One of Carman’s best kept secrets has been at the corner of #245 and King’s Park Road since 1959. We
wish we had a dime for every time we heard “Hmm never been in there.” But for 66 years the Dufferin
Historical Museum has been accumulating over 6000 artifacts, adding the 1875 Sexsmith log cabin and
the 1930 1-room Boyne School.
Our volunteer executives have gone over and above in recent years to attract visitors in the hope that
they will stop in, be amazed and pay it forward to others. We are non-profit dependent on $10
memberships, grants and admissions that enable us to open from June to September yearly, but we
continue to look for ways and means to fundraise and keep in the public eye.
Some formats we have taken on are publishing Memories of Carman and Area books in 2017 and 2024
available for $30, selling sweatshirts, cookbooks and more. We stay visible by manning booths at the Fair,
One Stop Shop and the Co-op as well as inviting schools, businesses, and organizations to book private
tours. Yearly the Boyne School is utilized for a day of teaching in the ways of the past. Hosting events
such as our Christmas at the Museum complete with sleigh rides, and the popular Duck Race every July
help our cause too. The numerous Chamber promotions draw visitors to us as well.
Our mandate is to collect, preserve and display objects of information and historical interest, which may
help establish history to this settlement and those of close proximity. A new website is in development
with a link to a program through the Association of Manitoba Museums, that will allow easier viewing
and searching for these catalogued items. Those items include local histories, biographies, genealogies,
first-hand reports and recollections of pioneers who are still living or passed on from their children.
After years of saving funds, the Board initiated their latest major renovation by knocking out walls of
the previous public washrooms to accommodate a mini kitchen, more storage space and a wheelchair
access washroom. To celebrate this accomplishment, we are offering our Renovation Celebration with
free admission this summer.
So please don’t drive by this time. Stop, browse and ask our attendants to direct you to displays
of...Farming Days of Old, War Times, Carman Band, Sports, Indigenous, Dutch Life, Medical and
Communications trade tools and so much more you will be here all day. We hope!!
Former Boyne School student Mike Kippen restored the School's merry-go-round and donated it to us!
We had to give it one last ride too. Thanks Mike!
That Darned Whistle
Is there anyone in Carman who can truthfully state that they’ve never been startled by the noon siren whistle? I doubt it. Come on, be honest. You’ve probably spilled more coffee because of that screech than for any other reason, including natural disasters. But maybe, just maybe, we ought to be grateful, yes grateful, that “that awful whistle” is no longer in use.
In 1905, a steam plant was generating electricity was built in Carman, and this whistle was installed at the “Power House”. It was blown at 7 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. It was also used as the fire alarm. With a full boiler of steam, it was comparable to the blast to the Queen Mary and could be heard as far away as Roland. When it sounded at night as a fire alarm, citizens would find themselves standing in the middle of the room without any idea how they ha gotten there. It was usually referred to as “that awful whistle!!”
On November 11th, 1918, word was received that the armistice of World War One had been declared, and people gathered in the streets, and the church bells were rung. There was a moment of anxiety, however, when the “fire whistle” started to blow, but it quickly dissolved into laughter when the familiar wail was replaced by the tune of “Pack Up Your Troubles, Tipperary and Mademoiselle from Armentieres.” This impromptu serenade was produced on the whistle by Mr. Frank Evans, the electrician at the Power Plant, and member of the Carman Band.
In 1919, the Hydro came to Carman and the Steam Plant was abandoned. A small tank of compressed air was installed to activate the whistle, but the effect was very feeble compared to its previous shrieks. It was even more pathetic in the winter, when due to frozen pipes, the whistle would emit only a tiny squeak. It was eventually replaced by the electrical siren, which is still in use today..
So, the next time, you’re wiping up spilled coffee, don’t mutter under your breath, but be joyous that “that awful whistle” has been silenced forever.
Article from The Dufferin Leader, 1993
