“Nobody really wanted to move,” said Mr. Yetman. “But one left, and then another left, and finally there was enough leaving that people felt there was nothing left for them. Some left reluctantly.”
It would seem like a momentous task to transport a house on raft –helped by oil drums – with the aid of a small boat, but Mr. Yetman said none were lost at sea during the period of resettlement. Most homes were brought to the beach in Wareham, and then dragged by a tractor with the raft on skids.
In one case, Mr. Yetman said there was a lady who requested to stay inside her house while it travelled on the water. She had her knitting to comfort her.
The museum piece heading for Montreal was built by Leslie Pickett of Wareham, who donated it to the Resettler’s Museum five years ago.
It will be the first time anything from the Resettler’s Museum has travelled elsewhere, and Ms. Penney said this is a great thing. The museum has been in existence since 2001.
“A couple of us had the idea to start the museum and collect many old artifacts that are in the community, so everyone can be aware of what happened at that time.”
They are hopeful the item’s inclusion at the exhibition in Montreal will attract some new visitors to the Resettler’s Museum.
“They might be curious enough to say, ‘Well, they’ve got that down there, they might have a lot of other stuff to see’,” said Mr. Yetman.
The museum includes a model of an old church from Silver Fox Island, recreations of typical bedrooms in the resettled communities, old tools relating to trades, and a model schooner, amongst other attractions.
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