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Canatara Cabin

Canatara Cabin Restoration Project

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HomeLambton Heritage MuseumGet InvolvedCanatara Cabin Fundraising
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Funds Raised to date 53345.

Donate Now

We need your support! Lambton Heritage Museum is thrilled that we added a new historic building to our site. The Canatara Cabin is the oldest building at the museum. It held a special place in the hearts of visitors to Canatara Park for decades. Now, the cabin will be enjoyed for future generations alongside five other historic buildings currently located at the museum site. 

This 190 year-old building has a history of high profile moves, from its roots in Huron County, to a trip in the 1930s down Lake Huron to Lakeshore Road, to its relocation in 1971 to Canatara Park. Now that this cabin has taken one final journey, please support us in fundraising to reassemble the cabin for the enjoyment of all Lambton County residents.

The cabin was disassembled before being moved to the museum site. The roof and floors were moved as single pieces. All of the cabin logs were disassembled, numbered, and transported to the museum. Now that the pieces are safely at the museum, the cabin needs to be reassembled and restored.

Fundraising

Fundraising efforts are underway to support the cabin's restorative and reconstructive work.

renderings of the exterior of the canatara cabin

Architectural drawing of the exterior of Canatara Cabin.

Why donate?

Icon showing hands holding a heart
Honour the history of Lambton County.
Icon of graduation cap
Support meaningful educational experiences.
Icon of family standing in front of a home with a heart above.
Preserve the cabin for future generations.

We welcome all levels of support and are offering the following incentives in return for your investment:

$20-$49 Dowel Level Donor

  • Tax receipt
  • Donor recognition on fundraising webpage

$50-$149 Chinking Level Donor

  • Tax receipt
  • Canatara Cabin greeting card
  • Donor recognition on fundraising webpage

$150-$299 Log Level Donor

  • Tax receipt
  • One annual family membership to Lambton Heritage Museum (value $30)
  • Canatara Cabin greeting card
  • Donor recognition on fundraising webpage

 $300-$999 Beam Level Donor

  • Tax receipt
  • One annual family membership to Lambton Heritage Museum (value $30)
  • Canatara Cabin greeting card
  • Canatara Cabin cork coaster set
  • Donor recognition on fundraising webpage
  • Invitation to exclusive launch event once Canatara Cabin is rebuilt

$1,000+ Cabin Level Donor

  • Tax receipt
  • One annual family membership to Lambton Heritage Museum (value $30)
  • Canatara Cabin greeting card
  • Canatara Cabin cork coaster set
  • Donor recognition on fundraising webpage
  • Invitation to exclusive launch event once Canatara Cabin is rebuilt and opportunity to speak at that event
  • Name inscribed on permanent plaque at the cabin's new location 

Canatara Cabin Supporters

To discuss planned giving options, please contact Jessica Stevenson.

History of the Canatara Cabin

The cabin has a fascinating history, and a history of moving around! The log cabin was built in Goderich in the 1830s and used as a residence for almost one hundred years. In the 1930s, the Hanna/Spaulding family bought the cabin and moved it to 1572 Lakeshore Road in Sarnia. The cabin was disassembled and the logs were numbered. It floated down Lake Huron in pieces to its new location on Lakeshore Road.

Maud Hanna owned this land with her daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Harry Spaulding. Mrs. Hanna was a well-known local philanthropist. Her contributions to Sarnia included donating a separate parcel of land that would become Canatara Park. 

Additions were made to the log cabin after 1930. The Spaulding family used it as a private summer cottage. Many notable visitors spent time there. This included Sir Frederick Banting, the Nobel laureate who co-discovered insulin. The property, including the log cabin, was sold to the family of Sarnia contractor, developer, and City Councillor Lorne Hay in about 1970.

Black and white photo of a cabin.

The cabin at its location on Lakeshore Road in the early 1950s. Image from the Spaulding family archives.

Black and white image of a family on a beach.

Guests enjoy visiting the Spaulding family cottage in 1955. Image from the Spaulding family archives.

In the early 1970s, rising lake waters and storm erosion left the log cabin in a precarious position. The structure was at risk of tumbling into the lake. To save the log cabin, the Hay family donated it in memory of Lorne Hay to the City of Sarnia. It was relocated to Canatara Park with the financial support of the Seaway Kiwanis Club in May 1971. The cabin became the focal point for Christmas and Easter activities in Canatara Park. 

Cabin at Lakeshore Road - 1970

The erosion and threat to the cabin can be seen clearly in this picture from 1970. Image from Jack Spaulding's archives.

Canatara Cabin Move 1971 article in The Sarnia Observer.

The Sarnia Observer covered the story and published pictures of the move on the front page issue, May 14, 1971.

In early 2020, the City of Sarnia Council approved an agreement with the Seaway Kiwanis Club to construct a new replica cabin in Canatara Park. This presented the opportunity to transfer ownership of the cabin to the County of Lambton and relocate it to the Lambton Heritage Museum site. The museum already features heritage structures from across Lambton County, including:

  • Tudhop House (1857, formerly of Bosanquet Township)
  • Cameron Presbyterian Church (1867, formerly of Euphemia Township)
  • Springvale Beef-Ring Slaughterhouse (1915, formerly of Bosanquet Township)
  • Ravenswood Blacksmith Shop (late 1800s, formerly of Bosanquet Township)
  • Rokeby School (1899, formerly of Brooke Township).

This is the first log cabin structure at Lambton Heritage Museum. It brings to life an era not currently represented at the Museum site.

Aerial view of the tiny Tudhop House

An aerial view of the Tudhop House, built in 1857. This was formerly the oldest historic building at the museum.

Cabin at Lakeshore Road

An undated picture of the cabin at its Lakeshore Road location. Image from Neil Spaulding's archives.

Virtual Talk
Putting It Back Together Again: The Log Cabin from Canatara Park

In this talk we explore the history of this incredible building and its multiple relocations. Curator/Supervisor Dana Thorne from Lambton Heritage Museum presents in partnership with Sandi Spaulding and Roger Hay from the "Save the Canatara Cabin" committee. Sandi and Roger both have familial connections to the cabin and share interesting stories about the cabin's history. Learn more about the ongoing restoration efforts and fundraising campaign to rebuild this cabin at Lambton Heritage Museum, where it can be enjoyed by future generations.

 

 

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