Haldimand County Museum & Archives and 1835 Log Cabin

"County Council now has an opportunity to do the right thing.  Defeat this report!"  Will our elected representatives listen to their constituents or will they simply ratify the administrative staff's recommendations?

The 1835 Log Cabin

Settlers often held their land long before a deed could be secured.  The Wintemute deed dates the cabin back to 1818.  Log homes of this exact size and shape were compulsory for a land allotment by government order dated York 1798.  When the Six Nations lands were opened for settlement around 1834 or 35, one of the early pioneers Thomas Nicholas built his log cabin beside the plank road in Oneida, Highway 6.  The Nicholas family came from South Cornwall along the English Channel.  They emigrated to Canada in 1832, located in St. Andrews, Ontario, moved to Calendonia in 1835.  When the family outgrew the little log cabin, additions were made.  Windows were covered over leaving no remains of the former pioneer structure.

Later, the Wintemute family was the owner of the farm home.  The cabin was last used as a home in 1960 and was still owned by the Wintemutes.  In June, 1960 the home was threatened with its removal from the site or to be demolished as there were plans for development of Highway 6.  During the demolition carpenters found that the log cabin was almost in perfect condition.  Mr .Wintemute kindly donated it to the Haldimand Historical Society.

In the fall of 1960 the society became part of Haldimand County and under its jurisdiction as the Haldimand County Museum.  The County arranged for the logs from the cabin to be brought to Cayuga and stored in the jail yard for the winter to be treated for any insects.  Dick Metcalfe, John Metcalfe's father, was the jailor at the time.  The log cabin was rebuilt in 1961 and opened in October of that year.

This year, the current Haldimand County Council has approved an administrative recommendation that the Court House Grounds be cleared of public buildings.  The log cabin is destined to be moved to a location in Cheapside near Selkirk - the Wilson MacDonald Museum.



Future Location of Log Cabin

[Photo:  Court House Grounds lbw]

"The intention is to sell the property, but Morison noted they will ensure 'potential developers provide the kind of use that is best for Cayuga rather than just unloading the property for the developer to do whatever they want."  ~ The Haldimand Press,  Sept. 15, 2016  In response to public protests, presentations, emails, letters and phone calls, Mayor Hewitt has stated in the November 15 Council in Committee meeting that there has been no discussion of selling.

Ward 2 Councillor hosted an eleventh-hour open house on November 22 at which he insisted that this issue can be delayed until January.  However, there has been some insistence by administrative staff that there is a pressing necessity to ratify this report before the new budget.

Please read Report PED-GM-10-2016 on Haldimand County website and contact your councillor.  Council can and in all likelihood will ratify this report on December 12.  The first step toward selling the Court House Grounds is to clear it of all public buildings.

Gift that Lasts All Year

Haldimand County Councillors have approved Report PED-GM-10-2016 which essentially dismantles the Haldimand County Museum, moves the 181-year-old Nicholas Log Cabin* to windswept Cheapside and sets the stage for the sale of the County Court House Grounds.  The current Administration Building which also sits on the grounds "...will go to ground", stated Mayor Hewitt at a Council in Committee meeting on November 15.  Councillor Corbett made it clear at the same meeting that the money from the land-sale is required to build the new centralized $18,000,000 administration building.  Many question the need for a new administration building and the lack of fiscal responsibility.

ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 at 6:00 p.m. councillors can and will most likely ratify the recommendations.  We encourage everyone to attend.  Let our elected representatives know that their constituents do not agree with the decisions they are making.  Please continue to send  letters, phone calls, emails expressing concern to councillors.   Mayor Hewitt conceded at the November 15 meeting that because of the volume of public response, council needs time to consider.

At a time of year that we celebrate family traditions and find time to socialize with friends, it is an effort for folks to follow the procedures and actions of municipal government, prepare presentations and appear in the council gallery.  In spite of Christmas festivities residents turned out in numbers at the hastily organized, eleventh-hour open house organized by Ward 2 Councillor Morison.

     * Tomorrow:  History of the Nicholas Log Cabin