Billings Estate

Yesterday we visited the Billings Estate National Heritage Site in Ottawa. The on-site museum had a special exhibit on Victorian medicine that continues until October 31, 2009. The Billings Family home, headed by Braddish and Lamira Billings, is Ottawa's oldest wood-framed house. Five generations of the Billings Family lived here from 1829 to 1975. Braddish gave up the lumber business to concentrate on farming in 1827. The small stone building in the photos above is the dairy house.

Unfortunatley, the Estate's Victorian Tea-on-the-Lawn is not served on Saturdays, when the kitchen is taken over by the many weddings that are held on the estate's grounds. Our visit, however, did coincide with a special show on Victorian medicine, performed by a professional reenactor.

The one-and a-half hour show was held under the shade of some large trees and there were refreshing breezes that made the outside setting very pleasant. The show was equal parts informative, entertaining and fascinating. With its descriptions of blood-letting, use of leeches, amputations and brain surgery, it was at times a wee bit gruesome, but performed in a light-hearted manner with authentic props and a liberal use of fake blood. The re-enactor chose people from the audience who were "ailing" from a wide variety of ills then proceeded to put them to "rights", while explaining and demonstrating (to a point) the treatments of the time, then dispatching them back to their seats. One of the more light-hearted moments was her reading of the bumps on one audience member's bald head, the science of Phrenology clearly pointed to his great love of family, the ability to save money, but oh dear, there was also that bump that showed a propensity for murder. Fortunately, there has never been any evidence to validate the theories of Phrenology! I can't say enough about this particular reenactor. Not only did she know her stuff, she was able to deliver the information in a very entertaining way. And with a subject like Victorian medicine there are a lot of shocking aspects that can be played up by a talented performer. Truely a great example of bringing history to life! I congratulate the Billings Estate Museum for offering this type of program. So enjoyable!