Handcrafted dollhouse at Hampton museum has history in every room
Anne Renwick donated her grandfather's recreation of Norton family homestead to Kings County Museum
In 1972, the Kings County house that belonged to Anne Renwick's ancestors caught on fire, but the home's history lives on thanks to her donation of a special heirloom to the Kings County Museum.
"At that time, I was getting interested in miniatures, and my grandfather, being a carpenter, we got together and decided to bring the little house to life," said Renwick, who now lives in Montreal.
"I said, 'Grandpa, could you please make me a replica of the house?' We had been many times to visit when we were children … so we had all kinds of stories about it. So it just felt right."
Renwick said the farmhouse, called Clover Hill, belonged to her ancestors, the Cassidys, who came to Norton from Ireland in the early 1800s. They purchased pieces of property over the years and expanded the homestead, which included wheat, cattle and oat farming, as well as a cheese factory, maple syrup production and a carpentry shop.
Renwick said the last family members on the farm had left to live in Fredericton in their old age, and it was while it was vacant that vandals set the barns, and later the home, on fire.
Her grandfather, Allan Cassidy, went to work in his small Fredericton workshop. Renwick said he went to the property and walked the perimeter, taking measurements, making drawings and consulting with others about the place.
He made the details in the dollhouse faithful to the original, including the little sliding door between the summer kitchen and the pantry.
It also contained a miniature version of a Starr stove created by retired architect Edwin Baker, who wanted to be involved with bringing the details to life, said Renwick. She said Baker also helped make other pieces, such as a model dresser with dovetail joints and a functioning rolltop desk.
Her grandmother also made a contribution to the house with a tiny handmade quilt that sits on the bed upstairs.
Renwick said her grandfather worked on the model every single day. He died of cancer shortly after giving her the finished product.
"It was truly a labour of love, not only for me, but for all my cousins and for all the relatives and to keep the family history alive.
And while Renwick has held onto and cherished the model home for years and years, she decided to donate it to the Kings County Museum — a request from her grandfather should she ever decide she couldn't keep it anymore.
She said it feels like the right time to share the piece with others, despite being hard to let go.
"My grandfather used to always say he could feel his father and ancestors at his shoulder while he was making the house, and I felt the same thing as I was donating it," she said.
"There were a few tears shed, but knowing the joy and the pleasure that it will bring to other people, it just was the right thing to do."
At the museum, people can admire the history in every miniature room.
And eventually, the story will come full circle. Renwick said the property, now called Camp Cassidy and still owned by a family member, is a wellness retreat for Canada's military and first responders.
"The house itself is going to be rebuilt eventually as the administration centre," said Renwick, adding that architects will be going to the museum to take measurements and photos of the dollhouse to help rebuild the home.
"It's not just a dollhouse. It's a piece of Kings County history, and it's family history."
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With files from Information Morning Fredericton