On Track: The Railways of Aylmer and Malahide

February 1, 2023

The Great Western Railway’s “Air Line” began operation in February of 1873. To celebrate 150 years of railroad heritage, we’ll be hosting a pop-up exhibit on local locomotive history and the area’s competing railways.

Join us at 75 Talbot St. E., from:

  • 11 am – 4 pm on Saturday, February 18

  • 11 am – 4 pm on Sunday, February 19

  • 11 am – 4 pm on Monday, February 20

  • 3 pm – 6 pm on Wednesday, February 22

  • 11 am – 4 pm on Saturday, February 25

  • 11 am – 4 pm Sunday, February 26

We hope to see you there!

Train at the Aylmer Grand Trunk station

A large group of people at the Springfield Canada Southern Railway station

 

Thank you for attending the art show!

December 1, 2022

We were so happy to see so many talented artists and to have so many visitors! Thank you so much to the Aylmer BIA, Wendell Graves, the Chamber of Commerce, and Miller’s Your Independent Grocer for organizing and contributing to the event.

We’re pleased to announce that we received $635 in donations at the event, and sold plenty of tickets for our gift basket draw!

View the featured artwork at the following locations through the month of December:

 


We would love to see you at our next event, Christmas Through the Ages! Tickets for our gift basket raffle will be available.

Reads "THE AYLMER-MALAHIDE MUSEUM & ARCHIVES PRESENTS CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE AGES Opening November 26, 2022 11 am to 4 pm 75 Talbot St. E. Aylmer Open 1-6 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays until December 10

Gift Basket Draw

A returning tradition from our Tour of Homes, we’ll be giving away 13 gift baskets this year as a fundraiser for our Relocation Project.

We’re selling six tickets for $5.  Tickets will be available in person at our pop-up exhibit, Christmas Through the Ages, exhibited at 75 Talbot St. E., as well as online in our website’s shop.

We will be drawing on December 10th.

Gift basket themes include (hover over or tap on each theme for a list of contents):

  1. Tea
  2. Movie Night
  3. Scratch Tickets
  4. Books
  5. Play Day
  6. Birds
  7. Beer, Wine, and Hockey
  8. Honey
  9. Puzzles
  10. Coffee
  11. Wine
  12. Vintage Recipes
  13. Locally Handcrafted Bowl

Buy your tickets here!

 

Christmas Through the Ages

October 26, 2022

Join us for Christmas Through the Ages, a pop-up exhibit looking at Christmas traditions and popular decorating styles through the years.

We will be holding the exhibit opening on November 26ᵗʰ between 11 am and 4 pm, during which visitors can enjoy complimentary refreshments and enter to win a door prize. The exhibit will be open from 1-6 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays over the following two weeks, including:

  • November 29

  • December 1

  • December 3

  • December 6

  • December 8

  • December 10

Exhibited at our new building located at 75 Talbot Street East.

Donations to the AMMA Relocation Project and non-perishables for the Aylmer Corner Cupboard Food Bank are gratefully accepted.

We hope to see you there!

Postcard depicting Santa Claus in profile amid decorative garlands.

Black and white image of a young girl looking up at a mobile.

 

Original Exhibition of Artworks

October 21, 2022

Stop by our new location at 75 Talbot St. E. between 6:30 and 8:30 to attend an exhibition of local artworks, as organized by the Aylmer BIA in partnership with Wendell Graves.

The BIA will be exhibiting works in a variety of media, including but not limited to paintings, photography, and sculpture. After the exhibit, the artworks will be displayed in a variety of downtown businesses.

Donations to our Relocation Project will be gratefully accepted.

We’re excited to see everyone there!

 

Thank you for coming out to the car show!

October 3, 2022

We were pleasantly surprised to have over 90 cars turn out to our car show this past weekend! Thank you all so much for coming. We very much appreciate your time, support, and cool vehicles.  We’re pleased to report that we raised $1677 for our Relocation Project!

A major thank you to:

Our judges

  • Brian Duffett
  • Dominique Giguère
  • Ron Sawyer
  • Tom Charlton

Our driver draw donors

  • Auto Parts Centres
  • Aylmer Glass & Mirror
  • Aylmer Tire
  • Bestway Auto Supply
  • Canadian Tire
  • Duff’s Garage
  • Goodwill’s Used Cars
  • Mike Laur’s Auto
  • North End Auto
  • Wiebe’s Wheels Inc.

Our performers

  • 1962
  • The Springfield Connection

Additional thanks to M&D’s Taco Truck for catering the event and The German-Canadian Club for partnering with us for Elgin’s Oktoberfest! Thank you to our volunteers, and thank you to everyone who attended and brought a vehicle!

We hope to see you again! We have a Christmas-themed pop-up exhibit in the months of November and December, and would love to have you along.

 

Reads "THE AYLMER-MALAHIDE MUSEUM & ARCHIVES PRESENTS CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE AGES Opening November 26, 2022 11 am to 4 pm 75 Talbot St. E. Aylmer Open 1-6 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays until December 10

 

Thank you for attending our open house!

September 22, 2022

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see our new building at our open house on Sept. 15th! We were so touched to hear how many of you are excited to see us thrive in our new location.

We’re happy to report that we received $2400 towards the Relocation Project on that day, and made $375 from raffle ticket sales (benefitting the Relocation Project). Thank you all so much!

We would be pleased to have you attend our further upcoming fundraising events! We have a car show planned on October 1ˢᵗ and a Christmas-themed pop-up exhibit planned for the months of November and December.

Thank you so much for your support, and we would love to see you again soon.

Graphic reads "Saturday, October 1 CAR SHOW" and "SAXONIA HALL PRESENTS ELGIN'S Oktoberfest" above an image of the 1915 Ford picnic in Port Bruce, including a row of Model T vehicles.
Reads "THE AYLMER-MALAHIDE MUSEUM & ARCHIVES PRESENTS CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE AGES Opening November 26, 2022 11 am to 4 pm 75 Talbot St. E. Aylmer Open 1-6 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays until December 10

Elgin’s Oktoberfest Car Show

September 5, 2022

We’re pleased to announce that, in partnership with Aylmer’s German Canadian Club for Elgin’s Oktoberfest, we will be hosting a car show on Saturday, October 1ˢᵗ, from 9 AM to 3 PM, at Saxonia Hall.

Come on out to see some cool cars, enjoy some beer at the beer tent, and see some live entertainment! The Saxonia Hall will serve beer and soft pretzels, and we’ll fire up the grill to serve lunch.

General admission will be by donation. Proceeds from admission, barbecue sales, and car registration will benefit our Relocation Project.

The car show will be followed by the main Oktoberfest event, with live performances by Walter Ostanek, a performance from the Saxonia Dancers, and the East Elgin Agricultural Society’s pig roast.


Car aficionados are welcome to bring a car and register as an exhibitor! All registered exhibitors will be entered into a draw to win a door prize. Door prizes will be provided by:

Aylmer Glass and Mirror
North End Auto
Goodwills used cars

Mike Laur's Auto

Plaques will be awarded to four cars by a panel of judges, including three “Judge’s Choice” awards and one “Best in Show” award.

Registration will be open from 8 to 9 AM, at $10 per car.

Those who pre-register will be entered to win a $50 Canadian Tire gift card! Pre-registration does not require pre-payment. Email info@aylmermuseum.ca to pre-register.

We hope to see you there!

Posted by German Canadian Club – Saxonia Hall on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

 

Open House

The public is cordially invited to visit our new building at 75 Talbot St. E. on Thursday, September 15th, between 5 pm and 8 pm.

We will be giving tours of the building, discussing our plans for the future, and fielding questions from the public.

Attendees are welcome to enter to win a variety of great door prizes! Prizes will be provided by:

Scotiabank
McFarlan Rowlands Insurance Brokers, Inc.
Aylmer McDonald's
Tracey's Avon Connection
Elgin Feeds

We will also be selling raffle tickets at the open house for our upcoming “History on the Move” raffle.

Refreshments will be served. Street and municipal parking will be available.

We’re excited to share our vision with you, and we hope to see you there!

 

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WINNING TICKETS FOR
The “History on the Move” Raffle

August 17, 2022

Many thanks to everyone who purchased a ticket! Winners are:

  •  1st prize, Master Chef 5-Burner Propane BBQ, courtesy of Canadian Tire: Ticket No. 0707
  •  2nd prize, Weber Portable BBQ Grill, courtesy of C.J. Telfer Holdings: Ticket No. 0219
  •  3rd prize, $250 Johnson Meats Package, courtesy of Johnson Meats: Ticket No. 0597
  •  4th prize, Summer Gift Basket, courtesy of Miller’s Your Independent Grocer: Ticket No. 0926

Congratulations to our winners! We will be in contact shortly.

In total, we raised $2195 towards our Relocation Project through this fundraiser. Thank you all so much!


The Museum will be raffling off four great prizes in a raffle to fund the renovations to our new building!

Prizes include:

    • 1ˢᵗ: Master Chef 5-Burner Propane BBQ (value $430), courtesy of Aylmer Canadian Tire
    • 2ⁿᵈ: Weber Portable BBQ Grill (value $400), courtesy of C.J. Telfer Holdings
    • 3ʳᵈ: Johnson Meats Package (value $250), courtesy of Johnson Meats
    • 4ᵗʰ:  Summer Gift Basket (value $100), courtesy of Miller’s Your Independent Grocer

Tickets are $5 each, 3 for $10, and 8 for $20. Stop by or contact us to purchase your tickets!

The draw date is October 5, 2022.

Lottery License No. 598457

We Have the Keys!

June 27, 2022

The paperwork is all signed, and our lawyers have presented us with the keys! We’re so excited to plan a concept for our new building and its exhibits.

We look forward to your support moving forward!

Learn more here.


An image of the empty foyer of our new building
The future site of our foyer and temporary gallery space!

WE’RE MOVING!

April 27, 2022

We’re excited to announce that we’ve purchased the former Hamilton Ward & Cathers building at 75 Talbot St. E.

The move should take roughly two years, once renovations are complete and once all our artifacts are safely packed and ready to migrate.

 

Learn more here!

 

Many thanks to the Express for breaking the news today! Read the article in today’s issue for the full story.

Many thanks to longtime sponsor Jeff Wiebenga for facilitating the sale of the building, and to the folks at McFarlan Rowlands/Hamilton Ward & Cathers for their kindness and generosity through the sale process.

Our press release reads as follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2022

The Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives is moving to a new, downtown location

The museum has purchased a new building, located at 75 Talbot Street East in Aylmer

The board of the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives is thrilled to announce that they have purchased a new building to house the museum and its collection. The building is located at 75 Talbot Street East in Aylmer, the current home of McFarlan Rowlands Insurance (formerly Hamilton Ward & Cathers Insurance) and previously the Royal Bank of Canada. We are so pleased to have the opportunity to house our museum and its ever-growing collection in such a beautiful and historically significant building.

Aylmer and Malahide have a lively and engaging history. From its founding as a museum in 1977, the AMMA has been a repository for the citizens of these communities to entrust their artifacts, photographs, and stories. These have been diligently catalogued, preserved, exhibited, and made available to the community, researchers, genealogists, and historians. Over the past 45 years, the museum has far exceeded its capacity and has been limited by its present location in how it shares the stories that it holds in trust.

This project would not have been possible without the many significant financial contributions from our generous donors and supporters who have contributed to our relocation efforts including Giles Hume, Donna Bushell, Marie Briggs, and Glen Kilmer. We are very grateful for the support of the town of Aylmer and look forward to engaging with other stakeholders including the Township of Malahide and Elgin County for their assistance and support with this project.

“We are very excited to be able to announce that after years of searching and hoping, our dream of moving to a larger facility is finally within reach,” said Dan Reid, board member of the Aylmer-Malahide Museum and Archives. “Not only will this allow us greater room for exhibits and for storage, but its central location in the heart of Aylmer will also give us any number of new opportunities to engage directly with the community.

In this new location, we hope to find new ways to partner with and give back to the many people of our community who have been unswerving in their assistance. We are eager to play host to the young, curious minds, and to nurture a love of history in students of all backgrounds. It is from the lessons of the past that paths forward present themselves. We wish to honour the sacrifices and contributions made to this area by the many citizens of past and present.”

“I couldn’t be happier to announce that we have finally found a new building for the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives,” said Amanda VandenWyngaert, the curator of the museum. “We’re so grateful for all of the hard work that many board members, volunteers, and community members have dedicated to this relocation project over their exhaustive, decades-long search for a new building. We are confident that the downtown location, as well as the historic nature of the building, will provide the perfect home for the museum. We cannot wait for all of the exhibit, programming, and event opportunities that this new building will allow us.”

The historic building at 75 Talbot Street East needs to be renovated in order to fully prepare the building for its future uses. We invite everyone to learn more and to consider contributing to our upcoming capital campaign to help us create a thriving community museum.

For more information, please contact:
Kathi Vandermeer, Office Manager, Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives
(519) 773-9723
officemanager@aylmermuseum.ca
Amanda VandenWyngaert, Curator, Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives
(519) 773-9723
curator@aylmermuseum.ca

Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives
The Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives was established in 1977 to serve as a community museum. The AMMA continues to preserve, present, and promote the history of Aylmer and Malahide through various displays and programming. The museum houses a local archive as well as over 40,000 artifacts relating to the history of local businesses, industries, families, and communities. The museum offers at least three exhibits a year, as well as school programs, senior programs, community programming, special events, and tours.

Photograph of The Traders Bank of Canada, circa 1909. The building, at the time, housed Dr. Woods, a dentist, in its upper level. The windows of the upper level read "DENTIST WOODS DENTIST". The façade of the building features four inset Ionic columns. The current façade, in comparison features four Doric columns, as the volutes of the columns' capitals are missing.

Photograph of the Aylmer Branch of the Traders Bank of Canada, located at 75 Talbot Street East, taken ca. 1909. We are grateful to have the opportunity to house our museum and its ever-growing collection in such a beautiful and historically significant building.