Working to preserve Ottawa's past
for future generations.
On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the Museum Club undertook its final outing of the season, a trip to Perth to visit the Perth Museum and to learn the history of the Tay Canal. We were welcomed on our arrival by Kathryn Jamieson, Manager of Tourism & Culture for the Town of Perth, who had been instrumental in making all the arrangements for our visit. Though 24 of our members had registered, only 17 were able to attend on the day, but boy!, were they ever treated to a wonderful time.…
Published in
Special Events
Sixty of us gathered in the auditorium of the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on the afternoon of June 20, 2026 to hear a presentation from Glenn Crawford on the history of “Gays of Ottawa”, (GO), the first major social and political 2SLGBTQI+ organization in Ottawa. The presentation was timed to coincide with Pride Month. Glenn was born in Edmonton but has lived in Ottawa since he was three. He is an entrepreneur/designer with an extensive background in design, service, journalism, art, communications and marketing. In 2021, he…
Published in
Speakers Presentations
Saturday, 11 July 2026 12:32
Billings Estate National Historic Site Tour: Seeing History Preserved
Zoe-Elizabeth Cook
On July 3rd 2026, the Museum Club visited the Billings Estate National Historic Site. Our guide Aiden led us through a detailed tour of the estate that went over the contributions of the five generations that lived in this house, on the property and to the surrounding community. The home had been built by Braddish Billings, after his wife Lamira Dow didn’t like the home that he had on the shores of the Rideau River. We began the tour in what used to be the family kitchen, with the original…
Published in
Special Events
On Tuesday June 9. 2026, the HSO Museum Club had the privilege of visiting Beechwood Cemetery for a tour, led by Nicolas McCarthy, about the history of Bytown and the role that Beechwood played in it. As the tour began, we learnt that Beechwood is a non-denominational cemetery which could be seen in the layout of the plots and in the symbols present throughout the cemetery. Our first stop as we walked was the gazebo on the property that provides a gorgeous view of Parliament Hill, which is fitting given…
Published in
Special Events
Monday, 01 June 2026 22:17
Museum Club Starts the Season with National Holocaust Monument Tour
Zoe-Elizabeth Cook
On Sunday May 31, 2026, the HSO Museum Club had the privilege of touring the National Holocaust Monument, led by members of the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES), Artur Wilczynski and Alyssa Novick. The monument was inaugurated in September of 2017, after a student had proposed a monument back in 2013, and had helped to get a parliamentary bill passed to construct one. Our tour began with an explanation of the symbolism behind the shape of the monument. The monument is made up of six triangular sections, and…
Published in
Special Events
Tagged under
On the evening of Thursday, May 14, 2026, the staff at the Beechwood Cemetery launched a new book on their history. Attending were the two authors, Erika Wagner and Nicolas McCarthy, the current and former Beechwood management and staff, and a large crowd, all who had gathered in the Sacred Space at the cemetery for the formal part of the launch. Erika Wagner acted as the emcee for the evening, introducing key project members and thanking the audience for their attendance. She went on to explain the somewhat long and…
Published in
Society News
On April 25, 2026, the Society hosted the third presentation of its Bytown200 series. It followed a February presentation by Dr. Lynn Gehl on the past, present and future of the Anishinaabeg Algonquin of the Ottawa Valley, and one in March by Allison Margot Smith who gave a screening of her documentary on the Rideau Canal. Presented by Society member James Powell, the third and final part of the Bytown200 trilogy focused on Bytown itself. Despite stiff competition from two hockey games that afternoon with both the Ottawa Senators and…
Published in
Speakers Presentations
Tagged under
Ruth Hall-McMillan’s immense contributions to the Historical Society of Ottawa spanned four decades. Ruth passed away on December 8 2025, at the age of 93. Inspired by Ottawa’s 150th anniversary in 1976, with the encouragement of HSO, Ruth produced a magnificent series of oil paintings, a collection called “The Rideau Canal Before 1900”. These works, featured in a solo exhibition at Ottawa City Hall, represented a meticulously researched visual record of the canal’s 19th century history. In 1991, the HSO was honoured to publish a pamphlet by the same name, written by…
Published in
Society News
Tagged under
Let’s hear your stories about Bytown and the Rideau Canal as we begin to mark 2026, the 200th anniversary of the beginning of both! All contributions are welcome. Selected submissions will be shared on a special webpage on the HSO website for all to access, including educators. Eligible contributions can be submitted in a variety of formats, including written or audio/video. We hope to also incorporate selected contributions into our many other platforms – such as our blog, the HSO Capital Chronicle newsletter, website articles and the Ottawa Stories sections…
Published in
Society News
Tagged under
Page 1 of 15
Quick Links
About
Supporting Partners
