War of 1812 vintage Brown Bess Musket restored

The British Army’s Brown Bess Musket was in use for over a hundred years with many incremental changes in its design. These versions include the Long Land Pattern, Short Land Pattern, India Pattern, New Land Pattern Musket, Sea Service Musket and others. This type of musket would have been in use during the War of 1812 in Upper Canada.  Further research may  help place it precisely in the inventory of the British Forces of that era in Canada.

This is an India Pattern in .75 calibre with a 39 inch barrel. The metal portions are almost all original, the wood stock was replaced and a lot of clean up and the additon of a few appropriate small parts and some reproduction parts (leather sling, bayonet and sheath) and the great skill of gunsmith, John Mansell, brought the badly damaged original back to excellent condition. Thanks, John.

In the slide show below you will see Curator Jamie Hunter and Gunsmith John Mansell.

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48-Hour Film Challenge

Are you a local film maker looking for a challenge?  Step right up.

Think you’ve got what it takes to make a film in 48 hours?  Prove it.

What: 48-Hour Film Challenge.  Make a movie in only 48 hours.

Where: Huronia Museum and Ouendat Village, Midland, Ontario

When: Filming – November 19-21.  Screening – November 26.  Deadline for registering your team is November 12.

Cost: The team entry fee is $20, and includes entry to the festival, a blank DVD for submitting your film, and two tickets to the screening.

Tickets for the screening are $10 each.

How: Find a team of ten people or fewer.  This includes everyone that will be involved in the making of your film, such as writers, camera operators, actors, etc.  (You may have to take on multiple roles.)  Choose a team leader.  Your team leader is responsible for registering your team and paying the team entry fee before the November 12th deadline.

On November 19, all teams will meet at the Huronia Museum at 6:30 PM to fill in their registration forms.  At 7:00 PM, each team will receive their challenge pack, which will contain the following four things:

1)      A genre (Example:  Romance, Sci-Fi, horror, etc.)

2)      A theme (Example:  Jealousy, double-cross, love, etc.)

3)      A word or phrase that must be included in your film

4)      A prop that must feature somehow in your film

At this point, you will have until 7:00 PM on Sunday, November 21 to complete your film and deliver it to the designated drop-off location.  All entries received after that time are not eligible for competition, but may be screened at the discretion of the festival organizers.

You may record your film in any format you wish, but the competed film must be delivered on the DVD provided to you as an .avi, .mov, .mp4, or .mpeg file of the highest quality possible.  This will be projected on screening night, so make it look good!

So gather your friends, grab your camera and get yourself down to the Huronia Museum.  Be creative and have fun!

For more information about the 48-Hour Film Challenge, call Bryan at the Huronia Museum at (705) 526-2844 or email compley@gmail.com.

Registration Form (PDF)

Film Series Schedule – Fall 2010

Gemma Arterton stars as "Tamara Drewe"

The Huronia Museum Film Series is pleased to announce it’s Fall 2010 lineup.  Click on the titles for more information about each film.

October 6, 2010 – 7:30 PM  –  Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

October 20, 2010 – 7:30 PM  –  Captain Abu Raed

October 27, 2010 – 7:30 PM  –  I Am Love

November 3, 2010 -7:30 PM  –  Winter’s Bone

November 10, 2010 – 7:30 PM –  Tamara Drewe

All films will be screened at the Galaxy Cinemas at the Mountainview Mall in Midland, Ontario.