The Mountain View Museum and Archives was the recipient of more than 45 antique spinning wheels from a mysterious benefactor.According to Ernie Johnson, treasurer for the museum, the now-deceased donor's name was Hugo (Harold) Heinrich Drees.Little is known about him except that he was a recluse.Chantal Marchildon, program coordinator for the museum, said it was the man's wishes that no obituary, ceremony or any other fanfare accompany his death.The museum was first notified about the donation in November, Johnson said.He was sent to a storage room to survey what they'd be inheriting.When he got there, he saw the space piled from the floor to the ceiling with antique items.“We figured maybe two or three,” Johnson said about how many spinning wheels he expected to find. “When you get a whole storage unit of his stuff, oh. Kind of an ‘oh wow' moment, really.”It wasn't until they saw the wheels in person that they appreciated the gift they received.“When we started taking things out of that storage unit and actually saw what was in there, everybody was in shock. We were in awe,” she said. “We went, oh my God. What did we get here? This is amazing.”The museum took possession of the spinning wheels at the end of February, said Marchildon.Marchildon said the plan is to auction the wheels with proceeds benefitting the museum, a non-profit organization that has struggled to land funding grants.She adds that plenty of people will be in the market for them.“Alberta's full of spinners. There are plenty of people who still spin and a lot of these people would love a working antique,” she said. “Those are working wheels. They're still usable.”Some of the spinning wheels predate the 1900s. Most are handcrafted, Marchildon said.The estimated value of the collection is still unknown because they are awaiting the appraiser's report, she continued.Until then, the museum needs volunteers to help clean the wheels. The task requires special care so they're looking for people who pay close attention.“We need volunteers who can take direction and who'd just be interested in coming and donating a bit of time to the museum,” Marchildon said.She added that the spinning wheels will be showcased at Olds College during its Fibre Week, held from June 23 to [email protected]
