Artefacts

Toys were often left behind when Mennonites immigrated, but new ones were made shortly after arriving. This homemade ball was used by children when they weren’t working on the farm.

This math book comes from Blumenhof Private School (West Reserve). One of the promises made to the Mennonites was that they could educate their children in their own schools in German. However, legislation passed in 1916 required all education to be in English, and is one of the factors that led to Mennonites leaving for Mexico and Paraguay in the 1920s.

The Haube was a head covering worn by Mennonite women while attending worship services. This Haube was made in 1890.

Olga Lechelt emigrated to Canada from Volhynia, Imperial Russia in 1912 with six of her siblings, leaving her parents and seven other siblings behind. Olga settled in Friedensfeld and played the mandolin and the guitar. Her sibling who settled in the United States may have bought this mandolin for her.

This tractor is nearly identical to those sent to Ukraine by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in 1923 during the Ukrainian famine. The one at MHV was restored to factory specifications between 2009 and 2010.

In Anna Toews’ journal, she documented recipes and remedies for curing the ailments of the people she treated. As a widwife in Blumenort (East Reserve) from 1893 to 1932, she delivered almost 1000 babies, and lent her services to the Metis people of Ste. Anne and Richer.

This chair was brought to Canada by Martin Klassen in 1874. With space being at a premium, Mennonite immigrants often left items like this behind. Sometimes, families would take just the backing of the chair (if it was handcarved) then rebuild the rest of the chair when they arrived.

Martyrs Mirror was first published in 1660 and features stories of Christian martyrs. Abraham L. Dueck and his family arrived in 1874 with a copy of this book in their possession.

This dish was given to John and Maria Harder on their wedding day in 1890. Dishes were a common item to bring on the journey to Canada, usually stored in their Travel Chest, or ‘Tjist’.

This shoe was found in an archaeological excavation that took place at the former Plett homestead, in the village of Blumenhof (East Reserve), 3 miles north of Steinbach. The excavation took place from 2008 to 2012.

This hat was found in an archaeological excavation that took place at the former Plett homestead, in the village of Blumenhof (East Reserve), 3 miles north of Steinbach. The excavation took place from 2008 to 2012.