Westfield Heritage Centre
Encyclopedia
The Westfield Heritage Centre is home to the Westfield Heritage Village. The village contains over 30 historic buildings on a 3.4 square kilometres (840 acres) site. The village is located just west of Rockton, Ontario
, Canada
.
In May 1968 the former Wentworth County
agreed to purchase the village for CAD
$32,700. Ownership transferred to the Wentworth County
on November 1, 1968.
The name was changed to Wentworth Heritage Village in 1981 because much of the collection was not of the pioneer era.
The village ceased operation on September 3, 1984 due to a financial crisis. Over the next few years various ideas were discuss ranging from moving the facility to creating a theme park.
Starting in 1985, several scenes from the Anne of Green Gables movie series were shot in the village. Including buildings such as the saw mill, church, train station and general store.
A five year redevelopment began in 1990. The goal was to create a "special events theme centre" and the facility was renamed the Westfield Heritage Centre.
In 2010 the village received a substantial grant from the TD (Toronto Dominion) bank to plant several groves of fruit trees and construct two beehives. As of May 2010 one was in operation and awaiting the arrival of more bees to enlarge the colony. A second beehive is being planned. The aim of the apiary program is to illustrate the importance of the European honey bee (Apius Mellifera ) to the settlers and to raise awareness for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) .
, CHIN
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Brief history
In 1961, the Westfield Pioneer Village Association acquired the original 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land. The goal was to create a hands-on educational facility to teach pioneer life. The original name of the facility was the Westfield Pioneer Village. The village unofficially opened in June 1963 and officially opened in 1964. The village had at least four buildings at this time.In May 1968 the former Wentworth County
Wentworth County, Ontario
Wentworth County, area , is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District in what was then Upper Canada and later Canada West...
agreed to purchase the village for CAD
ISO 4217
ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
$32,700. Ownership transferred to the Wentworth County
Wentworth County, Ontario
Wentworth County, area , is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District in what was then Upper Canada and later Canada West...
on November 1, 1968.
The name was changed to Wentworth Heritage Village in 1981 because much of the collection was not of the pioneer era.
The village ceased operation on September 3, 1984 due to a financial crisis. Over the next few years various ideas were discuss ranging from moving the facility to creating a theme park.
Starting in 1985, several scenes from the Anne of Green Gables movie series were shot in the village. Including buildings such as the saw mill, church, train station and general store.
A five year redevelopment began in 1990. The goal was to create a "special events theme centre" and the facility was renamed the Westfield Heritage Centre.
In 2010 the village received a substantial grant from the TD (Toronto Dominion) bank to plant several groves of fruit trees and construct two beehives. As of May 2010 one was in operation and awaiting the arrival of more bees to enlarge the colony. A second beehive is being planned. The aim of the apiary program is to illustrate the importance of the European honey bee (Apius Mellifera ) to the settlers and to raise awareness for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) .
Affiliations
The Museum is affiliated with: CMACanadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museums Association is a national organization for the promotion of museums in Canada.The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum sector, representing Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. The...
, CHIN
Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network is a Canadian government-supported organization that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage, largely through the World Wide Web. It aims to give access to Canada's heritage for both Canadians and a worldwide audience, by supporting the...
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada
The Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...
.
External links
- Westfield homepage
- Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth: Westfield Heritage Centre
- Avonlea Treasures - fansite with information on the filming of Anne of Green Gables at Westfield.