July 5, 2015 – Grand re-opening of
Macdonell-Williamson House

(With permission, from The Review)

by Tara Kirkpatrick
C H U T E – À – BLONDEAU – After two years of re-construction, the MacDonell-Williamson (MW) House is gleaming with new paint and fresh exhibits. The museum re-opens to visitors on Sunday, July 5, with an opening celebration between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The MW House closed in July, 2013 for major renovations to improve the structure of the building, which was erected by John Macdonell, upon his retirement in 1817.

The house, known to many as ‘Poplar Villa’, or ‘Scotus’, is located on the Ottawa River, adjacent to the Village of Pointe- Fortune. It has long served as one of the markers between Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) and was acquired in 1978 by the Ontario Heritage Foundation to save it from demolition.

During renovations at that time, extensive archaeological and architectural investigations were carried out. The house later reopened to serve as a museum.

Over the past two years, crews from Ontario Heritage Trust have worked to improve the structure and aesthetics of the building. The main floor was reinforced and the floor joists on the second floor were connected to the stone walls. Last fall, plaster stabilization and repair was done by Iconoplast. Construction continued this spring, with repairs to the walls and mouldings, painting and extensive cleaning. All of the antiques and collectibles were removed from MW House during renovations and many of the items have found new homes in new exhibits and arrangements.

New displays,
new exhibits
and a full lineup
for summer weekends “

There are many new displays and lots of new antiques,” said MW House volunteer George Henderson, who adds that the Friends of MW House are proud to reopen the heritage site to guests this summer.

During renovations to the kitchen, some new heritage pieces were literally unearthed beneath the broken wooden floors. Archaeologists were tasked with combing the site, where they uncovered a variety of items including smoking pipes, marbles for games, plates, pieces of brass and other items that will now be on display.

The MacDonell- Williamson House is located at 25 Chemin des Outaouais, in Chute-à-Blondeau and is open between July 5 and late August, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends.

More info: mwhouse.ca