September 28th was the 10th Anniversary of the Vankleek Hill Museum, so to celebrate the Vankleek Hill & District Historical Society threw a Wine & Cheese Gala Evening, featuring local high school students modelling fashion from the 60’s and 70’s.

It was, by all accounts, a success. The kids were great, the parents were proud, the cheese was fresh, some of it was old, the wine was cold or warm depending on your preference. Everybody had a lot of fun.

The building that now houses the Museum itself was built in 1834, it was meant to be a general store, but the original builder went bankrupt.

Since then it has been a home, general store, millinery shop, grocery store, feed store, fruit storage, veterinarian home & office, farmer’s co-op store.

Then it sat mostly unused and derelict for thirty years, until the newly formed VKH&DHS bought it in 1997. The renovations of the Museum building took twelve years.

I know because I carried out 300lbs of ancient pigeon crap from the attic in large pails.

And my step-father, an architect, volunteered 4,000 hours (1) rebuilding the foundation, roofing, straightening the floors, putting in handmade custom cabinets, painting, rebuilding the porch, and installing a bathroom.

…and my mother, a museum technologist, has been the curator since the Museum was created.

Together, along with several other volunteers and tradespeople, a remarkable little building has hosted this history rich region’s historical treasures for a decade now.

…the Gala raised $2200 that goes directly to the upkeep and operations of the Museum.

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(1) How the Museum was built [link]

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…click on a photo to get the carousel going.

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