Family members of the late Clement Powell will tell you that he had a knack for taking a piece of wood and turning it into something beautiful.
The former high school teacher also had a special interest in collecting and restoring antique hand tools.
During his lifetime, Powell's personal collection of carpentry tools grew to include more than 160 items, including hammers, axes, saws, and tenons. He displayed them all on the wall of his Sussex Corner home, which he built in the 1980s.
His entire collection and the original wall on which it was displayed are now at the New Brunswick Museum of Agriculture in Sussex.
See | Clement Powell Coordinating Group
"He didn't want it sitting in a box collecting dust," said Clement's son David Powell of Oromocto. “We didn't think it would be fair to break up the four of us when he came.
David said some of the instruments had been passed down in his family and belonged to his great-grandfather. My father bought the others from the sale and returned them.
"He loved researching tools and learning their original names and what they were used for in general," she said. "He found really broken things, but he had a good eye and would say the pieces showed promise in terms of restoration."
Clement was proud of his team and eager to talk to anyone who was interested, according to David. He said finding homes for others was more important to his family.
"This is an opportunity for more viewers to understand and experience what was there a few years ago ... everything was done by hand," he said. "And it's good to know the team is still intact."
The exhibit opened at the New Brunswick Museum of Agriculture in late August.
Rebecca Patterson is Past President and Curator of Exhibitions at Sussex Museum. He said he initially refused to donate due to lack of space in the building.
"But I was a little surprised when I went to look and saw that everything was laid out so beautifully. I was amazed," he said. "And all I thought was how would I present it?"
David and his brother Ken also decided to provide a male and female pine wall to keep the show their father built in the 1990s.
Thanks to the family's donation and financial support from the county, the museum was able to build the wall and build a cabinet around it, Patterson said. It also includes a booklet listing all the items and a little about the history of the Powell family.
Patterson said the display is unique because it is comprehensive. He said many farms in the past desperately needed these tools.
"Today's farmers have to multi-task...and that was the case in the past," he said. "So whether they're fixing a wagon wheel or putting something in a warehouse, these tools will come in handy."
"This history is not just local to Sussex," he said. “This is the story of New Brunswick.
The museum is closed for the season, but will continue to schedule tours in the fall.
