The Cobourg Museum Foundation was incorporated under the laws of the province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

on November 22, 1999. Letters Patent of Incorporation were issued on November 22, 1999, with

Douglas Sifton Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, Muriel Edwards and Joan Chalovich as the first directors. The Foundation's creation grew out of the gradual deterioration of a

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

building believed to be the oldest building in the Town of

Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberla ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Purpose

The first of the objects of incorporation was "to acquire, restore and preserve the ancient limestone building known as 'The Barracks', located in the Town of Cobourg in the County of Northumberland, and to dedicate it to public use." In 2000 the old building was purchased and restoration work begun. On June 9, 2012, the building was opened to the public as the Exhibition Hall of the Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre, named after two of the founding members.

Charitable Status

On February 4, 2000, Cobourg Museum Foundation Inc. was designated as a Charitable Organization by the

Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA; , ''ADRC'') was a department of the government of Canada and existed from November 1, 1999 until December 12, 2003. It was created from the merging of Revenue Canada with Canada Customs ().

. It has received some funding from federal and provincial programs and has membership in the vicinity of 100 individuals and families.

Further Development

File:Model_Sifton_Cook_Heritage_Centre.jpg, Site Plan showing Administrative Cottage and Exhibition Hall In 2008, an 1860s workman's cottage, located on a nearby site slated for redevelopment, was donated to the Foundation and moved on site. Now fully restored, it houses a Visitors' Centre including a

gift shop A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collection ...

and

research centre A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural sc ...

Ongoing Projects

While the first project of the CMF was the restoration of its two buildings and their development into a local heritage centre, other small projects were undertaken concurrently. In 2002 the CMF began its Outreach Program by putting on the first of its annual February

Ontario Heritage Day Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

displays at a local mall. In 2003 it continued its Outreach Program by putting on an exhibit about the War of 1812 at the local

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

and staging a

re-enactment Reenactment, re-enactment or reënactment may refer to: Legislation * Consolidation bill, a bill that consolidates several Acts of Parliament into a single Act in the United Kingdom * Repeal with reenactment, where a law is replaced with one more ...

event. Since then exhibits have been created on the subject of "The Role of the Blacksmith in the Early Economy of Upper Canada" and "The History of the Mississauga First Nation at Alderville". On two occasions the "barracks" has been included in the

Doors Open Ontario A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide securit ...

event in Cobourg. The CMF has participated in Cobourg's popular July 1 Waterfront Festival a number of times with the purpose of informing visitors about the unique history of the area. In its opening season, as Cobourg celebrated the 175th anniversary of its incorporation, the Heritage Centre concentrated on 1837 the year of incorporation. Many of the exhibits were in the form of panels with text and graphics. These are available for viewing on the CMF website. It is envisioned that much of what the Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre will display in the future will be of a digital nature using modern

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

. Recent projects of this nature include an interactive timeline of Cobourg's history, which resides on th
website
and the ongoing cataloguing of books which relate to

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

and are owned by members. A

picture gallery An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a project ...

of local mills is being gathered and posted o
Flickr

Opportunities

The CMF has a strong and active

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

board of directors, but there are always opportunities for other interested people to take an active part in the guiding of visitors, the development of exhibits,

membership development Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

and other areas.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cobourg Museum Foundation

Flickr
Organizations based in Ontario Cobourg