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View from the front lawn of MacDonald House5 July 2007
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
Credits:Pauline MacLean
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MacDonald House Museumca. 1995
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
Credits:Pauline MacLean
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MacDonald House MuseumA look at one community's efforts to preserve their heritage
Introduction
This paper is intended as an accompaniment to "MacDonald House, East Lake Ainslie; An Architectural Study" which was written for Prof. Richard MacKinnon's Vernacular Architecture class in March 2006 by this author. That paper is available at the Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University as well as in the files of the Lake Ainslie Historical Society. "An Architectural Study" makes brief mention of the social history of the MacDonald House in the context of how the physical structure of the building was used and adapted by the family over the 130 years during which it was inhabited. This paper will focus on the social history of the MacDonald family and their role in East Lake Ainslie's history as well as the use of the MacDonald house and property as a museum and the role of the museum in current East Lake Ainslie history.
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Map of Lake Ainslieca. 2000
Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada
Credits:Iona Connection Cooperative
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BackgroundEast Lake Ainslie is located in Inverness County, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It was first settled by Scottish immigrants beginning in the early 1800's. Among these pioneer settlers was Alexander (the Weaver) MacDonald, his wife Mary (nee MacLean) and their children. The MacDonald's settled on a 200 acre property approximately 3 miles from the north end of the lake on the eastern shoreline in 1823 (Lake Ainslie Historical Society, Promotional brochure 1980's). In the 1850's (actual date unknown) the family constructed a new home which still stands today. The MacDonald's became the first merchants on the area and also had the first Post Office. Over the years six generations of MacDonald's have lived on the property settled by Alexander.
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Land grant map showing MacDonald property at Lake Ainslie.ca. 1870
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
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Charles MacDonald1880-1890
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
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Charles MacDonald, wife Hannah and daughter Jessie1880-1890
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In the late 1970's the last inhabitant of the house (Jessie MacDonald) moved out. Around the same time local community members and family members of the MacDonald's began to think about what they could do to honour the pioneers and preserve their way of life. The Great Grandson of Alexander MacDonald, Charles N MacDonald, offered the home of his birth to the community group for use as a museum. The loose collection of people interested in their local history formally formed the Lake Ainslie Historical Society in 1977. Shortly thereafter the house, barn and a few acres of land were deeded to the Lake Ainslie Historical Society (Lake Ainslie Historical Society). The museum has operated every summer since 1978 and has provided employment for numerous students in the area.I spent eight summers working for the Lake Ainslie Historical Society at MacDonald house, first as a tour guide, researcher and labourer, later as Administrator for 3 years. This experience fostered my desire to continue working in the tourism industry and gave me an innate understanding of the history, not only of the house and family, but also of the Lake Ainslie Historical Society and its work. Due to my experience at the museum, and my continued involvement with the Lake Ainslie Historical Society much of the information contained in this paper from comes from tacit knowledge acquired over the course of my association with the museum and Lake Ainslie Historical Society. Any information from outside, or published, sources is cited. I am indebted to the Lake Ainslie Historical Society for allowing me the opportunity to borrow relevant files from storage on site for the winter to facilitate my research.
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Dan C. and Jessie MacDonald at their 50th Anniversary29 August 1976
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
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The family life at MacDonald House and their role in Lake Ainslie's historyLike many other settlers to Lake Ainslie, the MacDonald's would have had much to learn and do during their first few years here. Shelter would have been the first thing on their minds. Many families constructed one room log homes and later replaced these with wood-frame homes. This is likely what the MacDonald's did. The house that currently stands on the property was constructed in the 1850's by Charles MacDonald, one of the sons of Alexander and Mary. This house has four rooms on the main floor, and 4 bedrooms with a large central hallway on the second floor.
Charles remained in this home for the rest of his life and passed it on to his son Dan C and his family. Dan C and his wife Jessie raised three girls and one son, Charlie, in this home and remained there into the late 1970's. Charlie built his own home for himself and wife (also a Jessie) on the shoreline of his father's property and became sole owner of the family land when his parents died. Charlie and Jessie raised one son Charles who married Ann (nee Campbell) and for a time resided in a mini-home on the family land. Charles and Ann's children represent the sixth generation of MacDonald's to live on this farm in the last 180 years.
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Dan C. MacDonald and his mother Hannahca. 1900
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
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An early shot of MacDonald House1900-1930
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
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The MacDonald descendants - Ann, Jessica, Charles, Bobby, Charles N., Jessieca. 1990
East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, NS
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