The McNab Township Heritage and Museum Committee was established by the municipal council of McNab Township in 1966 to organize Centennial year activities and to operate the Waba Cottage Museum located in White Lake Ontario. The name of the committee changed over the years from McNab Parks & Museum Committee to McNab Township Heritage and Museum Committee. It is commonly referred to as the Waba Cottage and Gardens Committee. According to the minutes in this fonds, the position of Chair was first occupied by Mrs. Verna Campbell, followed by Howard Mitchell, Archie McLaren, Stuart Anderson, Anne Carmicheal and Alex Staye. Secretarial duties were held by Marian Van Dusen, Verna Campbell, Olive Somerville, and Brenda Storie.
Language
English
Acquisition Source
Donated by McNab Township Heritage and Museum Committee via Brenda Storie (committee member) and Jim Austin (Waba Cottage curator) in 2005. Accrual of various records kept by R. A. Stewart made in 2000. Accrual in 2012 of Countryside Musings book and articles donated by Neil Stewart. An accrual of material related to the McNab/Braeside Millenium Committee's project to establish gardens at Waba Cottage was added to the series in December 2013.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of Minutes, Correspondence and Administrative records of the committee. Minute books also contain attendance records and in some cases, financial reports. In some cases, gaps occur in the minutes and large gaps occur in the correspondence. Fonds also consists of "Countryside Musings" by Margaret Hamilton which was published by the McNab Parks and Museum Committee in 1977.
Box I16.1
File 1: Minutes of the McNab Centennial Committee. -- March 1966 - November 1966. -- 1 minute book, 18 x 23 cm
File 2: Minutes of the McNab Parks & Museum Committee. -- February 1968 - November 1970. -- 2 cm of text
File 3: Minutes of the McNab Parks & Museum Committee. -- March 1971 - November 1973. -- 2 cm of text
File 4: Minutes of the McNab Parks & Museum Committee. -- October 1976 - June 1978 -- 1 minute book, 18 x 23 cm
File 5: Minutes of McNab Township Heritage and Museum Committee. -- August 1983 - August 1993 --2 cm textual records
File 6: Minutes of McNab Township Heritage and Museum Committee. --January 1980 - April 1988 -- 1 minute book, 20 x 25 cm
File 7: Correspondence. -- 1972-1993. -- 3 cm of text.
File 8: Miscellaneous Administrative records, including guest book, list of officers for 1983, Museum opening celebration speech, certificates etc. -- 1973 - 1991. -- 1 ledger, 20 x 25 cm, 1 cm text
Files 9-12: Financial Records including draft budgets, insurance value of contents of Waba Cottage Museum, publication costs and distribution records etc. -- 1978 - 1986 -- 4 cm text
Files 13-15: Countryside Musings. -- 1972 - 1974--hard cover book and 3 files of published articles clipped from the Renfrew Mercury newspaper. The articles selected for publication in the book by the same name were made by McNab Parks & Museum Committee members including R. A. Stewart. An obituary of Margaret Hamilton appears in front as well as tributes by the committee, D. W. McCuaig, Catherine E. Forrest Weber, Mrs. Edna Dewar and Mrs. Doris Humphries. Entries in the book cover the period from 1955 to 1974. Index of topics of local interest include:
Page 1-5 Horton - McNab Telephone Association Limited (Lochwinnoch System)
Page 27-30 September 13, 1957 – Glasgow Station Home of Pioneers
Page 38-40 February 13, 1958 – The Thistle Club
Page 68-70 May 19, 1960 – Arbor Day
Page 153-156 July 16, 1969 – Stewartville Conventicle
Page 73-74 July 21, 1966 – Stewartville Conventicle
Page 74-77 July 28, 1966 – Closing of one room schools – Goshen, one of the oldest in McNab
Page 84-86 November 17, 1966 – Work to indicate accurate place names and boundary limits for large scale maps Ottawa Valley – Renfrew County
Page 92-96 May & June 1967 – Centennial – unveiling of plaque at Castleford – visit of McNab clan Chieftain and wife
Page 98-100 September 14, 1967 – Restoring Waba Lodge
Page 134-136 April 30, 1969- Prepared for door to door mail delivery – Arnprior
Page 187-191 January 24, 1970 – Portrait of a great lady Kathryn Farmer – Arnprior native
Page 258-261 March 31, 1971- 26th anniversary of Glasgow Women’s Institute
Page 334-338
Page 334-338 October 18, 1972- Christina Sutherland Murphy Carswell
Files 16, 17: School Registers for SS#15 (German Settlement) for 1893, 1894 and 1911 as well as School Registers for SS#13 (Lundy's Corner's, Glasgow) for 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1900, 1901, 1912. A CD ROM of images from the registers created by Jim Austin in 2005 is contained in the first file of registers.
File 18: Scrapbook of Arnprior circa 1964 (appears to be a school project by unidentified student. Contains mostly newpaper clippings and 3 colour postcards) File also contains typewritten paper on the History of Arnprior.
File 19: File containing Dr. N. G. Smith's article "Our Goodly Heritage" about Presbyterian History.
File 20: File containing the Life Story of the White Lake Baptist Church 1873 - 1969.
File 21: Original photographs and handwritten notes by Charles Macnamara taken in 1933 about Waba Cottage.
File 22: Photo Album contents about Waba Cottage Museum and Gardens 2001 (flowers & garden volunteers), Summer BBQ July 29 2001, Newspaper clippings of events held at Waba Cottage and Gardens 2000-2001. (Material was been removed from binder and placed in a file in Dec 2013).
File 23: Photo Album contents of Waba Cottage Opening ceremonies in June of 1967 and visit of Chief Archibald Corrie McNab who laid the cornerstone for the museum. (Material was been removed from binder and placed in a file in Dec 2013).
File 24: Photo album contents of the dedication of the Bell from Pine Grove School (S.S. No. 9 McNab) to Waba Cottage Museum grounds 1973 (Material was been removed from binder and placed in a file in Dec 2013).
File 25: Photo album contents of the movement of the 'Temple' (log building used for many purposes) in the East end of the village of White Lake to the site of Waba Cottage and Museum in 1978.
E. C. Stewart and many volunteers from the McNab Park and Museum Committee participated in this event.
File 26: Contents removed from Photo Album/Scrapbook. Contains McNab history and Early History of Balmer Island written by George McLean of Arnprior 1939, photos of interior and exterior of Waba Cottage Museum, article "A stage in the development of Postal Service in Renfrew County, newspaper clippings, Salute to the Valley float by McNab Heritage Committee 1985 etc.
File 27: Photos of McNab/Braeside Heritage Museum Committee's participation in the Arnprior Salute to the Valley Parade 1987 when they won 1st place for their float. Various people are identified including Murray Yantha, Brenda Stewart, Barrie Stewart, William K. Hamilton, Dale Gillan, Gord Brown, Deb McLachlin, Gloria Hamilton, Grace Yantha, Joan Brown, Elizabeth Stewart. Photos from the Lumber Baron Parade of 2000 in Renfrew when they also won 1st prize. Identification of most people was supplied by donor Neil Stewart.
Box G2.6
An accrual of material related to the McNab/Braeside Millenium Committee's project to establish gardens at Waba Cottage was added to the series in December 2013. The Committee chair was Keith Collins and garden designer was Norma Moore. The records include files pertaining to the grant obtained from the Millenium Bureau of Canada, volunteer involvement, financial records, administrative records, garden and site plans etc from 1999-2000. File also includes a copy of Ottawa Valley Living (October 2008) which features an article about Waba Cottage Museum and Gardens by Brian Levesque.
File List:
1. Millenium Bureau of Canada
2. Correspondence
3. Administrative Material (Minutes, reports etc.)
5. Donations (volunteer effort and financial)
6. Financial Records (budgets, project costs, account reports etc.)
7. Special Events
8. Site Plans and Garden Notes
9. Gazebo (erected by A.D.H.S. students)
10. Invoices and Receipts for materials used in construction of garden and site.
11. Ottawa Valley Living magazine October 2008.
Oversized Material: (Map Cabinet #1, Dwr 7)
1. Poster of McNab Days June 22 - July 1 2012 (includes Riverdrive Festival)
2. Poster for Waba Cottage Museum & Gardens (showing Waba Cottage Museum, inset map and general info) circa 2013
Notes
The Waba Cottage Museum and Gardens project was a Millenium project of the Heritage Committee.