Michener House Museum and Archives facts for kids
The Michener House Museum is a special place in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. It's a museum run by the Lacombe and District Historical Society. This house is super important because it's where Roland Michener, a former Governor General of Canada, was born! It's also the oldest house still standing in Lacombe.
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The Michener House: A Look Back in Time
The Michener House was built in 1894. It was originally a "manse," which is a house where a minister lives. The Grace Methodist Episcopal Church built it right next to their church. Lacombe's first Methodist minister, E.J. Chegwin, and his church members helped build it. The house looks like many other wooden houses built around that time in North America.
In 1918, more space was added to the back of the house. This made it bigger and more comfortable for the families living there.
Who Lived Here? Ministers of the Church
For many years, the Michener House was home to several Methodist ministers. These were the leaders of the church who lived in the manse while serving the community.
From Church Home to Private House
In March 1922, two churches in Lacombe decided to join together. The Grace Methodist Church and the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church became the St. Andrew's United Church. Because of this, the Michener House was sold that same year.
It became a private home for many years, until 1971. That's when the Maski-Pitoon Historical Society (now called the Lacombe & District Historical Society) bought the house. They wanted to save this important building. The old Grace Methodist Church was taken down in 1984.
Opening as a Museum
After a lot of hard work, the Michener House Museum officially opened its doors to the public. This happened on May 25, 1984. Dedicated members of the Lacombe and District Historical Society made this possible.
The Michener Family Story
The Right Honourable Roland Michener's father, Mr. Edward Michener, came from Almonte, Ontario. He became a minister and first worked in Banff, Alberta. Then, in 1899, he moved to Lacombe to serve the church there.
The Michener House has four paintings in the living room. Roland's mother, Mrs. Mary Michener, painted them. They show beautiful nature scenes from when the family lived in Banff. They also show places near Ottawa and Gatineau.
Even though Roland Michener was born in this house, his family moved to Red Deer soon after he was born. The Michener family grew quite large, with nine children in total. Roland was the second oldest.
After moving to Red Deer, Mr. Edward Michener became very involved in local politics. He became an important political leader in Alberta. In 1904, he was elected mayor of Red Deer. Later, in 1918, he was chosen to be part of the Senate of Canada. The Senate is a group of people who help make laws for the country.
Meet Roland Michener: A Canadian Leader
The Right Honourable Roland Michener was Canada's Governor General from 1967 to 1974. The Governor General is the King's representative in Canada. During his time, Lester B. Pearson and Pierre E. Trudeau were Prime Ministers.
The upstairs of the Michener House shows many items from Roland Michener's life. He donated many of these things himself. They show his life as a smart student, an athlete, and a politician.
Roland Michener was inspired by his father's work in politics. He wanted to be involved in public life too. He finished school in Red Deer and then went to the University of Alberta in Edmonton. This university is Alberta's oldest, teaching students since 1908.
Between his second and third years at university, Roland Michener joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). When he returned, he graduated with high honours in 1920. After that, he received a special scholarship called a Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study law at Oxford in England, where he studied alongside Lester B. Pearson.
When he came back to Canada, Michener was allowed to practice law. He moved to Alberta and started his own law firm. He then got involved in politics. He became the High Commissioner to Nepal and India. Later, he became the Speaker of the House in the House of Commons of Canada. This job, helping to lead discussions in Parliament, was his favourite!
Roland Michener was a very active person and loved to stay healthy. He was well-known for his love of jogging. In 1979, he even climbed Mount Michener, a mountain named after him.
Roland Michener passed away on August 8, 1991, when he was 91 years old.
Special Recognitions
The Michener House has been recognized as an important historical site.
On June 28, 1977, it was named a Provincial Historic Resource. This means the province of Alberta officially recognized its historical value.
Later, on September 24, 2016, the City of Lacombe also officially recognized it. They named it a Municipal Historic Resource.
The Michener House Museum is also a "Recognized Museum" by the Alberta Museums Association. This is the same recognition given to the Lacombe Blacksmith Shop Museum.
