Exhibits - Norfolk County Heritage and Culture

NCA – Crime & Punishment: Maintaining Order in Norfolk County

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 2 April 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on NCA – Crime & Punishment: Maintaining Order in Norfolk County

NCA – Crime & Punishment: Maintaining Order in Norfolk CountyCrime & Punishment: Maintaining Order in Norfolk County Runs until August 29, 2025 The exhibit explores 125 years of Norfolk County’s legal system, focusing on the County Courthouse and Jail, highlighting famous true crime stories and exploring the history of local law enforcement. Visitors will delve into a variety of artifacts and archival materials that reveal the complex history of crime and punishment and the lasting impact of historical justice practices.

Black and White Photo advertising an archival exhibit of the Norfolk Old Boys and Girls Reunion: 100 Years

NCA – Carillon 100: A Century of Remembering

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 7 January 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on NCA – Carillon 100: A Century of Remembering

NCA – Carillon 100: A Century of RememberingRuns until May 29, 2026 The “Carillon 100: A Century of Remembering” exhibit explores the history of Norfolk County’s War Memorial. 100 years ago, the iconic Carillon Tower was dedicated to the 216 men and 1 woman from Norfolk who lost their lives during the Great War of 1914-1918. Over 500 Great War Veterans, bands, dignitaries and school children marched in the largest parade ever seen in Norfolk County. Now 100 years later, Carillon Tower continues to serve as a lasting memorial to the brave Norfolk residents who fought for freedom.

DTMHC – What’s the Alternative?

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 5 January 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on DTMHC – What’s the Alternative?

DTMHC – What’s the Alternative?MAY – DEC The sandy soil that is ideal for flue-cured tobacco also lends itself well to a plethora of other crops. The decline in tobacco production and the shift to alternative crops in recent years has made Norfolk County one of the most diverse agricultural areas in Canada. This new exhibit explores the transition from tobacco to crops like lavender, ginseng, and many others that make Norfolk “Ontario’s Garden.”

WHAM – Textile Tenacity

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 5 January 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – Textile Tenacity

WHAM – Textile of TenacityJUL 9 – SEP 27 Red and white is a classic colour scheme for quilt making that was very popular for over a century. This exhibition explores the infinite variations of pattern and design possible using just these two colours as well as the reasons behind why these colours were often paired. Many of these quilts were made for fundraising purposes but others were made for domestic use and of course today, in Canada, red and white has a particular patriotic meaning. Come and celebrate over 50 red and white quilts, gathered from across southwestern Ontario, on...

PDHM – Dover Ducks

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 5 January 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on PDHM – Dover Ducks

PDHM – Dover DucksJUL 16 – JAN 1 DOVER DUCKS: The Carvings of Thircul Church Unhappy with the hunting ducks available on the market, Port Dover’s Thircul Church taught himself how to make his own decoys. Now approaching 50 years of carving, Thircul has crafted nearly 1500 ducks and birds. – see a handful of the working decoys, decorative ducks, shorebirds and a few wonderful one off that’s he’s carved.

DTMHC – Delhi’s Team Takes the Lead: Norfolk’s Golden Era of Bike Racing

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 2 January 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on DTMHC – Delhi’s Team Takes the Lead: Norfolk’s Golden Era of Bike Racing

DTMHC – Delhi’s Team Takes the Lead: Norfolk’s Golden Era of Bike RacingSEP – DEC Bikes blaze around the track at an astonishing 70 km per hour and a 55-degree angle as they navigate the corners of the Delhi velodrome. Local cyclists had one of the most modern indoor circuits in the province and it was built by one of its own. Albert Coulier went on to build tracks around the world and raced in his fair share. This new exhibit explores Norfolk’s champions, builders, and innovators in a sport not for the faint of heart.

WHAM – Leaving Their Mark: Folk Artists of Norfolk

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 1 January 2025. Posted in Current Exhibits, Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – Leaving Their Mark: Folk Artists of Norfolk

WHAM – Leaving Their Mark: Folk Artists of NorfolkNOV 29, 2025 – MAR 15, 2026 Folk art has come to represent the storied identity of the everyday person – from the people, to the people. The naivety, in various forms and functions, is captivating, as are the makers. Leaving Their Mark showcases two centuries of diverse and notable folk art through a comprehensive assembly of uniquely Norfolk pieces.

WHAM – A Disappearing Landscape: The Townsend Barns Project

Written by Norfolk Heritage & Culture on 16 July 2024. Posted in Virtual Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – A Disappearing Landscape: The Townsend Barns Project

A Disappearing Landscape: The Townsend Barns ProjectCombining the Historical Society’s 20 plus years of research and hundreds of photographs with an online interactive portal, the project highlights the rural landscape through historic barns and agricultural outbuildings. Click the image below to access.

WHAM – Norfolk County Cabinet Makers

Written by headperson on 19 July 2023. Posted in Virtual Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – Norfolk County Cabinet Makers

Virtual Exhibit WHAM – Norfolk County Cabinet MakersThe following represents documented individual makers and factories in business between 1840 and 1965. While not complete, it is the most comprehensive list currently available. The date indicates the year the maker/factory was recorded as being in operation and not the year established. If you have information about a maker from Norfolk County not listed, please email the Waterford Heritage & Agricultural Museum with details. (Sources: WHAM files, Norfolk County Archive files, and “The Cabinet Makers of Norfolk County” published by...

Archibald Reid Walnut Sideboard in the late-Empire style c.1850

WHAM – Archibald Reid, Vittoria

Written by headperson on 19 July 2023. Posted in Virtual Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – Archibald Reid, Vittoria

Virtual Exhibit WHAM – Archibald Reid, VittoriaArchibald Reid is credited with making some of the most beautiful and finely crafted furniture in Norfolk County. He learned his trade in Scotland, immigrating to Canada and setting up a cabinet making shop and undertaking business in the village of Vittoria around 1847. Photograph of Archibald Reid Archibald Reid Walnut Sideboard in the late-Empire style c.1850 (collection of Norfolk County Heritage and Culture) Advertisement from the O.L. Fuller Business Directory Rod-Back Windsor side...

Judd Showroom from an advertising postcard (collection of WHAM)

WHAM – James William Judd, Waterford

Written by headperson on 19 July 2023. Posted in Virtual Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – James William Judd, Waterford

Virtual Exhibit WHAM – James William Judd, WaterfordOne of Norfolk County’s more contemporary and perhaps most recognizable furniture manufacturers was James William Judd who, in 1968, officially launched Judd Gunstocks Limited in Waterford, Townsend Township. Judd Gunstock started on “the road to success” by producing what were described as the finest hand-crafted gunstocks in the country. The company distributed to major firearm manufactures throughout Canada and the United States. Judd Showroom from an advertising postcard (collection of WHAM) Judd DisplayIn...

Detail of Barber’s classic “sun” motif carving

WHAM – John L. Barber, Waterford

Written by headperson on 19 July 2023. Posted in Virtual Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – John L. Barber, Waterford

Virtual Exhibit WHAM – John L. Barber, WaterfordJohn L. Barber was the youngest of five sons and three daughters, children of John Sr. and Elizabeth Barber. He was born in Townsend and spent most of his life in the area. At an early age he went to Simcoe and learned the trade of cabinet making. Around 1829, he married Abigail Shaw and settled in Waterford. The J.L. Barber firm, also known as the Waterford Furniture Factory, was established soon after and operated for nearly 40 years. The factory produced a wide arrange of finished pieces as well as providing undertaking services....

McCall Furniture (collection of the Port Rowan/South Walshingham Heritage Association)

WHAM – McCall Factory, St. Williams

Written by headperson on 19 July 2023. Posted in Virtual Exhibits. No Comments on WHAM – McCall Factory, St. Williams

Virtual Exhibit WHAM – McCall Factory, St. WilliamsThe McCall Furniture Factory in St. Williams, was one of the largest producers of furniture in Norfolk County. Daniel McCall founded what would become a family firm in the 1860’s and worked in partnership with both William McBurney and later John Mason. For a time, the business was known as McCall, McBurney & Company and also McCall’s Planing Mill. McCall Factory c.1910 (near the corner of Townline St. & Queen St. East McCall Furniture (collection of the Port Rowan/South Walshingham Heritage Association)...