Bonus
Features
Kitchener,
ON -- Mennonite Artifacts
 Valerie:
Sue is a programmer at the Joseph Schneider House which is the oldest
house in Kitchener. And it’s very emblematic of the migration
of Mennonites to this area and German-speaking people and has some
wonderful artifacts. Tell me about this one.
Curator:
Well, I particularly chose this object because it’s the one
that’s most often asked about by visitors. And it’s
quite unique – it’s a coffee roaster.
 Valerie:
This is a coffee roaster?
Curator:
That’s a coffee roaster.
Valerie:
Where’d they get the coffee in those days?
Curator:
Coffee was brought in from South America and it was a real luxury
good. And so you’d get the coffee beans green and then they
had to be roasted. So the sphere itself opened, it sat on the stove
and actually originally in the open hearth, and you’d have
one of the children turn this until the beans were roasted.
Valerie:
Well, I’m glad to hear that they didn’t have to do without
in the early eighteen  hundreds.
Curator:
The Germans love their coffee.
Valerie:
And this… looks like a candleholder.
Curator:
It’s actually a miniature spittoon and this comes from a famous
local potter, his name is William Eby. And the miniatures are very
rare, apparently they’re pieces that he made for family members.
And they’re characterized by the green glaze that he used
on them.
 Valerie:
Charming, to have something this dainty to spit into.
Curator:
Yes, highly sought after.
Valerie:
Really. Now the coverlet behind?
Curator:
The coverlet is another Waterloo County piece. It’s by Noel
Brothers, who operated in Petersburg, just outside of Kitchener.
And they produced some amazing coverlets.
 Valerie:
And they’ve endured…
Curator:
Pretty remarkable. And the other little piece is our show tile.
A young woman in the time period would have showed her skills, a
needlewoman, by producing one of these show tiles. And that was
meant to hang in the household…
Valerie:
To attract suitors.
Curator:
To attact males…
Valerie:
Look at me! Who could sew better? Tell me about the game.
Curator:
Well, the game is a unique to Waterloo County. It’s a croquenot
board and this is the world’s oldest croguenot board and croquenot
is a wonderful game, a lot of people are familiar with it, you know
every cottage has a croquenot board in it. But this one is the first.
Valerie:
How old is it?
Curator:
This would date to mid-nineteenth century.
 Valerie:
And you know that’s the oldest croquenot board?
Curator:
We do, yes.
Valerie:
In the world?
Curator:
That’s right.
Valerie:
Well, all the reason to go visit Joseph Schneider House so you can…
go and see for yourself, all the croquenot addicts.
 Curator:
Absolutely.
Valerie:
Well, that’s wonderful, thank you so much.
Curator:
My pleasure.
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