Adopt an Artifact

Adopt an Item

As part of the Muskoka Museum's Adopt an artifact program, the following items are available for sponsor adoption. You may also be interested in adopting a cabin or train, or donating an artifact.

Available for adoption

Demaine family bible

  • Geneva edition bible, printed in London in 1607
  • Contains Demaine family information dating back to the early 1600s.
image of old New Testament Bible and photo of Demaine family

Available for adoption

Kent hotel key, 1895

  • Built by Frank Kent in 1895 at the corner of Brunel and Main Street
  • 3.5 stories tall, 50 bedrooms, fountain in the lobby, dining room, bar and two lounges
  • Replaced in 1940 by a service station and in 1991 by Kent Park.
image of old #9 room key on a small chain

Available for adoption

Railing from the Bigwin Inn rotunda, 1920

  • Built by C.O. Shaw on Lake of Bays in 1920, Bigwin Inn was the one of the premier resorts in North America in the 1920s and early 1930s
  • The Rotunda was the main reception area and contained many lounges for the comfort of Bigwin Inn's guests.
image of old wooden railing

Available for adoption

Anglo-Canadian Leather Company leather, 1891

  • Operated by the Shaw family 1891-1962
  • Employed over 200 men and supplied most of the boot leather for the British Armed Forces in WWI
image of leather from the Anglo Canadian Leather Company

Available for adoption

Bigwin Inn sumaro window, 1920

  • Built by C.O. Shaw on Lake of Bays in 1920, Bigwin Inn was one of the premier resorts in North America in the 1920s-30s
  • The Sumaro, or dining room, extended thirty feet over the lake, with a twelve-sided main room that could seat up to 500 guests.

Available for adoption

Demaine telephone, 1908

  • First telephone in Stisted township, 1908
  • Connected the Demaine house to the Demaine store and Ashworth post office.
old black and white photo of Demaine family home and telephone

Available for adoption

Huntsville swing bridge key, 1902

  • Huntsville swing bridge opened February 17, 1902, operated by George Selkirk, then John Hinton
  • Allowed steamships to sail from Lake Vernon to Fairy Lake and beyond.
three images put together of Huntsville Swing Bridge, Captain Hunt and a key

Available for adoption

Britannia hotel plates, 1905

  • Built by Tom White in 1905
  • Grew to have tennis courts, bowling green, nine-hole golf course with a club house, dance pavilion, ski hill and curling club for 350 guests
  • Plates were specially commissioned from Germany.
plates on a table in the Britannia Hotel

Available for adoption

Dollhouse, 1920

  • Built by John Collins in 1920
  • Decorated by Elaine Foster as a 1920s home.
image of a two storey dollhouse

Available for adoption

Gunter chain, 1850s

  • Surveying tool used to create the lots and concessions of the 1850's early townships
  • Iron with 100 links and a brass piece very 10th link for fractions
  • One chain is 66geet, 80 chains is a mill, and 100 chains is a concession.
old photograph of surveyor in background and chain in foreground

Available for adoption

Lanceolate point, early archaic period

  • Early Archaic period (7000 years ago), likely used as a spear head for large animals
  • Indigenous people hunted and gathered seasonally in Muskoka for thousands of years.
image of stone spearhead point

Available for adoption

S.S. Algonquin bell, 1908

  • The S.S. Algonquin travelled between Lakes Vernon, Fairy, and Peninsula from 1908-1958
  • This bell could be heard for miles
  • Saved by Mayor Frank Hubble when the Algonquin was dismantled
Bell from the S.S. Algonquin, 1908

Available for adoption

Shaw wedding outfits, 1886

  • Charles Orlando Shaw and Jennie Lavinia Abbott were married Oct 28, 1886
  • C.O. Shaw was the general manager of the Anglo-Canadian Leather Company, founder of the Anglo-Canadian Concert Band, president of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Navigation Company and owner of Bigwin.
wedding dress, image of Shaw family, and men's wedding outfit

Available for adoption

School bell, 1891

  • Used by J.N. Shearer at Huntsville Public School 1891-1897

 

image of brass hand bell on top of a class photo with school in background

Available for adoption

Great War quilt

  • Signature heritage quilt created as a World War One fundraiser
  • Names were embroidered for 10 cents
  • It was raffled off to Mrs. Dolmage once it was finished.
two images of quilt with embroidered names and image of soldiers

Available for adoption

Huntsville Public School bell, 1910

  • Purchased from the F.N. Moyer and Company of Toronto for $77.00
  • Installed by Salem Snyder for $65.00 on the red brick Huntsville Public School on Caroline Street in 1910
  • Brought to Muskoka Heritage Place in 1967 when the school was demolished.
image of old school and newer image of brass bell

Available for adoption

McFarlane Mfg. Co. washboard, c. 1900

  • Used to hand wash clothes c. 1900
  • Metal and glass are two common types
  • The McFarlane Manufacturing Company was based in Toronto
image of old washboard

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