Description of Historic Place

The Future Museum Site is a Municipal Heritage Property comprised of three lots in the Town of Regina Beach. The property features a collection of relocated buildings which currently consists of two cabins and a non-contributing shed.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Future Museum Site lies in its status as a place set aside for the commemoration of local history. Regina Beach began as a summer village in the late-nineteenth century when a railway connecting the south shore of Last Mountain Lake and Regina was built. The area was quickly filled with seasonal cabins and campgrounds, along with a few shops, restaurants and churches that served these vacationers. As automotive travel became more practical, the cabins were replaced with multi-seasonal residences and the lakeshore itself was later developed into a provincial recreation site.

To commemorate the community’s origin as a summer village, buildings from the area are relocated to the Future Museum Site and are restored to their original appearance. There are currently two cabins on site; both exemplify the vernacular architecture typical of vacation homes built here during the first half of the twentieth century. The Rutherford cottage is an un-insulated, one-room cabin built in the 1920s with hip roof and clapboard siding. The brown cabin, built during the first decade of the twentieth century, is less spartan, featuring insulated walls, three rooms, an open-air veranda and shingled siding. These buildings, both individually and as a collection, are used as cultural and educational resources for enjoyment and to increase awareness and appreciation of the community’s early history.

Source:

Town of Regina Beach Bylaw No. 2/2002.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Future Museum Site resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the materials, forms and massing of buildings and structures historically found on the south shore of Last Mountain Lake; including the single-room layout, hip roof and clapboard siding of the Rutherford Cabin; and the three room layout, open-air veranda and cedar shingle side and roof of the brown cottage;
-the accessibility of the property to facilitate the relocation of additional buildings and structures that assist in commemorating the history of Regina Beach and district.