Old Callbeck's store to become museum

     The good news of a new museum opening in the historic Callbeck's Store in Bedeque next year has been on the news all day - it's a great day on Prince Edward Island!  Progress!
     Here's an article from CBC PEI's website... http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2012/07/25/pei-new-callbecks-museum-584.html

Old Callbeck's Store to become Museum

A new museum will be opening in Prince County and much of the collection has been donated by a local historian and museum enthusiast.

It's been more than 20 years since the old Callbeck's store sold household goods, soon it will display historic goods as a museum.

The Bedeque Historical Society, a not for profit, is now leasing the front of the building.

“There is no museum in the area, and there's a rich history in this area,” said Doug Sobey, a member of the Bedeque Historical Society.

The loyalist era will have a prominent place in the museum.

“That will all be part of the work of the museum — not just preserving objects, but preserving the history of the community,” Sobey said.

The society chose the spot because it was the original tailor shop that William Callbeck started back in the 1899.

Susan Laird says she has a special attachment to the building.

“I started working for the Callbeck family back in 1972, and I'm still working for them, and it's just tremendous to see the space come alive again,” Laird said.

Callbeck's items

Now the old Callbeck's store will forever be immortalized through old notebooks and even the original desk and chair Callbeck used.

Over the winter, renovations took place. New cabinets were built for the artifacts, the floors redone, and a staircase was created.

The cost of the renovations was about $100,000, mostly through a provincial grant.

Most of the artifacts came from local historian Howard Clark, creator of the now defunct Red Barn Museum. His collection has about 4,000 items.

“We have a great many artifacts to choose from when building our displays, it’s quite a treasure,” Laird said.

The artifacts include original items from the Chelton school, including the sign, desks, and the strap used for punishment.

Most of Clark's items are still in storage, where they've been for two years waiting for a home. The society eventually wants to re-create the barn museum on the second floor. But they'll have to wait for more funding for that.

Although the sign is already up, residents will have to wait until next summer for the doors to open because everything still has to be sorted and catalogued.

The public will get a sneak peak of the museum during an upcoming historical talk next week.

The Guardian Newspaper published the following article yesterday.

By Mike Carson.

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Arts/Cultural%20activities/2012-07-24/article-3038122/Museum-in-the-works-for-Bedeque-Bay-area/1

     Susan Leard.  Bedeque Area Historical Society, displays some of the artifacts that will be part of a temporary exhibit at a new museum under development in the historical Callbeck's Store in Central Bedeque.