Discussions

Manitoba homes where the province’s historic men and women once lived are soon to begin receiving commemorative plaques, in a program sponsored by the Manitoba Historical Society and the Manitoba Real Estate Association.  
 
The plaques program, called “Memorable Manitobans,” is inspired by growing public interest in the province’s history and the desire to know more about the historic buildings in our communities.  
 
Though the homes of some famous Manitobans disappeared long ago, many still survive. The people living there now usually know the history, but it is harder for the general public to find the information out.  
 
The program will kick off with about 10 plaques, to be installed this summer. The first include houses associated with Nellie McClung, campaigner for votes for women (in theWolseley area of Winnipeg),  
Group of Seven artist Lemoine Fitzgerald (in St. James), Prime Minister Arthur Meighen (in Portage la Prairie), and Victoria Cross winner Alan McLeod (in Stonewall).  
 
Other houses are being rapidly added to the list as the research is completed, and the owners are contacted.  
 
The plaques will be easy to spot — large blue ovals with raised lettering, mounted on posts in the front yards of the houses. In a few cases, the plaque may be mounted on the building itself, but always in plain view and readable from the street.  
 
Most people know about such important homes as the Riel house in St. Vital, the Margaret Laurence house at Neepawa, the Gabrielle Roy house in St. Boniface, and the Hugh John Macdonald house in downtown Winnipeg (Dalnavert), which are well marked and operated as museums. The historical program is aimed at houses that remain almost unrecognized.  
 
The new plaques will not create new museums or put the owners under extra burdens, but they will let the public know what they’re looking at.  
 
Now, the Manitoba Historical Society wants help from the public. We invite nominations of houses where a genuinely important or famous Manitoban lived at some point in his or her career.  
 
Living persons are not to be included — we are interested in people whose histories are complete, and whose legacies are clear.  
 
The society’s website, http://www.mhs.mb.ca/ has a nomination form, and people who have a good suggestion are invited to go there to fill it out.  
 
We will need more than just a name— we also must know where the house is, that it still exists, any information about when the person lived there, and, ideally, who owns it now.  
 
A selection committee, consisting mostly of professional historians, will  
decide whether the individual qualifies as a Memorable Manitoban, and will also check the facts.  
 
When a house is chosen, the society will seek permission from the present owner, and, with his or her agreement, arrange for the plaque to be made andinstalled. We also hope to mark the occasion with a  
small ceremony.  
 
Eligible houses that cannot receive a plaque in one year, because of limits on the money available, will be carried over to the next year.  
 
The Manitoba Historical Society and the Manitoba Real Estate Association intend that the program will carry on, with about 10 plaques to be installed every year, as long as there are suitable candidates.  
 
Contact:  
Harry Duckworth, President,  
Manitoba Historical Society  
(In Winnipeg)  
 
President@mhs.mb.ca  
Phone (204) 474-6252 (day)  
or 477-9737 (evening)  
 
I think this initiative is long over due in Brandon. How many times do we drive or walk by an old house, and wonder what history is has experienced over the years.  
 
It will also enhance many of the walking tours that our visitors, and citizens enjoy each summer. Robert