Previous volunteer of Cottonwood joins the mansion as new curator

By Sheila Phibbs

The Haldimand Press

SELKIRK—Brittany van Dalen has a passion for history that she comes by honestly.

She grew up visiting antique malls and shows on weekends with her parents, who are avid collectors. In addition, the family’s Edwardian home, which surrounded her with numerous trinkets and antiques, established what she calls “a personal connection with the past.”

That connection is enhanced with multiple degrees in history, and she is now using that training and passion to keep local history alive as the new curator at Cottonwood Mansion in Selkirk.

Advertisement

 

Cottonwood is a familiar setting for van Dalen, who spent her teenage years volunteering at the museum.