PO Box 523, Station B, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5P6
Slide 1 - With Welcome Message - Bottom

Lady and Lord Aberdeen with the National Council of Women at Rideau Hall, shortly before their return to the United Kingdom, October 1898, Topley Studios/Library and Archives Canada, PA-029033

Truss Bridge over the Chaudière Falls, Ottawa River, watercolour by John Burrows, 1828, Library and Archives Canada, I.D. No. 2833217.

Timber raft on the Ottawa River, date unknown, John William Woolsey and family fonds, Library and Archives Canada, I.D. No. 319157.

Welcome

The Historical Society of Ottawa (HSO) is Ottawa’s oldest historical organization.The principal aim of the Society is to increase public knowledge of the history of Ottawa and the surrounding region through meetings, tours, awards, publications, and sponsored research.

HSO Articles

  • Thank You, Karen Lynn! Welcome Emma!

    4 July 2022 HSO News
    After four years as our President, the Board of Directors and the members of the HSO would like to thank Karen Lynn Ouellette for a job well done. As former Past President George Neville can attest, the president’s job is a tough one—herding cats at the best of time! Doing…

  • University of Ottawa’s HSO Initiative – Great Success!

    16 April 2022 HSO News
    One early April afternoon, Karen Lynn Ouellette and myself had the honour of attending the last class of Dr. Sarah Templier’s Canadian Digital History course at the University of Ottawa. This was a big day for Dr. Templier’s students who in groups of two or three presented their digital history…

  • The Barber Family: A Proud Place in Ottawa’s History

    10 April 2022 Speakers Presentations
    Thomas Barber is proud of how much the Black community in Ottawa has prospered over time. Thomas tends to look at a darker past not with anger or bitterness. Instead he tends to see Black History in Ottawa as a series of challenges overcome and lessons to be remembered. Understanding…

  • We Are the Children: Coming To Terms With Our Past

    10 April 2022 Speakers Presentations
    In honour of Black History Month in Canada, both of our guest speakers for February discussed the history of Ottawa's Black community — one that is growing both in numbers and influence in our culturally-diverse city, and of the challenge of confronting prejudice and exclusion in the past. June Girvan is…

Upcoming Events

Sep 14 2022
1:00PM - Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

Philemon Wright and his Town

Rick Henderson

Sep 28 2022
7:00PM - Online via Zoom

Failure to Revolt? Why Winnipeg Had a General Strike in 1919 and Ottawa Did Not

Brian McDougall

Oct 12 2022
1:00PM - Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

Hatpins & Defiance: The Battle in Ottawa against Regulation 17

Jean-François Lozier

View Full Calendar

Ottawa Stories

Ottawa has an interesting and varied history.
Enjoy stories from this month in history or discover other Ottawa stories.

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