News & Events
Rhubarb Spring Fling
Date: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Sittings: 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
In celebration of the 35th Anniversary of Hutchison House as a Museum, staff and volunteers will host the 4th annual Rhubarb Spring Fling on Wednesday May 22nd from 1-4pm. Enjoy a taste of spring with a delicious Rhubarb dessert, topped with a dollop of ice cream. Tea, iced tea, or lemonade will add a refreshing compliment to this delightful spring repast.
Tickets for the Rhubarb Dessert may be purchased in advance at a reduced rate. Pay for tickets in advance at a cost of $6 or at the door for $8. Sittings are 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. For more information please call the museum office at (705)743-9710.
35th Anniversary Open House
Date: Sunday, May 26th, 2013
On Sunday, 26 May from 1-3pm we will celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Hutchison House Museum with an Open House. The afternoon will feature refreshments baked on the cooking hearth, tours of the house and gardens as well as hands-on activities for young and old alike. To help us celebrate the occasion members of the Kawartha Rug Hooking Guild and the Embroiderers' Guild of Peterborough will each demonstrate their craft. The afternoon will include a program with greetings from the PHS and special guests at 2:00pm.
Needle Felting Workshop
Date: June 15th, 2013
Time: 1-3pm
Cost: $25 each.
Carole Erwin of the Peterborough Handweavers and Spinners will host a needle felting workshop for adults at Hutchison House Museum on Saturday June 15th from 1-3pm. Using raw wool and industrial needles to learn how to shape and sculpt your own interesting creations. Cost is $25 a person materials are included. Refreshments will be provided. For more information or to register please call the museum at 705-743-9710.
Herbal Vinegar Workshop
Date: June 29th, 2013
Time: 1-3pm
Cost: $25 each
Want to make the most out of your herb garden? On June 29th from 1-3pm Hutchison House presents a make your own Herbal Vinegar Workshop. Herbal Vinegars make great salad dressings or additions to marinades, gravies or sauces. Use at home or give as a gift. Cost for the workshop is $25 each, materials included Refreshments are provided. For more information or to register contact th emuseum at 705-743-9710.
Summer Workshops
Are you looking to beat the summertime boredom? Parents or grandparents looking to find an activity to occupy some of the children's time this summer? Look to Hutchison House for the answer.
We offer a fun alternative to full time camp programs. We start on Wednesday mornings and by noon have completed something fun and exciting that your children will love to show off!
Programs run from 9:30am-12pm. The cost is $15 per attendant and pre-registration is required. For Ages 6-12. Children are encouraged to bring their own snacks.
For more information or to register phone 705-743-9710.
Be sure to check out this years workshops on our programs page.
Spring Plant Sale and Breakfast
Date: Saturday, May 11th, 2013
Time of Sale: 9am to noon
Sittings for Breakfast: 10am & 11am
The Hutchison House volunteers will host a Spring Plant Sale Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 9am to noon. We will offer a wide selection of perennials, rock garden plants, and house plants, just in time for spring planting! Be sure to come early for the best choices. Also available will be a selection of gardening books, ornaments and tools. Anyone wishing to donate sale items or plants are asked to please bring them to Hutchison House between May 7-10 so they can be priced on Friday prior to the sale. For assistance in transporting plants please call the museum office at 705-743-9710.
Come enjoy breakfast in front of the fire in our historic Keeping Room served by our costumed interpreters. Treat yourself to a delicious serving of French Toast Casserole with fresh fruit and your choice of coffee or tea. Sittings are at 10 and 11am. Tickets are $7 in advance or $8 at the door. For information or to reserve tickets please call the Hutchison House office at 705-743-9710.
March Break
Take a step into the past this March Break at Hutchison House Museum. From Tuesday March 12thto Friday March 15th, 2013 come to the museum for hands-on activities, pioneer games and lots of fun!
Programs run from 9:30am - 12pm and are suitable for children ages 6-12. The cost is $15 per attendant and pre-registration is required. Children are encouraged to bring their own snacks.
For more information or to register phone 705-743-9710.
For program information please see March Break under Programs.
Snofest Fireside Tea and Dessert
Date: Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
Sittings: 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
Hutchison House Museum will host a Snofest event on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Visitors will enjoy scrumptious ‘sweet apple buckle’ topped with whipped cream. The Fireside Tea & Dessert will be served by the crackling fire of the keeping room (1840s kitchen). Sweet apple buckle is a delicious old fashioned dessert that is similar to apple cobbler. Coffee and/or tea are included. Tours of the museum will also be available.
Tickets for the event are $5 per person and must be booked in advance. Participants may choose from three sitting times. Dessert will be served at 1 pm., 2 pm., and 3 pm. To place a reservation, or to obtain more information, please call the Hutchison House office at 743-9710.
Hogmanay
Date: Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Time:1-4pm
The Scots have been celebrating Hogmanay since the 16th century. Before the Reformation, the Scots celebrated a wide range of festivals from Christian, Norse and Celtic traditions. At the time of the Reformation, the Church of England cancelled all festivals except the most important feast days and by the mid-16th century, the observation of many of these had been almost entirely abolished. Christian feasts were seen to incorporate and sanctify pagan rituals. The Scottish Kirk forbade the celebration of Christmas, and in 1647 its observance was forbidden by an Act of Parliament. The result was that the Scots focussed on the celebration of the New Year - Hogmanay. By the 19th century, Christmas had been restored as a religious observance and Hogmanay continued as a time of merry-making.
Part of the preparation for the coming year involved putting one's house in order. Debts were paid, the house was swept clean, clocks were wound, musical instruments were tuned, silver, brass and pewter were polished, clothes were mended, clean sheet were put on the beds, and anything borrowed was returned to its owner to ensure that all was in readiness when the new year arrived. Stray dogs were sent away, as they were thought to bring bad luck. Finally, the fire was piled high, the higher the flames, the greater the luck to come.
As with any festive occasion, Hogmanay includes the preparation of special food and beverages. At Hutchison House, on New Year's Day, visitors will be treated to Scotch Black Bun, a rich mixture of currants, raisins, peel, spices and whisky, baked in a fine pastry dough, Clooty Dumpling or Duff, Scotch Eggs, Potted Salmon, cheeses, oatcakes, shortbread and Haggis. In the Highland tradition, the Hogmanay beverage, Atholl Brose, a heated mixture of honey and whisky topped with a dollop of whipped cream and toasted oats, will also be available.
Our first-footer will be "piped in" at precisely 1 p.m. January 1st with a rousing rendition of 'Burns Address to a Haggis' to follow shortly thereafter. Visitors will enjoy tours of the museum as well as samples of the taste of Scotland throughout the afternoon. Fiddle music, Highland dancing, and the skirl of the bagpipe and drum will round out the day. Plan to drop in to wish new friends and old neighbours the best for the coming year.
The Hogmanay celebration will take place 1 to 4 p.m. at Hutchison House, January 1, 2013. Admission prices: adults $5.00; children $2.00; family rate $15.00 (2adults/2 children). Space at the museum is limited and in order to accommodate visitors to this popular event and we would respectfully ask participants to keep the length of their visit as short as possible to avoid overcrowding. Atholl Brose sold separately. For more information call the museum at (705) 743-9710.
New Virtual Exhibit on the Life of Dr. Hutchison
In 2010 Hutchison House Museum received funding to create a virtual exhibit for the Community Memories section of the Virtual Museum of Canada. After a year of hard work by staff and volunteers the result was the creation of ‘The Life and Times of Dr. Hutchison in the backwoods of Upper Canada’. This exhibit is now online and can be found by going to this link:
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm_v2.php?id=exhibit_home&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000758
The museum would like to thank Peterborough Museum and Archives, Trent University Archives, Royal Ontario Museum, Library and Archives Canada, Jean Cole, Ann Baker, Gale Fewings and Erin Panepinto for all your help in the creation of this exhibit.
