The Erland Lee Home (Museum)

The doors of the Erland Lee Museum on the Niagara Escarpment in Stoney Creek were closed, but I thought I would mention still this historical home.   From the outside it appeared lovely and quaint, but on the inside of these doors, history happened.

Back in 1897, a meeting at Squires Hall had taken place with about 100 women from the Saltfleet Township district headed by Mrs. Adelaide Hoodless (Mr. Lee's wife). An organization was formed to improve women's skills in the "arts of homemaking and child care". This meeting would begin as the world's first organized Women's Institute.

In follow up to that meeting, it was here in the home of Mr. Erland Lee (founder of the Farmers Institute) along with his wife, Adelaide a draft would be written to become the constitution of the new society.

Soon meetings halls across the country brought women together to learn "diverse skills and to promote civic reform after World war 1". This would help women to "break the grinding isolation of rural life".

Today, the Women's Institute has become a world-wide organization.  

If you are ever in the area, you might want to stop by and take a look around inside.

More historical info on Erland Lee Museum click here