Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth

Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum

Location:   64 Sulphur Springs Road, Ancaster, Ontario

The modest two bedroom Fieldcote house was originally built by Thomas William Devey Farmer and his wife, Doris H. Farmer in 1947. Thomas was born in Ancaster and was educated at Hamilton Collegiate and Divinity College. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Divinity College. Thomas was hired by The Spectator in 1930. He was the newspaper editor from 1961 to 1965, and in 1966, he was promoted to editor-in-chief. He eventually retired from The Spectator in 1969, and worked for McMaster University as the director of information and development. In 1976, Mr. Farmer died at the age of 66. Throughout his life, Thomas had a deep appreciation for the historical aspects of society. Therefore, Thomas' widow, Doris, arranged for the entire estate to be given to the Conservation Foundation of the Hamilton Region and the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority(HRCA) upon her death. She also arranged for a $200,000 trust for the maintenance of the 2.8 hectares of land, approximately 7 acres on Sulphur Springs Road and to develop a museum out of their English Tudor style cottage.

In February of 1982, Doris H. Farmer died leaving her estate to the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority. Doris Farmer, who had been a member of the Ancaster Township Historical Society, had made her intentions clear regarding the development of the estate. She wanted the lands to be transformed into a botanical garden and the house to be converted into an art gallery and museum. Thus, Fieldcote was destined to become Ancaster's first museum.

The Ancaster Township Historical Society held a special meeting on September 17, 1982 to discuss plans to setup a committee which would negotiate with the region and its conservation authority regarding the development of the property and the museum. In 1984, the Ancaster Town Council approved the conversion of the estate.

Once the museum opened, the first collection to be displayed would be Mr. John Morton's Native collection. Morton, who was a Carluke resident, had received some Native artifacts from his uncle, when he passed away. Morton continued to excavate in search of historical Native pieces and his collection of artifacts reached 9,000 pieces. When John Morton died in 1976, he left the pieces in trust to Ancaster to be housed in "...a suitable museum to provide an important link to the past.". The town decided that Fieldcote would be an appropriate museum to house the collection.

The Fieldcote museum fundraising kickoff was held in March 1986. Over 150 people attended the ceremony in which the plans for the development of the estate were unveiled. During the presentation, Ancaster Mayor, Bob Wade presented the Fieldcote Board with a $25,000 cheque towards the museum's development. Emily Cain, who was the president of the Ancaster Historical Society donated an additional $10,000. The estimated cost for the development of the botanical garden was $318,000 and the structural work on the house was estimated at $150,000. Construction was to begin in July of 1986 and was to be completed by May 1987. The property was to contain an art gallery, museum, orchard, rose garden, kitchen garden, herbal garden, pond, and a conservatory. A. J. Diamond and Partners were hired to make the modifications to the house, while Toronto based EDA Collaborative was hired to design and develop the botanical garden.

The former Mayor of Ancaster, Mrs. Ann Sloat was a firm supporter of the project and believed the museum was of utmost importance to the community and that they should become involved by donating historical items, such as equipment, quilts, and local family histories. She stated "This is the first time that town residents will have a chance to display all the old and valuable artifacts they have squirreled away in their attics."

In December 1986, the Board set a fundraising goal of $300,000 in order to fund an expansion of the house. The expansion would increase the museum's floor space from 55.7 square meters to 140 square meters (600 to 1500 square feet). The government also made operating grants available to the Fieldcote Board in the sum of $12,000.

The Board attempted to raise capital to fund the project through a variety of fundraising events such as Monte Carlo Night, scheduled for January 31, 1987. This event was held at the Marritt Hall in Ancaster, and T-shirts, buttons, and other items were sold in an attempt to reach their fundraising goal. Other efforts included requests for corporate and private donations.

The ground breaking ceremony was held on May 9, 1987 and construction began soon after. The first phase of construction involved the expansion of the building, while the second phase of the renovation included the development of the garden and park areas. Dufferin Construction constructed the driveway at no cost, saving the Fieldcote Board $50,000. Other forms of generosity included the donation of artifacts by many community individuals.

The official opening was scheduled for October 13, 1987. However, one week before the gala opening, at approximately 12:15 A.M. a fire began and destroyed a large portion of the house. The damage to the house was extensive and repair costs were estimated at $120,000. The Fire Department announced the cause of the fire was arson, since two separate fires had been set, one of which was in a roof crawl space and the other one was on the lower level of the house. A fire alarm system had just been installed, but had not yet been hooked up. Fortunately, there were no artifacts in the building. After the repairs on the house were completed, the museum held its grand opening on May 17, 1988. Approximately 800 people were invited to attend the two day celebration.

Since Fieldcote became an official museum, it still is plagued by vandalism. In early January, 1996, it was discovered that the Fieldcote museum had been sprayed with a brightly coloured paint. Vandals have also damaged historical monuments on the property and were called "talentless youths" by the curator, Jennifer Dunkerson.

Due to financial difficulties, the Hamilton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA) asked the Town of Ancaster to assume responsibility of Fieldcote. The HRCA felt it could no longer afford to maintain the property, since it was facing significant financial cutbacks. Therefore, a decision was made to transfer ownership of the museum and property to the Town of Ancaster. However, there were lingering questions about the authority and legality of the HRCA relinquishing their rights to the property. In fact, the HRCA was required to petition the court to transfer ownership of the property to the town. The transfer of property also required the approval of the Town Council. Eventually, ownership of the property was transferred to the Town of Ancaster.

In 1995, Fieldcote received another grant from the local government which was worth $16,000. It was decided by the Board in late September 1997, that the money would be used to fund another expansion which would increase the facility's display and storage areas.

Today, the Fieldcote museum houses a vast collection of paintings, furniture, historical artifacts which are relative to the development and history of Ancaster. It has over 60,000 pages of archives and records in its collection which date back as far as the late 1700's. The archives include birth, death, cemetery, school, and church records. It also houses histories of century old buildings in the area. The museum is staffed by a full-time curator and volunteer staff members. The museum is also managed by a Board of Management which constitutes five working committees, one full-time staff member, co-op students and government sponsored employees.

Last year, Fieldcote held over twenty-two workshops with instructors from all over the region of Hamilton-Wentworth and had over three hundred people participate. Registration costs on average from $15 for an individual and $25 for a family. Registration includes annual free admission, newsletters which are published quarterly, invitation only exhibits, a vote at the Annual General Meeting, advance notice of upcoming programmes, and discounted fees for special programmes such as shows, workshops, and other events.

The museum is an important historical and cultural site in Hamilton-Wentworth, because it contains a diversified collection of local history. It has Native artifacts, local family histories, and priceless artifacts. Due to the vision of Mr. and Mrs. Farmer, residents of Hamilton-Wentworth can appreciate their local history in a significant historical setting.

References:
Ancaster Township Scrapbooks. vol. 4,5, and 6. Special Collections, HPL.
Clipping File.  Ancaster - Museums - Fieldcote.  Special Collections, HPL.
Hamilton Region Conservation Authority Website