The Museum of Catherine Hennessey

My longtime friend Catherine Hennessey died in March at the age of 92. 

Catherine was an inveterate collector of things: books, scissors, art, bells, building materials for a house she planned to build herself.

As she aged, contracted, downsized, she moved this archive of interesting things from place to place, home to home, storage locker to storage locker. At one point she occupied 13 lockers in the parking garage at Harbourside, despite being only entitled to one.

In an effort to consolidate, Catherine held a series of sales, starting on her 80th birthday with a silent auction (I ran the online part of this), and continuing on through to a sale that took up most of the old Campbell Lea building.

On Sunday was the posthumous final sale, and Catherine’s friends and familiars gathered on a farm in Emyvale to see what was left. It was an eerie experience seeing things I knew so well—paintings, furniture, photos, bins of scissors—out of their home context. It was made less eerie by the presence of so many people who loved Catherine.

Here’s what I emerged with, a kind of “Museum of Catherine Hennessey” in the same spirit as The Museum of Norm.

Dorchester Street Enameled Sign

Of the type affixed to the side of houses, rather than on a pole on the street. Provenance unknown. Catherine lived on 145 Dorchester Street when I first met her in the early 1990s, in a house she called “Pidwell Lane.”

Playground Sign

This small metal bar, engraved with “Playground,” has “Klassen Bronze Ltd., April/72” written on the back. Klassen Bronze is a Toronto company:

Established in 1950, many years of exceptional service and experience have made Klassen Bronze a world leader in the manufacture, distribution, import and export of letters, numbers and signs.

Leading Box

Labelled as being from The Guardian’s composing room, this is a box designed to hold different lengths of leading (thin lead rules used between lines of metal type). It just so happens that I need a box for my leading, so this was heaven-sent (thank you, Catherine).

Lino Cutters

Why did Catherine have lino cutters? I don’t know. But the box is beautiful, as are the wooden handles. And we’re printmakers.

Island Identity Sign

Catherine worked under the “Island Identity” banner for a time. Others will know more about it; it predated me, I believe. It’s a beautiful hand-painted sign from Custom Signworks.

Cowbell

Catherine loved bells. To own one of hers is an honour.

Dr. Smith Sign

Catherine Hennessey was born Catherine Smith. Her father was Dr. Smith. I love this sign.

Ceramic Pig

Catherine collected pigs. So many that there was a hutch filled with them that sale-goers were invited to choose from. This is the one I chose.

Marble Cutting Board

In an earlier life this piece of marble lined the doctors’ showers at the old Charlottetown Hospital, a fact that delighted Catherine.

Her countertops at 222 Sydney Street were from the same showers; this piece travelled with her to Rankin House at Harbourside.

Tonight I baked molasses bread, from her recipe, and kneaded the dough on it, as she had.

I’m still coming to terms with the role Catherine played in my life (and the role I played in hers). Owning some of her much-loved objects is a small help to that. I will treasure them.