Barrhead Centennial Museum in the midst of transition

BARRHEAD – The Barrhead Centennial Museum is in the midst of a transition from a catch-all for local historical artifacts to focusing more on individual stories about the unusual people who lived in the Barrhead area. 

Museum curator Barb Churchill said they’re wanting to get away from the kind of standard pioneer museum set-up, noting that when you boil them down, every pioneer’s story tends to be same. 

“If you want that, go to the Royal Alberta Museum,” said Churchill. 

For instance, one of the new displays they’re working on is a collection of artifacts and information about local moonshiners. 

Churchill noted that in the late 19th century and early 20th century (up until nearly the onset of Prohibition, in other words), people weren’t allowed to bring hard liquor across the Pembina River, which earned it the nickname of the “Pembina Dead Line.” 

“Moonshining was a big deal here, like a really big deal, so we’ve decided to make a display about the local moonshiners,” she said. 

The museum also features a new display about the Campsie Community of black settlers, who came north from the U.S. after they were lured by promises of cheap land. 

Another unique display Churchill points out is a collection of Indigenous artifacts dug up along the Hudson Bay pack route, which also indicates the shifting relations between the Indigenous people and European settlers as trade goods give away to weapons. 

Museum technician Catherine Jevne indicates that this transition has been talked about for a couple of years, “but I think this is the first year that I’ve really seen it in a meaningful way.” 

The catalyst for the transition is the painting of the museum’s interior, which Churchill hopes will occur in September or October. 

To make way for the painters, they’ve been “strategically de-cluttering,” which has also had the benefit of making the museum more accessible for people using walkers or wheelchairs. 

Churchill said it is a work in progress and thus a lot of displays are still being worked on, but it’s also a lot of fun. 

“I’m really excited about the direction (the museum is) going in,” she said. 

Museum attendance 

After two years of COVID restrictions, the Barrhead Museum has also seen an increase in the number of visitors. 

“It’s been a steady trickle,” Jevne said, noting that attendance is especially higher on rainy days. 

Besides local residents visiting the museum, there have also been more out-of-towners from all over Alberta, including St. Albert, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove and so on. 

“They’re camping around here and they’re coming to the museum,” Churchill noted. 

There have also been a few out-of-province visitors from B.C. and Newfoundland, as well as one Mexico couple who happened to be in the area. 

The Barrhead Centennial Museum is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com