THE ANSONIA KITCHEN CLOCK. In pride of place on the kitchen mantelpiece is the Ansonia kitchen clock, now happily marking each hour and half hour with the appropriate number of gongs.  The clock dates from the early twentieth century and was made by the Ansonia Clock Co., New York.  This clock is the “Kirkwood’ model which was being sold in 1914.   In 1844, Anson Phelps formed the Ansonia Brass Co. in Connecticut to supply clocks.  The Ansonia...

  The Annis and George Bills horse trough at the Blacksmith’s Cottage is a survivor of a series of troughs donated by the estate of Annis and George Bills. When he died in 1927, George Bills left his estate of 80,000 pounds to ‘construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they……..are desirable for the relief of horses and other dumb animals.’ The Annis and George Bills Bequest donated over 500 troughs throughout Australia. They were...

Harness racing, or “trotting”, has long been associated with the Melton-Toolern Vale – Bacchus Marsh area.  So close has this association been that when the major harness racing venue was moved from Moonee Valley, the chosen location was Melton.  Tabcorp Park is now a well-known landmark on the Western Highway.   Trotting tracks can still be seen in the Coimadai district.  One of the well-known owner/trainer/drivers of the district is Greg...

The Annis and George Bills horse trough at the Blacksmith’s Cottage is a survivor of a series of troughs donated by the estate of Annis and George Bills. When he died in 1927 George Bills left his estate of 80,000 pounds to ‘construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they ………..are desireable for the relief of horses and other dumb animals.” The bequest donated over 500 troughs throughout...

WORLD WAR 1 SIGNATURE SUPPER CLOTH This hand-embroidered linen supper cloth is an interesting donation which is currently being researched by members of the Blacksmith Cottage and Forge Bookbarn Committee. World War 1 is the common link between the names of  Australian cities, ports, people and objects which have been embroidered skillfully with amazing needle skills on a piece of linen.  The cloth’s origins are unknown however the embroidered...

The Marshman Music Master radios are not from Mars; they are from the ‘Marsh – Bacchus Marsh. We have a Marshman Music Master radio as part of our static display within the Blacksmith’s Cottage. The Marshman has a beautifully styled small box shape with a Bakelite base and camel coloured leatherette case. The glass window displays the intricate “map” of the radio stations of the 1940s. In its day the Marshman was the centrepiece in the...