NS MUSEUM--HALIBURTON HOUSE CELEBRATES THE BIRTH OF A MUSEUM ----------------------------------------------------------------- In celebration of Museums' Day, July 13, Haliburton House Museum, Windsor, is hosting a special reunion. When Judge Haliburton moved to England in 1856 he auctioned off his belongings in Windsor. More than 80 years later, when the Nova Scotia government became the new owner of Haliburton House, it recruited Hants County residents to help find and acquire anything related to Judge Haliburton and his time. This Saturday, donors or their relatives are invited to visit Haliburton House Museum and bring their memories of a birth of a museum with them. The two people responsible for tracking and collecting much of the initial collection were Robert MacMillan, the MLA for Hants county at the time, and Florence Anslow, the first curator of the museum. They found items in Chester, Halifax, Falmouth, Windsor, Stewiacke, Annapolis Royal, Saint John, Moncton, Ottawa and many other places. Through their efforts and the community's forthcoming generosity, the museum acquired a collection of Haliburton memorabilia. Some of the Weldon collection of china is on display. Mrs. J. W. Weldon was Haliburton's daughter. Also in the house is Haliburton's writing desk, at which he wrote the famous Sam Slick stories. One Hants County resident donated the whale oil lamp that Haliburton used while writing. The lamp had been purchased by the donor's father at the Haliburton auction, and was handed over to the donor with explicit instructions never to sell it. Haliburton's great granddaughter, the Countess of Mayo, sent from Scotland an engraved silver platter given to Judge Haliburton by a London publisher as a kind of payment for having printed Haliburton's work without permission. Because of the enthusiastic response the museum houses many artifacts from the area, that although not directly related to Haliburton, date back to his time. A massive round table, said to be used for playing poker, once used at The Chronicle-Herald office, an eight foot mirror from the Halifax Ladies' College that once belonged to the Uniacke family, the Vice President of King's College's "lug" chair, and the first-place trophy from the first horse race run in Windsor in 1815, can be viewed. This eclectic collection of Nova Scotian artifacts is fitting for Haliburton House. The house itself is also a mix of tastes and styles. Judge Haliburton named the house "Clifton" when it was built in 1830's. Since then Clifton has been passed through many hands, undergone a fire, renovations, and additions, and has served as many uses including a tearoom and a bed and breakfast. Just prior to becoming a museum, the house was empty and in disrepair to the chagrin of many of Haliburton's fans. Letters came into the local papers from concerned people as far away as Ohio, stating their dismay regarding the state of the house. Now 200 years after Haliburton was born, Haliburton House, though not exactly as the judge left it, has captured his 19th century lifestyle for good, thanks in a large part to the citizens of Hants County. -30- Contacts: Joan Waldron 902-424-7398 Emma McKennirey 902-424-6435 trp July 08, 1996 - 10:30 a.m.