The History of The Elgin Military Museum
The museum is open year round for your
convenience. Located at the corner of Talbot St. at Pleasant St.,
this is the view of the main entrance from Pleasant St. parking
lot.
The Beginning
In the spring of 1975, a group of associate members of the Elgin
Regiment was invited to meet the Commanding Officer to discuss the
possibility of setting up a Regimental Museum. After much research
over the next 15 months, the concept was expanded to encompass
military history, with an emphasis on Elgin County, its residents,
and the role they have played in Canadian military history.
Finding a Home
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Some early board members at the entrance
to the museum they helped to create. From left to right,
Messrs. Challis, Haneman, Tufford, Moore and Watson, all veterans
of World War II.
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By 1979, the Elgin Military Museum was incorporated as a
non-profit Ontario corporation and a year later it found a home at
30 Talbot St. in St. Thomas in a heritage home circa 1854. The
white frame building was located next door to the Elgin County
Pioneer Museum and work began to convert the building and to
negotiate and construct a connecting link between the two museums.
Finally, on September 25, 1982, the Museum formally opened to the
public.
National Attention
In 1994, the entire Museum was converted into a large exhibit
relating to the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and the
Museum organized events throughout the community. The actions of
the Museum received national attention and it is worthy of note
that the National Co-ordinator of the D-Day commemoration chose to
be in our community for our formal dinner, church service and
parade.
Construction begins on the 1998 expansion adding new exhibit
space as well as storage and laboratory facilities.
Time to Grow
While the building offered many advantages, by 1996 it was
decided to expand the Museum and move all the exhibit spaces to the
main floor. Planning and fundraising were initiated and the Museum
began construction of a 2,200 square foot addition (on two levels)
in June of 1998. The new addition, which provided a 1,100 square
foot exhibit space on the main level and new storage and workshop
space on the lower level, opened in time for Remembrance Day
celebrations in 1998. The new workshop space included: a dedicated
conservation laboratory and a weapons vault protected by a 3 ton
bank vault door (obtained from a bank being demolished). Other
improvements were made throughout the Museum including a new HVAC
system upgrading air filtration for the entire building to HEPA
standards, improved insulation and other items.
The Museum expanded into Duncombe house in
2007, seen here from from Talbot Street.
Here We Grow Again
In 2007, the Pioneer Museum moved to a new location and the
Elgin Military Museum purchased their old building (already
physically connected to the Museum). The new part was renamed the
Duncombe
House Heritage Centre, a process that again doubled the size of
the Elgin Military Museum. The House came with a heritage of its
own. A provincial Blue Plaque cites it as the home of the Talbot
Dispensary one of the first medical schools in Upper Canada.
What We Do
Throughout this time, the Museum has worked to collect, record,
interpret and exhibit items relating to military history with an
emphasis on Elgin County and its residents. Today, the Museum
boasts close to 9,000 files on individuals from the County, some
dating back to the War of 1812, and our research is ongoing.
Then…
Collections
The Museum collection also continues to grow, both in scope and
in appeal to visitors. In 2007, the Museum was offered a collection
of some 600 UN and NATO badges, described by one appraiser as "the
best collection I have seen outside of the UN in New York".
Although the donor was not a resident of Elgin County or even of
Ontario, he felt that the Museum would provide the best home for
his collection.
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and now…
Acquisitions
Currently, the Museum is working on a Movable Cultural Property
application relating to another collection being offered to the
Museum; this being a 3,000+ piece collection of items relating to
the Royal Canadian Engineers, lovingly put together over a career
by an individual. Again, this individual approached our Museum to
offer us the collection and as the appraisers work to establish a
value for the application, the values are significant.
Our next great adventure - HMCS Ojibwa as she
appeared during her shake-down voyage in 1965.
Project Ojibwa
A Great Idea is Surfacing
Our latest endeavour, a plan to convert the former HMCS Ojibwa,
an Oberon Class submarine from the Cold War era, to a museum
facility represents the exception to our general rule. By its mere
scale, Project Ojibwa has required the Museum to begin to apply for
larger grants, as the scope of this project is beyond our means in
the limited time available to save this vessel from the wrecker's
yard and to do so during the 100th Anniversary of the Royal
Canadian Navy. This nonetheless reflects the original attitude and
focus of the Museum set by the founders, very few of whom are alive
today - that the Museum will grow and prosper by our hard work and
effort and will be an asset rather than a burden to our community.
The Museum Board and membership see Project Ojibwa as a natural progression
of this philosophy. They believe that this project will be a great
addition to our community and an asset for many years to come,
creating a wonderful attraction, an economic asset in a very
depressed area and a fitting tribute to all who have served in our
naval forces, a branch of the forces only very rarely seen in the
middle of Canada. There are still many things to negotiate and
funding to be raised for the accompanying support building;
however, we are confident that a steady hand on the helm and more
hard work will see us through.