WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP — There is a new Mennonite heritage museum coming to town, born out of a simple discussion among friends.

A group of local residents plans to open an agricultural museum that will exhibit historical farming equipment and other Old Order Mennonite artifacts.

"We wanted to find a place to store generations of records from family farms," said Ronald Martin, one of six members of the newly-formed non-profit Martin's Historical Place.

"The whole idea is to preserve some of the historical artifacts that belonged to pioneers."

The new museum, also called Martin's Historical Place, will be erected at the corner of Bridge and King streets at the edge of Waterloo and St. Jacobs.

"It is in the heart of the Martins community," Martin pointed out.

Peter Martin was a Mennonite pioneer who settled his family in the region almost 200 years ago. His descendents are scattered across the region, but the family first settled in the area now known as Woolwich Township.

Martin's meeting house and cemetery are right across the street from the property where the museum will be built. Many early Martins are buried in that cemetery, Martin said.

So, when the property was put up for sale by the Mennonite Historical Society, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a museum. The property's Mennonite origins date back to the 1820s when it was set aside for a Mennonite widow who immigrated to the area shortly after her husband passed away in Pennsylvania, Martin said. Today, there is a house on the property that is rented out to a family.

The group is drawing up plans to erect a barn made of reclaimed materials to house the museum. While site plans and building permits have yet to be approved, township council has endorsed the museum.

"We thought it was great for the township to have the community itself raise awareness about our township's Mennonite heritage," said Raj Sian, the economic development and tourism officer for the Township of Woolwich.

The museum will also be a complement to the popular Mennonite Story museum in St. Jacobs, she added.

The township is partnering with Martin's group and will display brochures and visitor information inside the museum. Woolwich lost its visitors' centre across from the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market last year and has since been looking for a new spot. Inside a museum seemed like a great fit, Sian said.

So far, Martin's Historical Place has collected stacks of books, old records from family farms and some 19th-century farming equipment. They even have a few pieces of the corduroy road discovered under King Street in uptown Waterloo a few years ago.

Martin said they are still looking for local Mennonite artifacts for the museum. If anyone has items they wish to donate, they can contact Ronald Martin at 519-746-7666.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

alatif@therecord.com

Twitter: @LatifRecord