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Fibre in 1860s Upper Canada



The Ravelution family recently took a trip to 1866 Upper Canada. Ok, not literally, but we did visit Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario, the living historical museum depicting pioneer life in 1866 Upper Canada. I must have visited this magical place a ton of times since I was a kid, but this was my first time going back since I started dyeing yarn and delving into all things fibre. This visit felt extra special and it was like walking back in time with a fresh pair of eyes and whole new appreciation for all things handmade. If you're a fibre history buff like me, read on to learn about fibre in the 1860's, and some fibre friends we met along the way.


Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ont.
Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ont.

Upper Canada Village was founded in 1961 and is one of the largest living-history sites in Canada. It's located on the St Lawrence Seaway, and features over forty historical buildings. Many of these structures were moved there prior to flooding during the St Lawrence Seaway development project, and included functioning mills, homes, and trade shops. We thoroughly enjoyed walking through all them, and learning from the "settlers" who work there. I witnessed so many fibre crafts, such as weaving, spinning, needle point, quilting, and rug hooking, just to name a few. I likely saw all of these things years ago, I just wasn't attuned to them like I am now.


Asselstine's Woollen Mill in Upper Canada Village
Front of Asselstine's Woollen Mill in Upper Canada Village

The first building we entered was Mr. Asselstine's Woollen Factory, a fully operational woollen mill of that time. Evidence from the 1800's suggests that the Asselstine family was involved in the manufacture of woollen material from the first quarter of the 19th century. At the time, The Asselstine Factory, was run as a family business and employed up to 12 men and women. It produced yarn, batts for quilt filling, blankets, tweeds, flannels, wool sheeting and stripe carpeting. Today, the woollen mill is used as a functional exhibit for the production of blankets and textile goods, which can be purchased at the Village Store.



Wool carding machine circa late 1860's
Wool carding machine circa late 1860's

Making woollen cloth is an age-old tradition, but it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that mechanization was applied on any grand scale. By the 1840's, woollen mills and factories made their appearance in Upper Canada, thereby offering settler's wives some relief from the tedious tasks of cleaning the fleece, carding the wool, and fulling the woollen cloth by hand. These water-powered mills were also able to spin, weave, and fold cloth.


Historically, woollen mills employed both men and women, with unequal pay of course. Women were however generally favoured for this industry because it enabled mill owners to reduce the cost of labour. Likewise, the drive to reduce labour costs incentivized the implementation of machinery (the powered looms, carding machines, spinning machines, etc.) which were modelled after the mechanization already in use in the United States at that time. Unfortunately for us, the mill was having technical issues that day, so we didn't get to see it in production mode. However, it was still interesting to watch workers troubleshoot the large conveyer belts and turbines, and see the giant historic textile machines up close.



After the woollen mill, we walked around this quaint village for hours, visiting the school house, the tavern, the flour mill, the cheese factory, the tinsmith, the blacksmith, the chair maker, the broom maker, and so many more. We learnt how so many essential household items were made, and we even got to milk a cow! The staff was so welcoming and knowledgeable, all were eager to share their craft and engage in conversation. We had many chats with many talented makers, but a couple in particular stand out.


A needle point quilt depicting the village activities
Embroidered quilt depicting the village activities

Shirley spinning at the McDiarmid House
Shirley spinning at the McDiarmid House

A special thank you to Shirley, who I met in the McDiarmid home. She informed me that in the early 19th century, farmers might have grown a little flax and kept a few sheep to provide for their clothing and other household needs, such as blankets and sacks. The settlers had to be self-sufficient for their clothing needs, and every house had a spinning wheel and hand loom. Sheep were kept for the production of wool and were sheared in the spring, when they no longer needed their heavy coats. Farmers also grew flax to make linen, and both wool and linen were spun on the spinning wheel. Early wheels were quite large, and very simple. The spinner had to walk back and forth as she worked, and the wheel had to be turned by hand. Later models had foot treadles, which were easier to operate, and made the production of wool easier and more efficient. In real life, it turns out Shirley used to own and run her own sheep farm in Sarsfield, Ontario, as well as a hand dyed yarn business! We spoke a while about her adventures in fibre and it was truly inspirational.



Lianne van Leyen in Loucks kitchen farm house
Lianne van Leyen in Loucks kitchen farm house

I also want to give a shout out to Lianne van Leyen, the historic cook who works in the farmhouse on Loucks Farm. What an impressive fountain of historical information! We spoke about cheese making, canning, vinegars, syrups, and drying and preparing herbs. She even shared an old recipe for pickled eggs which I plan on trying out soon. As it turns out, Lianne is also an artist, cross stitcher, antique cross stitch sampler collector and reproductionist, and owner the 1897 Schoolhouse Samplers. She runs her needle art business from her one room 1897 school house home, where she reproduces antique needlework and creates patterns for the modern stitcher. Lianne's historic designs are gorgeous and aim to increase interest in historical textiles and needle arts within and outside the stitching community. You can check her and her story out here or @1897schoolhousesamplers on Instagram.



Carded wool from Upper Canada Village
Carded wool from Upper Canada Village

In a nutshell, 1866 was beyond amazing, and turns out, fibre friends are everywhere, even in the past! We had such a great day that we are planning on going back very soon, likely in the fall for the Harvest Market. I'd also like to see the woollen mill in full force and watch those mechanical carders in motion. Until then, I'm going to try my hand at those pickled eggs and spinning some carded wool I purchased from the Village gift shop. If you've never been to Upper Canada Village, or it's been a while since your last visit, I highly recommend going again soon. The whole family, kids to grandparents, are guaranteed to be enchanted by a simpler way of life. For more information, you can visit https://www.uppercanadavillage.com/ or @uppercanadavill on Instagram.





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Guest
Aug 23, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

This brought back memories! I used to bring my kids there often!

Marie-Elyse

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Guest
Jul 31, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

I love this place. One time we spoke to one of the farmers who was tending to his garden and he gave us a walking onion (it grows like a green onion then when it gets high , it drops to the ground and starts a new plant. So we added it to our garden. I’ve also made trips there just to get fresh bread!

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Melanie
Aug 02, 2023
Replying to

Thank you so much for your comment...and yes the bread alone is worth the trip!! lol

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