McCrae House, located in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, is the birthplace of

John McCrae Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the ...

(b. 1872 – d. 1918), doctor, soldier and author of the famous

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

poem "

In Flanders Fields "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and ...

". The house is a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

History

This small limestone cottage, built in 1858, was owned by the McCrae family from 1870 to 1873. Other families occupied the house until 1966, when a group of Guelph citizens purchased the building with the intention of preserving it as a museum. This group formed the Lt. Col. John McCrae Birthplace Society and began to raise money for its restoration. The federal government through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board designated both John McCrae as a person of national significance, and the house as a place of national significance. McCrae House is designated under the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...

''. The operation of the museum was transferred to the City of Guelph in 1983 and, along with Guelph Civic Museum, was merged under the name ''Guelph Museums''. The Guelph Civic Museum (c. 1847) is also designated under the ''Ontario Heritage Act''. The Colonel John McCrae Memorial, was opened on 5 October 1963, by his friend: Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave. McCrae House contains both permanent and temporary exhibition space that interprets the life and times of John McCrae. Yearly themes are offered. Summer activities include Poppy Push, Canada Day, Teddy Bear Picnic, History Camp and special teas in the garden. The gardening volunteers have worked to create an award-winning garden reflecting the time period of the mid-to-late 19th century. In 2019, Guelph Museums announced that the House would again host a Backyard Theatre in July 2020, with a show that would not be a "literal telling of McCrae's story" but would contain a "significant amount of McCrae-specific content." Revenue from ticket sales would cover at least part of the cost of the production. A one-person show was presented in summer 2019 dramatizing the life of McCrae and the 2018 show was a love story set during WW I. File:JohnMcCraemedals01.JPG, McCrae House - John McCrae's medals File:Rcamcbutton.JPG,

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). S ...

button File:Wwicafoficerscapbadge.JPG, McCrae House - John McCrae's Officer's Cap badge

External links

Guelph Museums - McCrae House

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccrae House Historic house museums in Ontario Culture of Guelph Houses in Ontario National Historic Sites in Ontario Buildings and structures in Guelph Biographical museums in Canada Houses completed in 1858 Museums established in 1966 1966 establishments in Ontario Museums in Wellington County, Ontario History of Guelph Tourist attractions in Guelph Designated heritage properties in Ontario