The St. Marys Museum will host a special reception for its For Home and Country exhibit Jan. 12 for past and present members of local Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario branches.
While most Perth County branches of the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario have ceased to exist, the St. Marys Museum will celebrate their contributions and history with a special reception as part of the museum’s For Home and Country exhibit.
First founded as a single branch in Stoney Creek on Feb. 19, 1887, with the objective of improving women’s skills in the arts of homemaking and childcare, the women’s community group ultimately evolved into a provincial organization focused on promoting “inclusive and supportive social networking for community action and personal growth,” with hundreds of branches in communities large and small across Ontario.
In Perth County alone, roughly 50 Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario branches were active at various times, the earliest of which – the Staffa and Hampstead branches – were said to have been organized as far back as 1903. While a handful continued as active branches until as recently as last year, the majority, with the exception of the Kirkton, Motherwell, Maple Keys, Lily Dempsy and Gravelridge, are no longer active, according to a branch listing on the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario website.
“The (For Home and Country) exhibit opened in late October,” said St. Marys cultural services manager Amy Cubberley. “It looks at the history of the Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario. Our reason for hosting the exhibit is it marks the 125th anniversary of the Women’s Institute, and the St. Marys Museum was originally established by a local women’s institute.
“The exhibit also looks at the history of several of the smaller, rural (Perth County) communities’ women’s institutes as well. I feel like every little crossroad village (around) St. Marys had a women’s institute at one point. Prospect Hill, Maple Grove, Carlingford, Kirkton, St. Pauls (Station), Avonton – so all of these smaller communities’ women’s institutes’ histories are highlighted as well.”
Located in the museum’s dining room gallery, the For Home and Country exhibit is arranged in such a way to reflect how the museum would have looked after it was first opened by the St. Marys and Queen Alexandra Women’s Institute in the historic George Tracy House in 1959.
Open to any past and present institute members, the reception, which will be hosted from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on Jan. 12 and will include light refreshments, is meant to both celebrate the organization and its local branches’ contributions to St. Marys and the surrounding communities while re-establishing social connections between members.
“Many of the local groups have disbanded in the last 15 years, so we’re hoping it will be a social opportunity for former members to reconnect since they haven’t had those regular meetings,” Cubberley said. “It’s kind of just a thank you and appreciation event for these members because our museum exists as it does today thanks to them.”
Those wishing to attend the reception are asked to RSVP to museum staff by Jan. 6 by calling 519-284-3556 or emailing [email protected]. The For Home and Country exhibit is also available for viewing by the general public during the museum’s regular operating hours from 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday.