The Association of Manitoba Museums presented an award of excellence to the Mennonite Heritage Village last weekend for the museum's meticulous restoration of the oldest building on their property.

View of the insides of the thatched roof.Executive Director Barry Dyck says the Waldheim House was initially built in 1876, and the staff at the Mennonite Heritage Village went to great lengths to ensure it was rebuilt properly and professionally.

“It's something we agonized over for quite a period of time,” explains Dyck, “it took us a while to find the money to do it, it took us a while to find local tradespeople to do it, it was a master thatcher from Virginia who ended up doing the roof, all kinds of things had to come together.” He indicates all of these efforts contributed towards winning this award.

“It feels good to be told you’ve done something really well,” claims Dyck who suggests the MHV’s new knowledge of old-fashioned building techniques can be used as a resource by any of the other 200 museum’s in Manitoba that may want to do similar projects.

Read more: MHV's Waldheim House Gets A New Thatched Roof

 

The back of the Waldheim House