Spring attemptedly targeted for Canatara cabin restoration

Groundwork in Lambton Shores to restore a historical cabin has reached a pivotal phase, a museum official says.

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“We are delighted that the first step toward reconstruction has begun,” said Dana Thorne, Lambton Heritage Museum curator and supervisor in a news release.

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A concrete pad at the museum, formerly used for a replica Grand Bend chapel, has been expanded to make space for a nearly two-century-old log cabin, waiting to be restored and rebuilt after being moved from Sarnia’s Canatara Park about three years ago , Thorne said in an interview.

The cabin’s roof also has been reinforced, and hopes are to start rebuilding in the spring, using as many of the original logs, doors and windows as possible, pending the success of a $100,000 fundraising drive, she said.

“We really appreciate the community support we’ve had so far, but we . . . we have a ways to go to reach our goal,” Thorne said.

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The tally was nearly $60,000 Thursday, according to amuseum fundraising page that also details restoration plans and the cabin’s history.

Believed built in Goderich in the 1830s, the cabin was floated down Lake Huron about 100 years later to Sarnia, where it was used as a private residence off Lakeshore Road. It was eventually donated to the city, then moved to Canatara Park in 1971.

The cabin, with ties to Canatara Park benefactor Maud Hanna and the family of former Sarnia alderman and builder Lorne Hay, recently was given to the County of Lambton and moved by the City of Sarnia to the museum.

A replacement has been built in Canatara Park.

Restoration work to date, including architectural drawings, work on the roof, the concrete pad, and installing foundation footings has cost about $25,000, all funded by donations, Thorne said.

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How much the remaining restoration work will cost isn’t clear, she said.

The county put out a request for proposals in 2022 “but we didn’t receive any good proposals that we were able to move forward with,” Thorne said, delaying plans to build it this year.

Proposals were rejected partly because of cost and partly “just hoping we have someone who can work on the project who has worked on these kinds of projects before,” she said.

Someone who “has the knowledge and the skills to be able to rebuild the cabin using as much of the original material as possible,” she said.

Thorne noted architect John Rutledge has been “a wonderful resource” on the project, including creating new drawings and specifications to guide the cabin’s reassembly.

Tax receipts are available for donations of more than $20, Thorne said.

The cabin would join other historic buildings at the museum, including the 1857 Tudhop Home from the former Bosanquet Township, the 1867 Cameron Presbyterian Church from the former Euphemia Township, the 1899 Rokeby School House from the former Brooke Township, as well as a blacksmith shop and slaughterhouse.

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