Buxton 2008 Summer Staff

The Buxton Historical Society was once again a recipient of a Canada Summer Jobs Grant through Service Canada.  The funding through this grant enabled us to hire three students who assisted the museum staff and volunteers, while developing marketable skills and learning the significance of the Buxton Settlement in Canadian history.

Ms. Blair Newby returned for another season to the delight of the museum board.  She charmed our visitors with her intellectual grasp of local and international history.  When Blair wasn’t busy sharing her vast knowledge with tour groups, she assisted with the task of organizing the 11th Annual History & Genealogy Conference event that kicks off Homecoming.  She prepared registration mailers, maintained the confirmation database, and created conference promotional ‘goodie bags’.  Blair is a descendant of the Buxton Settlement with her Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Waterloo.  Presently, she is enrolled in the Masters program at the University of Waterloo and working as a teacher assistant at the university.  Thank you Blair, for your conscientious attention to detail and your dedication to the Buxton Museum – we wish you every success in your academic pursuits!

Mr. Owen Shadd also joined the museum staff this summer.  He is a descendant of the Buxton Settlement and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Buxton history to share with visitors touring the facilities.   When Owen wasn’t delivering tours, he applied himself to maintaining the site landscaping, creating a display in the museum, and participating as liaison for the museum with the Family Feud Baseball Tournament event volunteers.  Read the articles Owen wrote for the website in the history section.  Currently, Owen is in his third year at McMaster University, where he is majoring in sociology and participates on the track team.  Thank you Owen, for sharing your multifaceted abilities and energy with the museum – we hope you’ll stay in touch with us!

After a history of dedicated volunteering, Miss Chelsey Parker was officially employed at the museum during the summer.  Chelsey is a student at John McGregor Secondary School in Chatham, Ontario.  Although, the youngest member of the staff, Chelsey brought enthusiasm and “techno-geek” skills to her position at the museum.  She participated as museum representative with community volunteers in developing and operating this year’s museum sponsored Heritage Day Camp.  Chelsey also created a museum display and helped with Car Show registrations during Homecoming.   She is a descendant of the Buxton Settlement and knowledgeable of the contributions her family has made in history.  Thank you Chelsey, for bringing your cheerful demeanor and thirst for knowledge to the museum staff.  Don’t be a stranger!

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website created July 2008; updated November 2009; by Lori Gardner