Fort Steele, British Columbia, flourished in the1890s, and then began to decline when the railroad by-passed the town in 1898. Today Fort Steele is a Heritage Village in which visitors can experience what life was like in the 1890s. The Heritage Village includes restored buildings, replica buildings, and buildings which are allowed to decay naturally.
This is the original home of the Mather family which is typical of a moderate sized house of the 1890s. Robert and Mary Jane Mather had 9 children, mostly girls, who helped out in the Windsor Hotel which the family owned.
These are not ghosts, but volunteer reenactors.
The living room is shown above. Notice that it has a heating stove.
The kitchen, complete with a volunteer baking on the wood stove.
The wood cooking stove was being used to bake cookies, corn bread, and bread. Notice the water tank on the right which contains water heated by the stove. The corn bread, by the way, was quite good.
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum exhibits. More from this series:
Museums 101: Horse-Drawn Wagons in Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Churches of Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Nevada City Wagons (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: A Homesteader's Shack, a Blacksmith Shop, and a Paint Store (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Dalles Chinatown (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Homestead Cabin and Barn (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Settlers in the High Desert (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: California Transportation (Photo Diary)