Museum - Hutchison House Museum in Peterborough, Ontario

Grab your candy decorations and icing bags because today is Gingerbread House Day! Show us your creativity through decorating a Gingerbread House today!

Happy Hanukkah! For those who celebrate this Jewish Festival of Lights, commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt, it begins at sundown tonight! Happy Hanukkah from Hutchison House Museum!

Today is World Toilet Day! Did you know that World Toilet day was created by the United Nations General Assembly to bring worldwide sanitation issues to light? Did you know that the first flushing toilet was invented by Sir John Harrington in 1596 for Queen Elizabeth?

Saint Hugh’s Day! Today is the Anglican feast day for the patron saint of sick children, sick people, shoemakers, and Swans! He is often represented by a white swan, which relates to the story of his lasting friendship with the swan of Stow, who even watched over St. Hugh when he slept.

12 days of Christmas event at Delta Gaming Centre starts on Dec 8th and ends Dec 19th, the draw will be held on Dec 20th. Every hour Delta will give all customers actively playing a machine one ballot. Their ballot can be placed in any one of the 12 ballot boxes, each of which corresponds to one of the 12 prizes. There will also be a Bonus 2nd chance draw which is 4 prizes of $500 each.

Today is pretend to be a Time Traveller Day! Dress up in historical costume, become confused by modern language, and become confused and misuse technology! Need some inspiration? Watch a television show or movie like Doctor Who, or Back to the Future! Maybe even read a book like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain! Let us know how you pretended to be a Time Traveler today!

Happy National Button Day! National Button Day celebrates the use and function of buttons, as well as the collection of them! Buttons have been traced back to the Bronze Age, where they were first use as accessories on clothing!

Did you know that when candy corn was first produced in the 1880s it was called chicken feed? While things will look a little different this year, the month of October would not be complete without the Halloween tradition. Look out for young ghostly ghouls and goblins on Friday October 30th from 6-9pm and Saturday, October 31st from 10am - 4 p.m. when Hutchison House Museum will host Halloween tours of the museum. ... Enjoy a spooky tour of the museum and take a craft and treat to go! Registration is required. There is a maximum of six people (from the same bubble) per 25 minute time slot. Admission for the Haunted Halloween spooktacular event is $5 per person. Costumes are encouraged and an adult must accompany young children. While we do make the upper levels of the house a little spooky, it is not our intention to scare anyone. For more information contact the museum at 705-743-9710.

Last week Hutchison House Museum lost long time friend and volunteer, Norm Savage. Norm has volunteered with the museum in a variety of capacities including guiding, school programs, fundraising events, the Board and more for over 25 years. He loved to tell stories, both about the museum and the people who lived there, Charles Dickens and his own life which were always fascinating. Whenever we see Lord Nelson's portrait in the Doctors Office, or listen to Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' by the fire in the keeping room, we will think of you Norm. https://www.highlandparkfuneralcentre.com/obi/Norman-Savage

Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas! Saint Nicholas is the model for the traditional Santa Claus or Father Christmas! Not much is known about this saint, but he was known for giving secret gifts to help the less fortunate out! He is the patron saint of many things including; children, merchants, sailors, fisherman, and brewers.

Delta Gaming Center drive in Bingo is back Saturday October 24. Help support over 50 local charities and have a bit of fun!

I am a Bathtub! The history of the bathtub is linked to the history of hygiene. The earliest surviving personal sized bathtub found on the Isle of Crete was a 1.5m (5ft) long pedestal tub built from hardened pottery and dates to about 1000BCE. During the Roman Empire cleanliness was highly valued and there were daily bathing rituals. There were small personal baths as well as public baths. During the Dark Ages sanitation disappeared and citizens wore perfume rather than ba...thing. In the late Middle Ages, you only washed the parts of your body that were visible. At this time, it was important that your clothing was clean as laundry was more important than bathing. Bathing ideals started to shift in the mid-18th Century when two medical texts started to promote the idea that frequent bathing led to better health. In England and America at the beginning of the 20th Century weekly Saturday night baths became more common. Many factories had days of work on Saturday to give them time to prepare for their day of rest on Sunday. There was a lot of labour involved in drawing, carrying and heating the water to fill the tub as well as emptying. To economize, family members shared the same water. The Father would go first, then the mother and then children would go in order by age. By the time the youngest had a chance to bath the water was often very dirty. Hence the saying Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. During the 19th Century tubs were often small tin tubs, sometimes with a ledge to sit on. Wooden tubs that could also be used for laundry were used as bathtubs. Most baths took place in the kitchen by the hearth. See more

Bring in a non-perishable food item to a Delta location near you for a chance to WIN A 65 Samsung TV! All collected items will be donated to local organizations in need. *Locations that are temporarily closed, will be accepting curbside donations on Tuesdays from 10am-8pm and Wednesdays from 10am-5pm only. See DeltaBingo.com for further details. Customers get 1 ballot for every non-perishable item they bring in to their Delta Bingo and Gaming Centre until Jan 3 2021. On Jan 4th we will draw 1 ballot for a $100.00 gift certificate and the Delta location with the most food items donated will draw 1 more ballot for the Grand Prize - a 65 Samsung TV.

What am I? 1. I was first found in the kitchen before a new room was designed. 2. The first of my kind date back to 1,700 BCE in Knossos, Crete. 3. I was used by all members of a family.

Fun fact!The word harvest comes from the Old English 'haerfest', meaning Autumn. Hutchison House Museum will host a Harvest Tea and Dessert on Thursday October 22, 2020. Enjoy a taste of fall with a delicious apple buckle, topped with a dollop of whip cream. Tea, iced tea, or lemonade will add a refreshing compliment to this delightful fall repast. Tickets for the Harvest Tea and Dessert are $5 each and booking and payment are required in advance. Sittings are 12pm, 1pm and... 2pm. Masks are required while in the museum. Space is very limited. If the museum has to cancel the event you will be entitled to a full refund. Weather permitting the event will be held on the terrace. If there is inclimate weather the event will be held in the Keeping Room with the windows open for extra ventilation. For more information please call the museum office at (705) 743-9710 or visit the website at www.hutchisonhousemuseum.ca See more

Today we observe Remembrance Day. Originally called Armistice Day, this day served to commemorate the the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11am--on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. What we now know as Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 by the British Commonwealth. Today we remember all of the men and women who served during the First and Second World Wars and all of those who have laid down their lives for their Country.

Did you know that the National animal of Scotland is the Unicorn? In Celtic Mythology the unicorn was a symbol of purity and innocence, as well as masculinity and power. Traditionally the enemy of the Unicorn is the Lion, which happens to be the National animal of England. The Unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms by William I in the 12th century and to this day remains associated with Scottish culture.

Happy Thanksgiving! Did you know that the first Canadian Thanksgiving took place in 1578? English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew gave thanks and communion was observed. The explorers dined on salt beef, biscuits and mushy peas and gave thanks for their safe arrival in then Newfoundland.

In an effort to continue to educate students Hutchison House Museum is now offering '19th Century Daily Life' as a virtual field trip. Both pre-recorded and live presentations are available. Please contact the museum office for more information or to book a program.

I am a Commode! A commode or close stool is an early type of portable toilet that is made in the shape of a cabinet or box at sitting height with an opening at the top. Inside of this box is an earthenware or pewter chamber pot. It was normally covered by a removable lid as well as a folding lid. Close stools have been in use since the Middle Ages. Close stools are sometimes called the necessary stool, night stool or night commode. They were mostly used at night or if one wer...e ill as an alternative to using an outhouse. In the English Royal Court, there was a respected position known as the Groom of the Stool. In early English history, this was a male servant in the house of the English monarch, who aided the King with the close stool. During the Tudor reign the groom was a high-ranking courtier. The Groom of the Stool was the Kings most intimate and powerful servant. He had access to the monarch’s bed chamber, closet and close stool room. He was one of the few servants who had a key to the bed chamber. This role was temporarily disbanded during the reign of Elizabeth I and was revived again when James I came to the throne. The Groom of the Stool continued to be an important role in the Royal household until Queen Victoria. While Victoria discontinued this position, her husband and son continued to have a Groom of the Stool until her successor Edward VII came to the throne. The last Groom of the Stool was James Hamilton the 2nd Duke of Abercorn. See more

What am I? 1. I have been used since the Middle Ages. 2. I am often associated with one of the both dirty and powerful jobs in English History. 3. My insert is often made of pewter or earthenware.

Happy Michaelmas! The Festival of St Michael is celebrated on September the 29th. Michael is the patron saint of the sea and sailors, which made his a very important festival in the West of Scotland. Because it falls near the equinox, Michaelmas is also associated with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days.

Today is Johnny Appleseed day! Unbeknownst to many Johnny Appleseed was actually a real person whose name was John Chapman. Chapman was a nurseryman and missionary who is credited with introducing apple trees to the American Midwest!

I am a handheld fan! Ancient Greek, Etruscans, Romans and Chinese used hand fans for cooling and as ceremonial devices. These early fans were all fixed. The earliest folding fans were brought to Europe by traders from Asia in the 13th and 14th Centuries. These early fans were reserved for Royalty and the nobility. These fans were regarded as a status symbol. Montures (the sticks and guards) were made from materials such as ivory, mother of pearl, tortoise shell often ornamen...ted with silver, gold and precious stones. The leaves of these early hand fans were often painted by craftsman. During the 18th Century folding fans were being made throughout Europe as well as being imported. With the development of the printed fan, they became cheaper to make so cheaper to buy, and were available to a much wider audience. The 19th Century saw fans were being produced that were smaller and less labour intensive as well as some of the most elaborate fans. These fans could be made of either paper or feathers, had carved montures and leaves painted by artists. Many Impressionist painters painted fan leaves often inspired by Japanese Culture and Art. In the courts of England and Spain fan languages were developed to pass unspoken messages at a time of restricted social etiquette. See more

What am I? 1. My earliest form dates to 3000 BC. 2. I am made from a variety of materials, from really fancy to plain. 3. I originated in the Middle East & Asia.