Built on the bald prairie 125 years ago, Government House was palatial for the times — a fitting place to house the Queen’s representative in the territory.
The house’s storied history includes many colourful events and characters, past and present.
If the walls could talk, they’d tell tales about the pomp and pageantry of royal visits; about a safecracker hired to open a vault filled with hidden treasure; about the shards of glass that flew when a mischievous monkey swung from the house’s chandeliers.
Government House was the playground of Jocko, who belonged to Lt.-Gov. Amedee Forget — the last lieutenant-governor of the North-West Territories and the first lieutenant-governor of Saskatchewan.
As the story goes, Forget and his wife, Henriette, had no children so they dressed the monkey as a child and gave him free rein.
Jocko ran the house for a few years, says Chad Debert, assistant director of Government House.
“He spent a lot of time in the library with (Forget) and had his own little rocking horse in there,” Debert says. “He spent some time swinging on the chandeliers in the main hall … I’m sure there were a few cleanups.”
Over the years, royal visits have been highlights at Government House. One of the most popular and publicized was in 1939 when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Regina.
The chef and staff from Saskatoon’s Bessborough Hotel were brought to Regina to prepare a banquet for the royals hosted by Lt.-Gov. Archie McNab. It was a relaxed visit with McNab casually telling the royals “bring the kids next time.”
Queen Elizabeth II followed in her parents’ footsteps. She visited Government House six times, most recently in 2005 when she opened the house’s new wing, which is named after her.
Dignitaries from all over the world use the ceremonial entrance when they call on the lieutenant-governor.
“Even though the house is a museum, it’s still used for various events that have historical significance and will have historical significance down the road,” Debert says.
One of the more recent events was in 2009 when the Council of the Federation met in Regina. Provincial and territorial leaders sat around the dining room table at Government House to discuss pressing issues of the day, including pandemic planning.
“It was much like when Government House first opened and the lieutenant-governor was more involved in the day-to-day running of the country,” Debert says. “Those meetings were commonplace here. It’s neat to see that link.”
During McNab’s tenure as lieutenant-governor, it was decided it was too costly to keep Government House as the official residence of the lieutenant-governor, so the office was moved to the Hotel Saskatchewan.
McNab was very ill and nearing the end of his term when a large auction was held in August of 1945. Most of the house’s contents were put up for sale in Ceremonial Circle, situated in front of Government House.
However, in a quirk of fate, not every piece was auctioned.
“The china and serving ware were locked in a vault,” Debert says. “The person who knew the combination to the vault was quite sick as well and was unable to be around to open it.”
Consequently, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 pieces were saved from the auction block. The precious items remained under wraps for almost 30 years because the vault’s combination was lost.
Many stories have circulated about how the safe was finally opened, but it’s widely believed a safecracker from Eastern Canada was brought to Regina and figured out the combination.
Through the efforts of the Government House Historical Society, and others, many auctioned pieces have been returned, including the grand piano in the drawing room that once belonged to Madame Forget. She gifted it to the house at the end of her husband’s tenure.
A recent society display held at a collector’s show in Regina advertised the group’s attempts to repatriate the artifacts sold in 1945.
A gentleman told society members his brother had a lamp from Government House, says Isabelle Zohner, a society member and appraiser.
“He told us, ‘My brother lives on a farm and he has wires strung to the outhouse and the lamp was lighting the outhouse,’ ” Zohner says. “We have the promise from the brother that if (the lamp) becomes available, we’ll get it back.”
Government House house has undergone many reincarnations from the time closed in 1945 to its restoration and official reopening in September 1980.
The property was turned over to Veterans Affairs for use as a convalescent home — essentially the precursor to the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre — and later became the site of adult education classes in 1958.
Major work on Government House in 1979-80 restored it to the 1898-1910 period. The lieutenant-governor’s office returned to Government House on July 1, 1984 — in the refurbished former servants’ quarters.
“There’s a little bit of irony in that a public servant is in the servants’ quarters,” Debert says.
Not all of the house’s visitors are of the flesh-and-blood variety.
“A number of ghost stories have come up through the years,” Debert says. “It’s been said that there are a number of spirits that visit the house. Over the years, that body of spirits have been given one name and that name is Howie.”
Cheun Lee, a chef in the 1930s, is the only known person to die in the house. He died of natural causes.
“It’s said that you can hear his slippers shuffling along the main hall upstairs going into what would have been the old servants’ quarters,” Debert says.
As Debert sits in the Sylvia Fedoruk Conservatory and relates stories about Government House, strains of music are heard in another room as the Regina Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players practise for their next concert.
“George Watt, who was the original gardener for Government House, was one of the founding members of the RSO,” Debert says. “He was an accomplished flute player. The Forgets were very passionate about music in the community, so they were part of that original group who started to bring things together.”
Victorian teas began in 1991 as a one-year project to celebrate the centennial of Government House as an initiative of Marge Ewart and Betty Westmoreland.
“It became so popular that, 25 years later, we’re still here and going strong,” says Sheila Carson, a past president of the historical society.
She has been involved with the teas from the beginning.
The first tea was served in the conservatory, which lacked running water.
“Teas used to be run from what we now call the north kitchen in the old part of the building,” Carson recalls. “There was a ramp that defied gravity that we would have to push the carts down. If you didn’t have two people — one to push the cart and one to lift it up — everything on the cart would go sliding off.”
Historical society members prepare the cucumber, egg salad and ham salad sandwiches, Devonshire cream, scones and desserts from scratch. Only the bread is bought.
At the May 14 and 15 retro teas, the three-layer carrot and egg sandwich will make a comeback as well as lemon curd tarts with basket handles, and Queen Elizabeth cake, complete with a shortbread crown.
A trio of stacked teacups are the centrepieces on all of the tables, which are covered in lavender, pink and green tablecloths. Those co-ordinate with the fabric of the tea cozies and servers’ aprons.
“We decided this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary that we would bring out some of the old linen,” Carson says.
Over two days, about 55 volunteers are involved in preparing and serving the delectable food. Despite the huge time commitment, Carson is passionate about preserving the traditions of Government House.
“When you learn about what goes on at government houses throughout the country — and in some provinces there are no longer government houses — it makes you step back and think what a unique place this is. Its history is so rich,” she says.
“As Canadians, we often don’t know our own history so well. A lot of people don’t realize the significance that this building had for the whole country — two-thirds of the country was governed from this building at one time.”
One of her most touching memories occurred one Christmas when the Historical Society set up a children’s shopping day in the ballroom. No gift cost more than $10 and the presents children selected were gift wrapped for them. No parents were allowed into the market.
“A mom called us up and she had just become a single parent. She said, ‘I had no idea how I was going to make Christmas for my children and now you have,'” Carson says.
The antiques and collectibles auction is another popular event.
“Antiques and collectibles seems to fit in with the house and it’s a fundraiser to help us to promote, preserve and enhance the house,” says Janice Routley, chair of the auction that began in 2000.
Generous individuals have donated exquisite jewelry, china, crystal, vintage dolls, books and games as well as original paintings, stamp collections and G.I. Joes.
“Sometimes, we donate items of real historic value to other museums, to the house and to the lieutenant-governor’s office,” Routley says.
Zohner recalls royal memorabilia that included books, mugs and figurines, which were donated by an elderly gent around the Queen’s Jubilee in 2011 and displayed in the house during a royal visit.
“I took pictures of the display and sent the gentleman a letter saying that Prince Charles had stopped and admired the display,” Zohner says. “He couldn’t have been more thrilled.”
Thousands of donated items are stored outside of Government House.
“When everything comes in before the auction, it’s like Christmas because we really forget what we’ve taken in,” Zohner says. “We get a lot of porcelain, pottery, antique clocks and jewelry.”
Laughing, she recalls one donation the historical society turned down — a gold tooth filling.
“We sent it back to the family and suggested they had it melted down,” Zohner says.
With the profits, the society has contributed towards major projects at the house including the building of the Queen Elizabeth II Wing. Additionally, the society has repatriated many items including the McNab collection, Lt.-Gov. Hugh Munroe’s ceremonial sword and a number of furniture pieces auctioned in 1945.
One of the tireless members of the historical society, Ann Grahame, and a team of volunteers clean every single copper, silver and brass item in readiness for the August auction.
Grahame is among those involved in the production of a new history book on Government House.
The society published A Tower of Attraction — the first edition of the history of Government House — as a centennial project.
In 2009, the society decided to write a second edition to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Government House titled Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan: An Illustrated History.
Eight chapters will cover the latter part of Lt.-Gov. Sylvia Fedoruk’s tenure through to the current-day lieutenant-governor, Vaughn Solomon Schofield. Special attention is given to the Edwardian gardens and the Queen Elizabeth II Wing.
“There will also be a chapter about the house today plus the Victorian teas, which hadn’t been started when the first edition was written, and the appraisals and auctions,” Grahame says. “There will be lots and lots of new illustrations.”
When released in the coming months, the hard cover will sell for $39.95 and be available online or from the historical society, the publisher — Your Nickel’s Worth — and bookstores.
The historical society funded the book and received an $8,000 grant from Creative Saskatchewan to go towards printing costs.
“All of the funds go back to the Government House Historical Society to preserve, promote and enhance Government House as a national historic site,” Grahame says.
Likewise, the New Year’s Day Levee — a tradition that goes back to the beginning of Government House — draws large crowds.
This year marks a significant anniversary for the national historic site, says Carrie Ross, executive director of Government House.
“We have a full year of events and programs, launches and celebrations for the public to come and join us here at Government House,” Ross says.
Beginning May long weekend, the house will be open seven days a week.
The 125th anniversary feature exhibit is Our Stories: Artifacts Tell All! The landau — the official ceremonial vehicle for the lieutenant-governor — is one such artifact. It was first owned by George Brown, Saskatchewan’s second lieutenant-governor, who turned it over to the province at the completion of his term in 1915.
The landau has carried many members of the royal family including the Prince of Wales in 1919, King George and Queen Elizabeth in 1939, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1970, the Queen Mother in 1985 and more recently Prince Charles in 2001 and Princess Anne in 2004.
Visitors to the house will be able to step back in history to celebrate Government House’s original head gardener, George Watt.
“He was innovative and passionate and did everything he could to work with this gumbo in Regina,” Ross says.
Visitors can watch life unfold as actors portray Forget and his wife in the History Alive vignettes, which are scheduled to be held on Sunday and Tuesday afternoons beginning July 3 and running to Sept. 6.
An “At Home” Celebration will be held the afternoon of Sept. 17. The traditional event started with the Forgets when they invited the community to come to Government House.