Lewis Zandbergen president of the Stirling-Rawdon Historical Society stands in front of the recently restored station.

4 July 2011

Stirling Railway Museum Opens

Stirling Ontario - A piece of Ontario's railway history is now open in Stirling.
 
Canada Day marked the unofficial opening of the Stirling Museum at the recently restored station at 122 North St.
 
The original station was built in 1879, a few hundred metres west of where the renovated structure now stands, said Lewis Zandbergen, president of the Stirling-Rawdon Historical Society. It's now a designated heritage site.
 
"Before 1960 everything came and went by train," he said. "This is now the last known station of this configuration. It's still standing."
 
He explained it's believed to be is the last Van Horne-style station in Ontario.
 
It took a dedicated group of workers six years and countless amount of hours and funds to relocate and renovate the dilapidated station, said Zandbergen.
 
The Tweed and Havelock stations were almost identical but they've since been demolished or altered radically, he said.
 
He said the Stirling Rotary Club was instrumental in keeping the restoration on track. The club is credited as one of the driving forces behind the relocation of the fragile two-storey building. Club members now run their meetings out of the basement of the new complex.
 
The club also generated substantial funding to finance the restoration, which brought the station from disrepair to its current renovated look.
 
"We're not totally finished yet," Zandbergen said. "When we finish we want to really wow people."
 
The current building, located adjacent to the old railway tracks, has a renovated facade and features a ticket office, freight shed, and the upstairs living quarters of the stationmaster and his family.
 
The building showcases a string of original items including a woodstove and furnace. There is also a display of the original uniform worn by the stationmaster. Zandbergen and his team decorated parts of the building with antique furnishings from the early 1900s.
 
Plans are already in motion to have an official opening for the facility sometime next year. Zandbergen said he intends to augment the current showcase with additional exhibits, including a collection of First Nations artifacts.
 
David Cutler was one of the first people to tour the restored station. Cutler said he was impressed to see an old building being restored and enjoyed by the community.
 
"They got together and saved the building," he said. "Too many of these buildings get destroyed. We lose parts of our community when the buildings are destroyed."
 
Patrons can get guided tours of the station throughout the summer from Thursday to Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. People interested in donating to the ongoing restoration of the property can call Zandbergen at 613-395-3022.
 
Jason Miller.