Glass Bottle Buildings - Treherne MB
Posted by: 
PeterNoG
N 49° 37.840 W 098° 41.775
14U E 521935 N 5497612
Over 10,000 bottles went into the construction of a house, a church, an outhouse and a wishing well. These are now on display at Railway Avenue and Alexander Street in Treherne. Admission of $5 is charged.
Waymark Code: WM6P71
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Date Posted: 06/29/2009
Views: 9
~ From brochure received at the buildings ~
Glass Bottle Buildings
Bob Cain and his wife Dora built their first structure, a one room house made of approximately 4000 glass bottles, in 1982 with the help of Fred Harp. The couple got the idea after seeing similar creations in Redditt, Ontario. It took nearly 3 years. beginning in 1979, to collect enough bottles to begin construction, but with Dora cleaning and peeling labels, the men were soon at work. After two months of dedicated labour, the first glass house was completed. Inside this house, collections of antiques and foreign bottles were displayed.
Soon after, in 1983, the trio decided to build a church using approximately 5000 bottles. This structure took nearly 3 months to build, but when they were complete, they were able to furnish it properly. Bob made a pulpit, an organ was donated from the Anglican Church in MacGregor, a few stained glass windows were donated from the Anglican Church in Cypress River, and from a house in Winnipeg, Bob found some old church pews that he cut in half and added to his collection. In the years to follow, four weddings took place in this church, along with services from time to time.
Bob and Dora watched as tourists began to pour in, and after receiving over 7000 visitors in one summer, they figured it was time to built a few final additions: a wishing well, and a fully functioning outdoor washroom. So in 1987, they put up a wishing well using approximately 500 bottles and a bathroom using over 1000 bottles. Bob and Dora's, Joe Cain, was a plumber, so he was able to install a flushing toilet and sink with running water. The facilities were appreciated by the visitors!
The late Bob Cain was the proud builder of a series of glass bottle structures located on his farm just north of town. When he passed away in 2006, his family donated the structures to the community and in 2007 these structures were moved to their present location at Railway Avenue and Alexander Street.
It's been over 20 years now since the whole adventure began, but tourists are still coming from far and wide to see the amazing attraction.
For more information, please call (204)723-2774.
Hours of Operation
Spring Hours: 4-8 pm Monday-Friday, 1-4 pm Saturday & Sunday
Summer Hours: 11 am - 7 pm Every Day
Bottle Placement: Bottle Building/Wall/Structure
Website: [Web Link]
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