Family members of the late Clement Powell will tell you that he had the talent to take a piece of wood and turn it into something beautiful.

The former high school teacher also had a devoted interest in collecting and restoring old hand tools.

Over his lifetime, Powell’s personal collection of woodworking tools grew to more than 160 items, including hammers, axes, saws, and drill bits. He displayed them all on a wall in the Sussex Corner House, built in the 1980s.

His complete collection, and the original wall on which it was displayed, can now be found at the Agricultural Museum of New Brunswick in Sussex.

look | Clement Powell’s Curated Collection

The Agricultural Museum of New Brunswick has found a collection of 160 wooden tools that date back to the mid-1800s.

“He didn’t want them to be sitting in a box collecting dust,” said David Powell, son of Clement of Oromocto. “When he passed away, we didn’t think separating it between the four of us would do it justice.”

David said some of the equipment was handed down through his family and went as far back as his great-grandfather. His father collected and restored the others at yard sales.

“He loved doing some research on the tools and figuring out their authentic name and what they were commonly used for,” he said. “He used to find stuff that was very green, but he had a good eye and could tell if the piece had promised in terms of restoration.”

According to David, Clement was proud of his collection and looked forward to talking to anyone about it. He said this made it even more important for his family to find a home where others could enjoy it.

“It’s an opportunity for the greater public to understand what was involved years ago and to know, before … it was all done by hand,” he said. “And it’s nice to know that the collection is still intact.”

The exhibit opened at the Agricultural Museum in New Brunswick in late August.

Rebecca Paterson is the former President of the Sussex Museum and the Curator of Tool Display. She said she initially declined donations due to lack of space in the building.

“But when I went to see and everything was beautifully displayed, I was a little shocked. I was tongue-tied,” she said. “And all I could think about was how do I display it?”

David and his brother Ken agreed to donate a tongue-and-groove cedar wall to keep the performance exactly the way his father had arranged it in the 1990s.

Patterson said that with family donations and some financial support from the province, the museum was able to build the wall and have a cabinet built around it. It also has a pamphlet that lists all the items and something about the history of the Powell family.

Patterson said the performance is unique because it is exhaustive. She said many farms in the past would have needed many of these devices.

“Farmers should be multi-taskers today… and it would have been so in the past too,” he said. “So whether they’re fixing wagon tires or installing something in the barn, these tools will come in handy.”

“This history is not just local to the Sussexes,” she said. “This is New Brunswick history.”

The museum is now closed for the season, but will continue booking appointments for tours in the fall.