The Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives, Cloyne, Ontario (Location)
The events surrounding the 200th anniversary of the start of the War of 1812 have begun in earnest in Canada and the USA but although I have been able to get to reenactments of the French and Indian War of the 1760’s and have a Civil War reenactment on my agenda, I didn’t expect to find anything relating to any of these wars in the Cloyne Pioneer Museum. Rather surprised, therefore to find this cannonball.
The card described the cannonball as follows: “Cannon ball belonged to Mrs. Tom Irvine’s (Carrie) uncle who was Mel Daley. He lived on Wolfe Island and his story is that he was crossing the ice to Wolfe Island in his sleigh when this cannon ball, which he says was the first shot fired from Fort Henry (War of 1812-14) came rolling across the ice and hit his sleigh.”
Plenty of other interesting things to see in the Cloyne Pioneer Museum celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
For those who might like old fishing gear, there was a nice specimen of a wooden handled fish net hanging on the wall and a cute little tackle box of a style that I had not seen before.
Outside of the Museum there was a collection of larger equipment on display including an interesting treadle operated sharpening stone and a swing arm saw and a few other things that I had no idea what they might have been.
 
Plenty of smaller, hand tools on display inside the museum and for those who might like to bring back memories of war years their is a nice package of Hungarian Goulash rations.
 
Inside the Museum, there is one room dedicated to school and church memories and a few things in that room brought back some early memories for me.
 
 
In the second room there were quite a few items of interest including everything from older camera models to doll clothes to common kitchen items. Lots of interesting things to look at.
 
 
In the front section of the log cabin, there were a number of other interesting items including an oak telephone switch board that had been in use in a local community of Northbrook up until 1969.
We had just paddled over to look at the pictographs on Mazinaw Lake while tenting at Bon Echo Provincial Park so enjoyed seeing the above banner advertisement from earlier days.
Time to head home and get ready for our next outings.
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