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

  • Project 70,000: The Indochinese Refugee Movement to Canada

    17 August 2021 Speakers Presentations
    Our last presentation before the summer 2021 break took us halfway around the world but the story resonated here in Ottawa in 1979. After seeing stories on the news about the plight of refugees fleeing Cambodia and Laos and Vietnam, Ottawa mayor Marion Dewar anxiously arranged a public meeting at…

  • James Powell: The Assassination of D’Arcy McGee

    17 August 2021 Speakers Presentations
    Our guest speaker for May 12, 2021 was James Powell, who is a long-time member of the Ottawa Historical Society, and a director on the HSO board. For his presentation James spoke about one of the most tragic heroes in Canada’s history. Thomas D’Arcy McGee was murdered near his Sparks…

  • Dorothy Phillips: Victor and Evie

    31 July 2021 Speakers Presentations
    Our meeting on April 28, 2021, was as much a romance story as it was a history lesson. HSO member Dorothy Phillips has researched the life of the Duke of Devonshire, Victor Cavendish and his wife, Lady Evelyn Petty-Fitzmaurice, which the duke affectionately called “Evie”. In 2017, Dorothy assembled her…

  • Phil Jenkins: Arrested Development

    31 July 2021 Speakers Presentations
    In recent years we’ve enjoyed many presentations by Phil, where he has brought a joyful presence to Ottawa’s past, in story and song, but Phil has a special passion for the old neighbourhood of LeBreton Flats, and it’s hard to tell the story of this community without diving into the…

Upcoming Events

Sep 29 2021
7:00PM - Online via Zoom

Tunney's Pasture - The Story Behind Ottawa's Field of Dreams

Dave Allston

Oct 13 2021
7:00PM - Online via Zoom

Passing by History - The Capital History Kiosk Project

David Dean

Oct 27 2021
7:00PM - Online via Zoom

Grandpa Jack - British Home Child

Emma Kent

View Full Calendar

Special Event

No events

Ottawa Stories

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

old house

Contact Info

The Historical Society of Ottawa

Box 523, Station "B",

Ottawa, ON

K1P 5P6

info@historicalsocietyottawa.ca

historicalsocietyottawa.ca

Facebook

Supporting Partners

city of ottawa logo
ontario
Ottawa Public Library
capitalheritage white