Trevor's Pick - Week 3

This week's  member of the museum to pick a favourite artifact for Staff Pick Saturday is long-time volunteer, Trevor Stanton. Trevor is a very helpful member, as he works hard to help with cataloguing items into the museum's collection. As a result, he has worked first-hand with many of the fascinating objects in the museum. When asked about his favourite artifact in the museum's collection, Trevor named the Star Inn.

This heritage building, built in the 1840's, is a wonder all on its own. The Star Inn is the only building standing in its original location - at the crossroads of Dunvegan. All other heritage buildings have been relocated (some disassembled log by log) from around Glengarry County and settled on the museum's property. First, the building was a home to settlers. Then, it became a general store - an integral part of a pioneer village. After its use as a store, it became a hotel called the Star Inn. The Star Inn was busy, as was the rest of Dunvegan, in the middle to late eighteen hundreds. The hamlet was a popular stagecoach stop between Ottawa and Montreal. Moving by horse and buggy was slow, so many small hamlets and towns in Glengarry were home to hotels for travelers. The museum was last owned in the 19th century by Donald MacMillan, whose descendant donated the building to the Glengarry Historical Society. The Glengarry Pioneer Museum opened in 1962, 55 years ago, with this sole building.

The main floor includes a kitchen, a parlour, and a barroom. Like today, the kitchen was the heart of the home, always busy with work. The variety of household tools provides a hint of the action that took place here. Cooking, cleaning, churning butter, hauling water, making candles, preserves, washing clothes and more. Food must have always been cooking. The large dough box in the corner would have been used almost every day. There once was a summer kitchen attached to the Star Inn so that cooking and baking would not overheat the entire building. The parlour is home to a beautiful pump organ which could be used to entertain guests. The bar is believed to be one of the oldest in Eastern Ontario.  Only men were allowed in the bar, and they were not allowed to serve on Sunday.  The bar is still licensed and used for special events (even the odd Sunday). On the top floor, there are two private bedrooms for guests, the innkeepers' room attached to a children's room, and a common room. The common room was very versatile: it was used for church services, various gatherings, and sometimes the floor was slept on by travelers for a reduced rate.

Over the half century that the museum has been interpreting this building there have been multiple reports of spirits in this building. Several Curators over the years have had visitors report a very similar story of a stern woman "spirit" upstairs at the Inn. One such individual who gave this report absolutely refused to go upstairs and was visibly disturbed by her encounter.

The Star Inn is home to many interesting artifacts including a dumb stove, an alcohol proofing kit, and a small melodian (type of pump organ). With its original windows and doors, ghostly rumours, and interesting history, it is a must-see when visiting the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. With this rich history and multitude of artifacts within, it is no wonder the Star Inn is Trevor Stanton's favorite artifact.