Countless spiders had to be evicted to make it happen, but the Copper Cliff Museum’s 50th anniversary was celebrated today with the building reopening to the public.
The community celebration was the first time the museum has been opened to the public since COVID-19 restrictions resulted in the closure of municipal museums early in the pandemic.
“It’s a neat little space, it’s very much like a cabinet of curiosity,” Sudbury Museums curator Sam Morel told Sudbury.com of the log cabin-style building at 26 Balsam St. in Copper Cliff.
Local historical artifacts filled the building's main floor, which people were invited to tour, while celebratory cake and hot chocolate were available outside.
With today’s event offering area residents a brief reintroduction to the 50-year-old museum for the first time since it closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morel said they plan on reopening the space on a more permanent basis next summer.
During the five years preceding the pandemic, the Copper Cliff Museum averaged 421 visitors per year, and a summer student will be stationed at the building to help tour people through the space. They’ll likely follow the same hours as they did pre-pandemic, Morel said, from Wednesday to Sunday, July to the end of August.
The building is “a landmark,” Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini told Sudbury.com at the celebration, adding that staff have done an amazing job of bringing back to life.
“If we lose places like this and all the history behind it, then we’re going to be in trouble down the line,” he said.
The city is currently undergoing a museums revitalization process, through which Vagnini pledged to advocate on the Copper Cliff Museum's behalf.
In preparation for next year’s re-opening, Morel said the goal will be to include more bilingual written information about the artifacts and local history in the space, and to create some items children are able to touch, such as a model telephone switchboard to emulate the actual antique switchboard on display in the museum.
Morel is also looking at adding artifacts from the World Wars, including trench art created by soldiers in the trenches using whatever material they had available.
Through the city’s museums revitalization process, Morel said advertising the museums’ activities should improve, which should help boost attendance.
Following the celebration, the City of Greater Sudbury issued a media release about the event.
“The Copper Cliff Museum is a valuable repository of our community’s rich heritage,” said Mayor Paul Lefebvre, who attended the event and cut the cake to help kick it off.
“It helps us bridge the gap between past and present, by providing a glimpse into the lives of the miners, the families, the workers and the innovators who helped shape the community of Copper Cliff.”
Lise Melhorn-Boe was one of the high school students who helped create the museum 50 years ago. Although she wasn't able to attend today's event, she offered a quote in the city's media release.
“Being one of the instigators of the museum is an accomplishment of which I have always been very proud. It is very exciting that the museum is still open to the public after 50 years,” Melhorn-Boe said. “It wouldn't be the museum it is, celebrating the history of our town, if townspeople had not jumped on board and donated family artifacts and shared stories.”
Updates on the city's museums can be found online by clicking here.
History of the Copper Cliff Museum
- 1885: The museum was built on the site of one of Copper Cliff’s first dwellings. It was a boarding house, built by the Canadian Copper Company.
- 1891: The Copper Cliff Museum building was constructed by Charles Augustus Sanders at its original location at 16 Clara Belle Road in Copper Cliff, and served as a house.
- 1912-69: Various other people took residence in the building.
- 1969-1971: The building was unoccupied.
- 1971: The building was donated to the Town of Copper Cliff by Inco.
- 1972: Volunteers from Copper Cliff High School relocated the house to its current location at 26 Balsam St. These volunteers accepted artifacts, catalogued them, and renovated the cabin.
- 1973: The Copper Cliff Museum opened to the public.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
