The original Canatara Cabin recently marked a significant milestone at the Lambton Heritage Museum.
The roof was placed on the historic structure being rebuilt at the Grand Bend site.
Curator/supervisor Dana Thorne said a lot of work has gone into the project this year.
"It started with doing a full inventory of all of the logs and then repairing some of the logs that needed to be reinforced or repaired, and then laying out all of the logs and starting to actually build the structure," said Thorne.
After that, Thorne said the second floor was put in place and the roof was built.
"We redid all of the cedar shingles on the roof and then a crane came in and lifted that roof up onto the cabin structure," she said.
Thorne said they're hoping to have a ribbon cutting ceremony and open the cabin to visitors in the spring.
"We're still waiting for quotes on some aspects of the project. The windows have been refinished already, but they need to be installed. We need to do the chinking in between the logs. There's a stone fireplace that needs to be rebuilt, putting on the doors, building the stairs to the second storey and then we get to look at how we're going to interpret the space. So we're in the process of selecting the artifacts and stories that we're going to use to bring the cabin to life when it's all done," she said.
Thorne said seeing the building take shape was a great moment for the museum staff and contractors, but more fundraising is needed.
"We've fundraised $62,000 from the community so far, which is wonderful. Our goal for community fundraising is $100,000, so we are asking people if they are able to support the project and they can make donations online at LambtonMuseums.ca/Canatara-Cabin," she said.
On top of that, the project has received $60,000 from the Federal Economic Agency for Southwestern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) as part of a Tourism Growth program.
After the 190-year-old cabin was disassembled and moved in 2020, a replica was built at Canatara Park by the Seaway Kiwanis Club.
Once the heritage museum completes this project, Thorne said their attention will shift to refurbishing another building at the site.
"We've identified our Rokeby schoolhouse, which was built in 1899, and it has some damage to the ceiling and some damage to some of the plaster as well," she said.
Thorne said that is a project the County of Lambton has budgeted for.
