Easter greetings and well-wishes will be exchanged this weekend throughout the Town of Collingwood. In today’s Remember This feature, we’re stepping away from the Huron Institute collection to bring readers a special Easter feature.
In 1926 a beautiful Easter card (Photograph 1) and accompanying envelope (Photograph 2) were sent to Collingwood resident Edna Bendell by a gentleman identified as Percy. Both the card and envelope have been part of the Collingwood Museum’s collection since their donation in 1987.
Percy’s penmanship sent staff to the Collingwood Library to determine the proper spelling of Ms. Bendell’s last name. Notes in the Museum’s collections records indicate her last name was “Bluedell”, while Percy’s handwriting appears to note “Beudell.” Both of these proved incorrect.
Ms. Edna Charlotte Bendell was the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Bendell of Campbell Street. She married James Wilbur Brownlee at Collingwood’s Baptist Church on November 7, 1931.
Following the wedding, the bride and groom left by train for a trip to Montreal, Ottawa, and North Bay. Upon returning to Collingwood they resided on Spruce Street.
Edna’s wedding dress, described by the Collingwood Enterprise as “a graceful gown of white satin made on long flowing princess lines”, is part of the Collingwood Museum’s permanent collection and is accompanied by Edna’s wedding shoes, gloves, stockings, and veil.
The Brownlee’s guestbook and marriage certificate also accompanied this donation following Edna’s death in December 1986.
Remember This is a weekly series of historic photographs submitted by the Collingwood Museum to CollingwoodToday.ca. These photographs were originally collected and documented by the Huron Institute in an historical catalogue entitled Huron Institute Paper and Records: Volume III. Much of Collingwood’s early history has been preserved due to the dedication and foresight of the early museum’s founders, namely its secretary-curator David Williams, upon its establishment in 1904.
