The Neilson Store Museum and Cultural Centre

Accès

À propos

Amherst Island’s Neilson Store Museum and Cultural Centre opened its doors in 2004. The Museum highlights Island artifacts from Islanders and their history. Items in the collection include the 1857 Wm. Perceval Manuscript Map, and the M.V. Amherst Islander’s ship’s wheel, bell, and logs. Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, the Museum building itself is also an exhibit having once been owned by James S. Neilson, an Island grain merchant who opened his first general store in 1873. The store remained in the Neilson family for one hundred years.

Liens

• Neilson Store Museum neilsonstoremuseum.ca

Organisateur

Neilson Store Museum

The Neilson Store Museum and Cultural Centre, established by local volunteers, is a non-profit, charitable organization, serving the citizens of Amherst Island, Loyalist Township and the Greater Kingston Region. The Museum’s mission is to acquire, preserve and make accessible historical artifacts, and documents pertaining to the history of the area in a historical building refurbished by volunteers.

The Neilson Store Museum and Cultural Centre was established because both old and new Island families had been concerned for some time about the ongoing loss of Amherst Island memorabilia & artifacts. The Museum is a non-profit incorporated organization with over 100 members. Since 1994 we have worked to restore and conserve the building’s historic structure, including the interior character. The second storey has been rehabilitated to store artifacts and the entire building is now insulated and heated. The back section has been refurbished into a meeting room. This room is used for the weekly Internet Café, monthly board meetings, workshops, training sessions, guest speaker series, tours (including school) and community uses. The museum alone has an average of 1,200 visitors from the end of May to October. The monthly backroom talks have an average of 25-30 participants. The Museum and Cultural Centre has become an important site for all islanders, local residents, school children, and visitors. The Weasel and Easel rents space in the Museum and is a separate and distinct entity.