John Walter Museum
9180 Walterdale Hill T63 2V3 Edmonton, AB, Canada

Do you have a wood stove in your house or do you have memories of cooking on one? We'd love to hear about your favourite wood stove cooked food or any questions you may have about them! Share below!

Valentine's Day is just two weeks away! Why not craft up a home made Valentine and pop it in the mail this week for someone special? Perhaps you know a senior who is living on their own or someone who could use some extra cheering up - this is the year to do something extra special! City of Edmonton Archives CA EDM MS-1071-EA-600-3841a... https://cityarchives.edmonton.ca/mark-dolgoy-and-margaret-z

We may not be open to the public at this time, but our curatorial team are keeping a close eye on the houses. Here are a few lovely photos from inside the houses that they have taken over the last few weeks. Please let us know if you have any questions about what you see!

If you've had the pleasure of being inside the Third House (big, blue house) at John Walter Museum, you might remember that Annie's bedroom is on the main floor, at the front of the house. This room would not have typically been used as a bedroom, but as Annie aged and her mobility changed it became a logical choice to avoid the stairs leading to the second floor bedrooms. Prior to this room being a bedroom, it was the parlour, which was the room in the house meant for hosting guests, always pristine and kept to a high standard.

Have you been baking up a storm these many months? We know Annie Walter loved to bake because one of her dreams was to go to New York to become a pastry chef. Here is a photograph of the bread raising bowl that is believed to have belonged to her. Do you have any special kitchen gadgets in your home that enhance your baking or cooking? Share a photograph or story below. Photo Credit: City of Edmonton Heritage Collection.

Though John Walter Museum remains closed, we would like to keep in touch with you! Over the next few months, we want to answer some of your questions and provide content that you are interested in. Do you have a question about John or Annie Walter, Walterdale or Edmonton's early days? Would you like to see photos or are there particular artifacts that you are interested in? Let us know in the comment section of this post and with the help of our curators, we will do our best to answer!

A very distinctive seating arrangement was the Orkney chair. Wood was always a scarce commodity in Orkney, so the chair back is made with woven straw instead. The distinctive high and curved back rest keeps the seated person protected from drafts, which would be common in stone crofts. Photo Credit: Benita Hartwell

Light would have come from the Cruisie lamp, like the one pictured here on display at the Kirbuster Farm Museum. The top is filled with oil (fish or whale) or grease, then a twisted rag is hung over the end of the spout. The bottom part catches the dripping oil. Photo Credit: Benita Hartwell

In a croft home like the one John Walter would have grown up in, fires were made using peat, which is far more prevalent than wood in Orkney. Peat is partially decayed vegetable matter found in areas such as bogs. The peat is cut out of the soil and dried before it can be used. In homes such as the one preserved at Kirbuster Farm Museum, peat was stored in the peat neuk. Photo Credit: Benita Hartwell

John Walter would have grown up with his family in a croft home very much like the one preserved at the Kirbuster Farm Museum. The museum has the last living example of a "firehoose," where the home is built around a central hearth, in this case, with a peat fire. Photo Credit: Benita Hartwell

John Walter would have grown up with his family in a stone croft home very much like the one preserved at the Kirbuster Farm Museum. It was not unusual for these homes to be one piece construction with separated rooms, including the byre, where livestock like cows, chickens, and sheep would be housed. It was easier to heat. Photo credit: Benita Hartwell

The parish of Stenness, where John Walter grew up, features the remnants of two significant Neolithic monuments. The second is the Standing Stones of Stenness, also dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. Photo credit: Benita Hartwell