History is around us everywhere and you never know when you will discover something new about something old.

I attended the Cochrane Historical Buildings Tour on June 9th and wanted to tell you of a treasure I discovered: the Apron Museum. I’m not really sure what I expected, as it seemed so improbable that there could be a whole museum about aprons. What I found was heavenly! It was a museum of aprons … and more!

Located in the industrial area of Cochrane, in the same building as the Studio West Bronze Foundry and Art Gallery, was an upper floor devoted to women’s history as told through aprons. Sounds odd perhaps, but Shirley Begg, the proprietor, passionately related stories about the women who had donated aprons and other artifacts to her and really brought history to life.

The aprons themselves were fascinating. They range in age from the 1800s to modern day and run the gamut of styles, fabrics and origins. The earliest was a flimsy little ladies’ maid apron, suitable for serving tea and not much more. The most recent was a practical gingham smock from Chili. Fabrics ranged from sugar and flour sacks, embellished with trim and hand embroidery, to lacy lightweight aprons worn more for show than practicality. Styles included a bonnet apron, a gathering apron, ‘pinnies’ (fastened with pins or brooches), and many tie-on varieties.

The stories and associated objects brought meaning to these humble textiles. For example, in the past it was necessary to have crisply ironed aprons; I learned about the many special varieties of irons and how they worked. Also on display were books, poems and family photos, all highlighting the importance of the apron.

Shirley described her plans for dioramas that represent each decade of the 1900s and how the aprons of the time reflected the changing roles of women. She already has some of the supporting objects, such as an old school desk and a telephone exchange, but setting up the displays will take time, since she runs the museum as a hobby outside of her full-time job.

Aprons are one of my favorite objects and I have sewn many as gifts for friends and relatives over the years. I am quite the ‘girlie girl’ who loves crafting and is in awe of beautiful hand embroidered handkerchiefs, but I am also a feminist who used to work outside the home and transitioned into a stay-at-home mom. This museum reconciled these two seemingly conflicting facets of my personality and truly resonated with me. As an archaeologist and historian, I often lament the lack of information about women in the past; I applaud the efforts taken by Shirley to reveal how an everyday object can illustrate a woman’s role in society.

The Apron Museum is located at 205 – 2nd Avenue East in Cochrane. Call (403) 932-2611 for hours. Donations are appreciated.

This article was originally printed in the Bergen News and is being reprinted with permission.