If you are one of those who wondered about the cars parked by the Glengarry Pioneer Museum’s Star Inn last Saturday, I’ve sussed out the source of this influx of strangers. Dunvegan was one of the stops on a Mensa Ottawa field trip. Founded in England in 1946, Mensa International is a pretty exclusive club of intellectual elites; you have to score in the 98thpercentile on a supervised test to be considered for membership. “Mensa” (the Latin word for “table”) was chosen by the group to symbolize a meeting of equals.
In a tour organized by Lochiel resident Leo Lehtiniemi, 15 or 20 members of the Ottawa chapter stopped at local cheese factories, Lochiel’s new winery and the museum in Dunvegan. There, county archivist Allan MacDonald gave a talk about the settlement of Glengarry and the pioneer spirit that still resonates today.As I see it, the only flaw in the group’s plan was that they were hoping to hold their meeting in the unheated Big Beaver Schoolhouse. Saturday, as you may recall, was several degrees short of pleasant. Given the forecast, it might have been wise to gather at the (heated) DRA Hall for the presentation and then mosey on down to crossroads for a tour of the museum site. But what do I know, I ain’t anywhere near the 98thpercentile.
A really brilliant idea…
I ran into Jeff Manley, Dunvegan’s representative on Council, on Saturday and he confirmed that councillors from both North and South Glengarry had unanimously approved a plan put forth by honourary Dunveganite Allan MacDonald to relocate the Glengarry County Archives to Kenyon Street in Alexandria. Kudos to our elected representatives for doing so.
Most recently home to the Knight’s of Columbus, the Archive’s new location is one of the earliest structures in Alexandria. Which makes it a perfect site for the repository of the County’s historical documents. Underneath the frosting of 1970s stucco and other remuddling modernizations, stands a heritage limestone house that appeared on the first hand-drawn map of Alexandria from 1823. Built by Colonel Angus Macdonell, nephew of Bishop Macdonell of St. Raphel’s fame, the structure was once considered the “most beautiful” house in the county. Nearly 200 years later, it still retains traces of the original interior plaster moulding. As further proof of its age, the Macdonell House is the only building on Kenyon Street that isn’t parallel to the road… because there was no Kenyon Street when it was built. In 1843, a year after Col. Macdonell’s demise, Joel Clark of Alexandria rented the mansion and outfitted it as a hotel that boasted “a retired situation from the noise and bustle of the main road.”
With nearly 8,000 square feet of space, the Archive’s new home (which will hopefully open its doors in Fall 2020) should be more than adequate for the County’s needs, well into the foreseeable future. However, to realize this dream, it will take more than just the support of the two municipal councils. There will also need to be a concerted community fundraising effort. But, the result will be worth it, because the history we save today will be there for generations to come.
GPM clean-a-thon this weekend
Fingers crossed, this will be the last time I have to revisit this event. At least for this year. I learned late last week that the cleaning bee at the Dunvegan museum had been rescheduled yet again… to Saturday, May 4ththis time. It was a good call, because Saturday’s weather was not conducive to attracting volunteers. The timing of the third attempt will be the same as the others: 9:30 until around noon. If you haven’t done so already, please let Jennifer know if you can come. You can contact her at 613-527-5230 or info@glengarrypioneermuseum.ca.
“Policing” Glengarry’s roadsides
A week ago Thursday, I chatted with Bruce MacGillivray as he passed by on his mission to stash the trash in our little corner of the Township. Bruce and his wife Lynn had set a wide swath of County Road 24 as their goal… from the Dunvegan sign at the east end of the hamlet to well east of our place, I believe. As a consequence, they went so far as to mechanize their collection activities by hitching a trailer behind an ATV that was replete with trash bags and recycling bins.
Now there may have been others, but I can attest to first hand knowledge of two other Dunvegan Road households that participated in North Glengarry’s Pitch-in Week appeal for volunteers to help clean up ditches, parks and roadsides. A pair of filled-to-bursting Pitch-In trash bags were spotted outside the home ofClaire Wallace and Allan Walker. And the same number stood beside the entrance to Jim and Marlie Tilker’s laneway.
I’m glad to see that Tim Horton’s sponsored this year’s event as, in my experience, much of the jetsam found beside the highways and byways of North Glengarry can be traced back to their customers; patrons who may be ill-advised to even dream of Mensa membership. However, I see no reason why the community-minded majority, who don’t litter, have to clean up after those who do. Perhaps O.P.P. Auxiliary members could be tasked with anti-littering blitzes that see offenders who, instead of slap-on-the-wrist fines, are sentenced to community service “policing” the roadsides.
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