2013 – CELEBRATING THE 125th ANNIVERSARY OF MANSON’S LANDING
(Curated by Laurel Bohart, mounted by Lynne Jordan and Jill Pakulak)
On exhibit was 125 years of Manson’s Landing, beginning with Michael and John Manson, brothers from the Shetland Islands, who settled here to open a trading post and to farm. In 1888 Mike Manson purchased Lot 64 which is now the Manson’s Landing Provincial Park.
Photos from those early days right up to the present (2013) showed how the community evolved and grew. Artifacts from the Manson family included household and farming equipment loaned by Mike and Donna Manson from Sunny Brae Farm, John Manson’s original homestead. From the Museum’s collection, Margaret Manson’s black wedding dress from her marriage to John Manson (ca. 1880s) had pride of place in the display.
The Official Opening of this exhibit on July 14, 2013, also celebrated the completion of the building expansion which increased the square footage by 670, and created a new office, public archives area, new workroom and new properly climate-controlled collection storage areas for both the archives and artifact collections.
During the Opening Ceremony the Department of Agriculture presented a Century Heritage Award to Mike and Donna Manson in recognition of Sunny Brae Farm being a working farm in the same family for over 100 years. After entertainment, refreshments, and ribbon cutting by three young Manson relatives, the 150 guests were invited to tour the exhibit as well as the new building expansion.
