News & Events
March Break at Hutchison House
Date: Tuesday March 13th to Friday March 16th
Time: 9:30 to noon
Looking for something for your kids to do this March Break? Hutchison House Museum is offering four fun filled half day programs.
For more information on whats available please check out the Programs section of our website or call us at 705-743-9710.
Hogmanay at Hutchison House
Date: January 1, 2012
Time: 1-4 p.m.
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, 2010. 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.
