Have you ever used a candy wrapper as a bookmark? Many of the most interesting artefacts in the collection are things that have been accidentally left between the pages of student notebooks. Here are a few examples of these curious artefacts.
Community Involvement: Call for Milkweed
Milkweed floss saved lives! It was used to make life jackets during WWII. Many schools in York Region, including Buttonville, helped their country and community by collecting milkweed pods for the war effort.
Treats: Honey Boy Kiss Candy
A Honey Boy Kiss wrapper was pressed between the pages of a 1911 notebook. The candy was made in Toronto by Robertson Bros. Limited and may have travelled to Buttonville as a gift from a relative or been purchased from the local general store. However it reached Buttonville School, the candy may have been eaten in class before the wrapper was used as a bookmark. Have you ever snuck candies into school?
Games: Magic Baking Powder
Between the pages of another student exercise book, was a toy that could be sent away for from the Magic Baking Powder Company in the year 1900. The “Magic Fortune Telling Fish” used heat to predict your fortune. The baking powder this toy came from was probably purchased from the Buttonville general store. Have you ever sent away for a toy?
Above image courteousy of Waterloo Public Library
Homework: Copp Clark Publishers
Copp Clark publishing house was one of the only suppliers of exercise books to Canadian schools. Copp Clark Limited, now owned by Pearson Plc, is the oldest continuously active publisher in Canada. Can you find their name on your exercise book?
Tea Time: Red Rose “is good tea”
Found in another notebook, this Red Rose Tea advert from 1900 could have come from a box of tea or a magazine purchased from the local general store. Why was it saved? Because it was pretty? Because it was handy? What similarities and differences do you see in this ad’s slogan versus present day advertisements?