Anderson Farm Museum facts for kids
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| Location | 550 Regional Road 24, Lively, Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
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| Type | Heritage centre |
| Public transit access | Cross & Phillip stop, Greater Sudbury Transit 701 Lively |
The Anderson Farm Museum is a cool place in Lively, Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It's a museum about local history, a heritage spot, and a place for fun events! You'll find it on what used to be the Anderson family's farm. This outdoor museum is about 14 acres big and has the original farm buildings, old items from the area's past, and even a special building moved from the old town of Creighton.
Contents
Discovering Anderson Farm's Past
The museum mainly tells the story of the Anderson family. They were a typical Finnish pioneer family who settled in this area. The museum shows how they arrived, built their farm in the 1910s, and how it grew. Their farm became one of the biggest dairy farms around!
The Anderson Family's Journey
Frans Viktor Anderson and Gretta Peltonen came to Canada from Finland in the early 1900s. They got married in Copper Cliff in 1901. Many Finnish people moved to Canada at this time. They were looking for a better life and to escape difficult times in their home country.
Finns often chose to settle in places like Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Michigan, and Minnesota. These areas reminded them of Finland with their similar landscapes. Also, jobs like farming, logging, and mining were popular in Finland. These jobs were in high demand in North America.
Sudbury's Growth and New Towns
Around this time, Sudbury was becoming an important industrial city. New railways like the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Algoma Eastern Railway (AER) made travel and trade much easier. This made Sudbury a great place for new settlers.
Many small "company towns" were built along these railway lines. One example was Creighton, built in 1900. These new towns had many workers and their families. This created a strong market for farmers to sell their food. The railways also made it easy to send farm products to bigger cities like Sudbury. Many Finnish families started farms in the rich land west of Sudbury. They formed communities like Beaver Lake.
Building the Anderson Farm
Frans Anderson, who started going by "Frank," first worked at the Creighton mine. His family's life got better over time. They had several children and moved to the Crean Hill mining community in 1906. Frank worked as a shift boss there, and Gretta ran a boarding house.
In 1910, they moved to Creighton and began saving money to build their own farm. By 1914, they built their farmhouse. This house is now the main part of the museum! At that time, they were living in Waters Township, as the town of Lively didn't exist yet.
In 1916, they built the main dairy barn. By the early 1920s, the farm was much bigger. The family was doing well, and they added a new kitchen to their house in the mid-1920s. By the end of the 1930s, the farm stopped its main operations. Frank Anderson passed away in 1944.
Protecting History: Heritage Activities
People started working to preserve the farm in the late 1900s. By 1985, it was known as the Anderson Farm Heritage Project. Around this time, the farm's famous Beatty Brothers Limited Beatty Pumper Windmill was built. It was made from parts of the farm's original three windmills. These windmills helped power the dairy farm.
In 1986, the company Inco announced that the town of Creighton would close. Residents had to move out by 1988. Many homes from Creighton were moved to other towns in Greater Sudbury.
Around this time, a historic log cabin was moved to the Anderson Farm. This cabin used to be the "paymaster's cabin" in Creighton. It was like a company bank. Today, it's still at the museum. It helps tell the story of Creighton and mining history, along with the farming history of Waters Township.
In 1995, the Walden Art Club held a special art show at the Anderson Farm. Many local artists created paintings and drawings of the farm itself!
In 2006, the Walden Community Action Network's Heritage Committee was formed. They suggested many ideas to the Greater Sudbury city council to improve and preserve the farm. Because of their work, the Anderson Farm Museum Heritage Society (AFMHS) was officially started in 2007.
The Museum Today
Today, the Anderson Farm Museum is managed by Greater Sudbury Heritage Museums. This group works to protect history for the City of Greater Sudbury. The museum is open to the public during visiting hours.
The Anderson Farm Museum Heritage Society also hosts fun events there. They have three regular events:
- The Rock the Farm Free Concert/Farmers' Market in July and August.
- A Fall Fair in September.
- A Christmas tree lighting in December.
See Also
Images for kids
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Anderson Farm Museum logo
