOOP” today is about the “Importance of Living History and Museums”.

The Museums of Prince Edward County ~ Jennifer Lyons ~ Head Curator ~ Museums

“Museums Alive and Exciting” ~ “Dispelling the Myths” ~ “There has been a real shift in museum work in recent years. The artifacts are still important, but interestingly it is the people, the visitors, that have become a bigger focal point. Museums are places to experience history, whether it is locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally themed.

“Living history sites fit this bill particularly well. It’s “living” not just in the sense of parading out historically costumed characters to impart interesting snippets about the past. It’s about the visitors actually having “living” experiences themselves— an opportunity to ignite their senses with the sounds, sights, smells, tastes and touches of bygone days or eras. Living history sites are not mired in the past. For visitors, they are about being in the present, here and now – albeit with a better understanding of the differences between yesteryear and the present day.

The Museums of Prince Edward County are largely supported by volunteers who embrace this particular style of heritage interpretation.  Special event days are particularly opportune times to have a living history experience at our sites.

Living history dispels the myth that museums and heritage sites are fusty, dusty and boring!  Here in Prince Edward County, it’s an effective way of celebrating the unique heritage of our community in contemporary ways that truly feel “alive” for our visitors.  We hope you will join us this season!

We are celebrating International Museum Day on May 17 and at the Ameliasburgh Heritage Village, you will happen upon a Loyalist-era encampment – a rare glimpse of the trials and rewards of an 18^th century lifestyle in Prince Edward County. 

Ameliasburgh Heritage Village
"Living History"
Ontario Heritage Visited ~ Ontario Visited

That same day at Macaulay Heritage Park in Picton, fast-forward to the 1850s, with a Victorian home that will be alive with spring-cleaning. The heirloom gardens will be planted, the household’s rooms will be aired out, and the cook will be busily preparing tasty samples at the kitchen hearth.   As we like to describe our museum system, we have five sites with hundreds of stories! 

We encourage you, your families, and your neighbours, to embrace all that Ontario has to offer during this MUSEUM MONTH of May and throughout the entire year! Enjoy!

Stay tuned for Part 2 with The Museums of Prince Edward County ~ Jennifer Lyons, Head Curator ~ Museums. In the meantime, we welcome you to check out the schedule of events, programming and activities The Museums of Prince Edward County at http://www.pecounty.on.ca/.

If you want to read about our previous visit to Ameliasburgh Heritage Village, and other great adventures, you can check out Ontario Heritage Visited article's at http://www.ontariofestivalsvisited.ca/heritage.html. Enjoy!