Erland Lee Museum, National historic site in Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Canada.
The Erland Lee Museum is a one-and-a-half-storey wooden house on Ridge Road in Stoney Creek, Ontario, with a rectangular plan and a three-part front facade. Its 1808 log core was extended in 1873 in Carpenter Gothic style, visible in steep gables, board-and-batten siding and a carved garland of stylised maple leaves along the bargeboard. Inside, three floors show Victorian furniture and Lee family items; an 1873 carriage house holds two floors of local history exhibits.
The house began as a log cabin in 1808 and received a Gothic addition in 1873 that transformed its appearance. The Lee family called it home until they moved away in 1970.
Janet Chisholme Lee, wife of Erland Lee, founded the first Women's Institute here in 1897; the dining-room table where she wrote its constitution still stands in its original spot. The movement, begun to educate isolated rural women, became international, and the house is known as the birthplace of the "Mother Institute".
The museum welcomes visitors from Wednesday through Sunday across its three floors of period furniture and local exhibits. The site is easy to navigate, allowing you to explore both the main house and outbuildings at your own pace.
The museum's name honours Erland Lee, but the founding act was Janet Chisholm Lee's: in 1897 she wrote the first Women's Institute constitution at the dining room table, which still stands in its original spot. The house stayed with the Lee family from 1808 until 1970.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,625 contributors worldwide.