Built in 1927, Keir Memorial Presbyterian Church hosted its final services in 1983. Some time later it became the Keir Memorial Museum, a project of the Malpeque Historical Society. The Victorian styled building stands across the street from another historic church, the
Princetown United Church.
Today the museum opens daily from the beginning of July to Labour Day, displaying a raft of artifacts, documents and photos which tell the story of Malpeque and area from its beginnings in about 1803. As well as a building full of displays, outside are arrayed a collection of old agricultural equipment representative of what area farmers would have employed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There's even an old ship's anchor in the collection,
quite likely from a fishing schooner of yore.
Ground driven and wood sided on a steel frame, this old manure spreader would have been horse drawn for a goodly part of its life, at least. The design is somewhat different that any others we've encountered to date, generally more advanced than the average wood sided spreaders. There are individual drives on this spreader, a chain drive on the right wheel and a gear drive on the left wheel, each driving separate sections of the mechanism. In the absence of any maker's marks we're unable to take a guess at to who the manufacturer may have been. Overall, it is in better condition than the majority of spreaders of its type and age, in our experience.
CLICK HERE to see their summer schedule.
CLICK HERE to see a selection of the artefacts to be found within.
Take the time to visit our museum. It's just a short distance from Cabot Provincial Park.
Our museum is very unique because it is housed in the former Keir Memorial Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1927 and closed in 1983.
It is rich in artifacts that tell about the cultural life of the residents as well as the fishing and farming implements used by them.
Wednesdays at the Museum
Every Wednesday morning during the summer we host a program where local guests have an interactive discussion about a variety of topics pertaining to the Malpeque area history.
Admission is free to these chats, but donations are accepted.
Seating is limited, so be sure to arrive early or bring your own chair, it fills up fast!
Princetown Church Hearse
A unique part of the heritage to Princetown is the existence of a horse drawn hearse. It is a vehicle of moderate size, made of glass and wood paneled construction.
The body of the hearse was interchangeable, mounted on a wheeled chassis for the summer months and transferred to a bobsled chassis for the winter.
The hearse is on loan at Keir Memorial Museum where it is in view to the public.
From the Community of Malpeque