IT JUST HAPPENED
Ab and Harriet Chapman
At the beginning it wasn't a dream, or even a thought to own our own
Museum or anything of that nature. It was just a desire to acquire a
set of crockery jugs from the small pint to a large five-gallon. This
started after we purchased the old General Store at Carnegie. While
dismantling it, we discovered a huge five-gallon jug in one of the
corners. It found a place in our kitchen and in no time was the center
of a set of other sizes and trade names. Then along came Canada's 100th
Birthday - 1967 - with the desire to set up a small display as our way
of celebrating the Centennial. Well! We had an empty "Bunk House''
which had been built during the 1940's to
accommodate extra harvesters needed to help with our farming
operations. This seemed like the ideal spot to put the jugs, churns,
and a few other articles acquired during 30 years of wedded bliss. From
there it was off and running! We were bitten by the "Bug". We came to
know the fun and rivalry of Auction Sales. We found ourselves the
recipients of gifts from folk who didn't want to throw old, unused
articles away, but who wished them to be kept undercover. Soon our
"Bunk House" was bulging at the seams. Luckily, some years prior to
1967, we had purchased the Pendennis Railway Station which we intended
to use for grain storage. It was moved to a new location and soon
became part, and full, of our collection. The "Complex" as we now call
if as it seems to be "the word" nowadays, is made up of Robinville
School, a Jug House, a General Store, a Library, andSmoke Shop
combined, as well as the two above-mentioned buildings. Oh yes, the
"Bunk House" has been renamed-the "Glass-House". Much more
sophisticated.
Pendennis
Station at the Chapman Museum
Before they knew it they had sixteen buildings that represented the
scope of the region’s history. The collection included five one-room
schools, a store, a few houses and a church. In those buildings were
treasures that tell the story of the times.
Things like; a collection of glassware and china, a huge Bible with an
inscription on the cover showing it was given as a gift in 1756, a
"Grain Growers Guide", from September 10th, 1919, a GTP baggage wagon,
a feed cooker or pig scalder, a Raleigh's pedder's carrying case from
1921.It was an array of farm and domestic equipment that documented
prairie life at the turn of the 20th century. Eventually the operation
of the museum was taken over by their daughter and son-in-law, Lois and
Gordon Allen.
At its peak, the museum averaged over 400 visitors per year. Schools,
Churches and Sunday Schools, Cubs, Senior Citizens, and Pioneer Groups
were regulars.
In 2014, the museum closed after forty-seven years of operations.
Ab Chapman - Farmer, municipal
official, archivist.
Born on the family farm near Rivers on February 3rd, 1918, Ab was a
Councillor and Reeve for 42 years, and was President of the Union of
Manitoba Municipalities (1974-1979). He was instrumental in the
building of Riverdale Hospital at Rivers and was its first Chairman;
was the first President of WestMan Regional Development Limited at
Brandon.
In recognition of his exemplary community service, he received the
Manitoba Golden Boy Award in 1964, the Spirit of ‘70 Citation in1970,
and many such citations thereafter including induction into the
Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame. He died on 7 August 2013 and is
buried in the Roseville Cemetery.
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