Sombra Museum
3476 St Clair Pky N0P 2H0 Sombra, ON, Canada

Happy Friday everyone! Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? https://sombramuseumshop.square.site/

What better way to celebrate Family Day than with a sweet photo of one of Sombra's founding families! L-R: Minnie (Roberts) Holt Lyons, Mrs. (Mary) Joshua Roberts holding Chester (Haynes), Ethel Mae Holt Haynes Photo taken 1910 or 1911.

Happy Valentine's Day! Sending everyone love and greetings with this collection of postcard valentines from c. 1910-1930s!

Countdown to Valentine's Day - Day 6 These cards are from c. 1890-1910. Symbolism was very important in Victorian and Edwardian society. The design could say as much or more than the verse or greeting: ... Forget-Me-Nots = true love, loyalty and respect for the one you love; also honesty Daisies = innocence, purity and true love, because each daisy is actually two flowers blended together in perfect harmony Heart with and arrow = to be lovesick for someone Yellow flowers = happiness, joy and friendship Blue ribbons = softness, trust and loyalty Colour red = joy, passion and love Some people even said that the thickness of a girl or young woman's hair/hat ribbon or bonnet strings, indicated her marital status or availability. Wide ribbons for unmarried young women and girls or widows ready to remarry and thinner ribbons for engaged, married or recently widowed women. Now that you know their meaning, are you hoping for red roses, a bouquet of daisies, maybe some yellow roses or Forget-Me-Nots?

Countdown to #valentinesday - Day 5 Year unknown, this 20th century valentine from our collection features the hearts, flowers and lace motif of older cards, but with the more modern, almost too-bright colouring and one-dimensional printing of the details typical of more modern cards. The design also features a little girl, with children being common subjects on many of the Valentine's Day cards. So sweet!

Countdown to Valentine's Day - Day 4 Sentiments of love, hope and joy have been shared in written form by people for thousands of years! The ancient Chinese sent greeting cards to celebrate Lunar New Year and the Egyptians sent greetings on papyrus scrolls. This card embodies typical romantic imagery of the late 19th century, including the chariot coach, red hearts, pink roses, forget-me-nots, gold accents and the cherub-like young girl playing violin. Look closely at the young girl's skirts to see the interlocking wedding ring pattern in the material.

Countdown to Valentine's Day - Day 3 Ester Howland of Massachusetts was one of the first designers to produce Valentine's cards in the mid-19th century, including multiple layers, lift ups and embossed flowers in her designs. This commercially produced card from c. 1890-1920 is by an unknown designer, but it does have similar characteristics and style to Howland's cards. ... Notice the lovely painted details, layers, embossed lace design and cupid, with subtle "forget me not" message that perfectly captions the image of the young lovers at centre.

These gorgeous limited edition signed and numbered prints of the Daldean Ferry created by Don Christopher are available in our online store while supplies last. Order early to ensure arrival before Christmas. Please call us at (519) 892-3982 for colourized inquiries. Shipping is also available for an additional fee. https://sombramuseumshop.square.site/

If you are looking for some fun family activities for Christmas this year then Sombra Museum's got you covered! https://sombramuseumshop.square.site/

Speaking of the lights being out....a special project is coming soon! #surprise #cantwait #childhoodmemories #literacymatters #lightsout #fundraiser #christmasshopping #museum

The hydro is out on this blustery November Monday! We're prepared though! Along with the emergency lighting providing a bit of atmosphere in the Cultural Centre, we have the retractable ceiling lamp from the former Duthil Presbyterian Church, the gaslight from c. 1915-1920 hanging in the Bury House dining room and an oil lamp from 1900 on the sideboard. If you need a refresh on your coiffe with the curling wand or you need to heat the baby's bottle (or reheat your mid-morning latte ), the wire rack on the oil lamp is for just that! #preparation #lightsout #victorianhouse #museum

In honour of Remembrance Day we would like to share this video in respect to the local soldiers that served in World War I.

The Great Storm lasted for 3 days, November 7th, 1913 November 9th, 1913. It tragically claimed 235 lives and caused 12 shipwrecks. Out of the 12 wrecks, 8 happened on Lake Huron. Charlie Cattanach was a Sombra local who was aboard one of the wrecked ships, sadly not making it home. Temperatures sank to -8 degrees Celsius (15 degrees Fahrenheit), shifting northerly gates with a velocity of 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour) raised waves 11 metres (35 feet) high.... In August of 2000, interestingly, the remains of one of the few unfound ships was located by a fisherman, Donald Chalmers. Chalmers found it with a $100 fish finder when specialized, expensive equipment had failed to locate the ship. The ship had also wrecked in Lake Huron and was call The Wexford (see photograph). It was about 11 kilometres offshore, between Grand Bend and Bayfield. #greatlakes #greatlakeships #greatlakesshipwrecks #greatlakeshistory #southernontario #thegreatstorm