Country Heritage Park facts for kids
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| Location | Milton, Ontario, Canada |
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| Type | Events Venue, Agricultural museum & More! |
The Country Heritage Park is a special place in Milton, Ontario, Canada. It's located near Highway 401 and the Niagara Escarpment. This park helps you imagine what rural life was like in Ontario during the 1800s. It used to be known as the Ontario Agricultural Museum. Today, it's also used as a private school and office during the day, and it hosts parties at night.
The park works with important groups like the Canadian Museums Association. It also connects with the Canadian Heritage Information Network and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
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How Country Heritage Park Started
The idea for this park came from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. It officially started in 1967 with a special law called the Agricultural Museum Act. This happened after a man named Charles Matthews shared his huge collection of old farm tools and items.
The first museum site was on a large piece of land, about 92 acres. It was next to the Kelso Conservation Area. The land was bought by the Province of Ontario in 1966.
The main goal of the museum was to show how farming in Ontario changed over time. It wanted to tell the story of agriculture from the very beginning until today.
Building the Museum
The museum was built in three main steps. The first step involved preparing the land. This included putting in gravel roads and parking lots. Students from a heavy equipment school near Milton helped with this work in the summer of 1973.
In 1974, the second step began. This involved building the main museum building. It was a large, one-story building designed by architects from Oakville. The main exhibit hall was finished in 1975.
Early Visitors and Growth
In 1976, about 3,000 people visited the site. The next year, in 1977, that number grew to 5,000 guests. Even though the museum wasn't fully open and didn't advertise much, it expected 10,000 visitors in the summer of 1978. By 1979-80, they hoped to have 30,000 visitors each year!
By 1977, the museum also had a library. It held over 2,000 books and other resources about agriculture.
When the staff first moved to the site, there was only one building. But by mid-1978, 21 more buildings had been built. Many summer students were hired to help with research, fixing old items, and setting up displays. In 1978, the museum had between 12,000 and 15,000 items in its collection. A huge 97% of these items were donated!
The third step of the plan was to bring old pioneer farmhouses to the site. These would be fixed up to show different time periods and types of farming in Ontario.
In 1977, the museum had seven full-time staff members. The general manager, Bob Carbert, said they needed more staff to keep collecting and fixing items, and to serve all the visitors.
The museum hoped to have a grand opening in the summer of 1978. However, because they didn't have enough staff, the opening was moved to 1979. By June 1978, about 90% of the indoor exhibit hall was ready.
The grand opening finally happened on June 8, 1979. It was marked by the loud whistle of a Sawyer-Massey steam engine. About 1,000 guests came to see the opening of this big project, which cost $1 million. Many important people were there, including the Mayor of Milton, Don Gordon, and the Minister of Agriculture, Bill Newman.
Changes in Ownership
On April 1, 1997, the Ontario government stopped running the park. In November 1997, it was announced that the museum would mostly close. This meant there would be no public programs in 1998. The number of staff was cut from 23 to 10 full-time workers.
In March 1997, the government stopped funding the museum. This meant it would become privately owned and was first called "Farm Museum." Eight months later, in November 1997, many staff members were laid off. This happened even though 40,000 visitors came that year, which was less than the 70,000 expected.
Even with this change, the Ontario government still gave the park $325,000 in 1997 to help.
Eventually, a non-profit group called Country Heritage Experience Inc. took over. Their main goal was to get the park running smoothly again. They wanted it to be able to support itself financially. They planned to do this by hosting events, charging for entry, having school visits, and renting out their facilities.
From 1998 to 2001, the park's income tripled! This showed a big improvement for the 80-acre park. By 2001, it had four full-time staff, 10 part-time guides, 20,000 historical items, and 30 exhibit buildings. Many volunteers also helped out, giving almost 600 days of their time in 2000.
New Name: Country Heritage Park
On March 24, 2000, Country Heritage Experience Incorporated, the group that runs the park, announced a new name. It became "Country Heritage Park, A Farm and Country Experience." The name change was made to attract new visitors, especially younger people and those from cities, to the farm museum.
See also
