Erland Lee Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1972 |
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| Location | Ridge Road in Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. |
| Type | Historic Home |
| Official name: Erland Lee (Museum) Home | |
| Designated: | 2002 |
The Erland Lee (Museum) Home is a special place in Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Ontario. It sits on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, which is a long, steep slope of land. This home is recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada.
It used to be a farmhouse where Erland and Janet Lee lived. The museum is famous because it's where the first Women's Institute was started in 1897. This group was created to help teach women in the countryside.
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The History of the Erland Lee Home
The oldest part of the house is a log cabin built in 1808. Later, in 1873, a new part was added to the log cabin. This addition was built in a style called Carpenter Gothic. You can see this style in the steep roofs, fancy "gingerbread" trim, and special wooden planks on the outside.
The Lee family lived in this house for a very long time, from 1808 until 1970. In 1961, a local group called the South Wentworth Women’s Institute first recognized its history.
Becoming a Museum and Historic Site
In 1972, the house opened its doors to the public as a museum. The Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario now owns and runs it.
The museum was officially named a historic home in 1995 under the Ontario Heritage Act. Then, on January 11, 2002, it became a National Historic Site of Canada. This means it's a very important place in Canadian history!
The museum closed for a short time in December 2010. But don't worry, it reopened on April 21, 2013, so people can still visit and learn.
What You Can See at the Museum
The Erland Lee Museum has three floors filled with furniture and items from the Victorian era. These items show how the Lee family lived. The museum also focuses on the story of how the Women's Institutes began in 1897.
For example, you can still see the dining room table where Janet Lee wrote the very first rules for the Women’s Institute. It's in the same spot it was back then!
Next to the farmhouse, there's an old carriage house built in 1873. This building now has two floors of exhibits that tell stories about the local area's history.
Images for kids
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The old carriage house
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The gift shop at the museum
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A view over the Niagara Escarpment from the museum
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The main building of the Erland Lee Museum
See also
- Associated Country Women of the World
In Spanish: Museo Erland Lee para niños
