Membership and Donations

Membership

Membership in The Historical Society of Ottawa is open to all. We are students, researchers, authors, retired people and working people from all walks of life and backgrounds. We are a diverse group with one thing in common—a love of history, especially Ottawa Valley history!

By becoming a member of The Historical Society of Ottawa, you are contributing to the preservation and sharing of the Ottawa Valley’s rich history. Your annual membership fees help fund the many activities of the Society which include:

• speaker presentations (in-person or by Zoom, in English or French);
• support for the Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair for youth,
• our annual Storyteller award,
• the publication of historical research and personal memories,
• outings to local museums, and other activities.

So, please join us. We’d be delighted to welcome you as a member!

Membership Types

To  obtain a Student membership, please contact the Society at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will send you an electronic form to complete.

To allow persons on a budget to join The Historical Society of Ottawa and to participate fully in the Society’s activities, a Bursary Fund has been established to reduce membership fees and other expenses. If you are in this position, please contact the Society at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Society’s Email Practices

To hear about events and publications, members may choose to receive regular updates by email. If at any time you no longer wish to receive these emails, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and ask to be removed from the informational emails list. Members who opt out will still receive essential messages, such as information about the Society’s annual meeting and their annual membership renewal date.

The Society’s Privacy Policy

Only information that is necessary to conduct Society business is collected on our membership forms. Your information is not shared with other organizations. For more details see our Privacy Policy.

Membership Renewal

We send an email to members when it is time to renew. To continue your membership please complete a new form and make your payment as described below.  Many thanks for your continued support!

How to Start or Renew your Membership

ONLINE
To purchase a membership online, please select the secure Register Online button above.

BY MAIL
Memberships can be purchased by mail with a cheque or in person (with cash or cheque). Please download and complete this Membership form.  If paying by cheque, please make it payable to “The Historical Society of Ottawa."

Please mail the membership form and cheque to:
The Historical Society of Ottawa,
P.O. Box 523, Station "B",
Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6

Donations

Donations are another great way to support the work of The Historical Society of Ottawa. We are a volunteer-run organization, so your donations go a long way to support our programming.

The Historical Society of Ottawa is a registered charity.  Our Registration Number is BN 10748 4081 RR 0001.

MAKE A DONATION ONLINE
Use our secure online donation form.

MAKE A DONATION BY MAIL
Download our Donation Form and make cheques payable to:
"The Historical Society of Ottawa"

Mail your cheque along with the donation form to:
The Historical Society of Ottawa,
P.O. Box 523, Station "B",
Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6

Due to the COVID-19 emergency, the Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair Committee cancelled the 2020 Fair that was to be held on April 22, 2020, at the Canadian Museum of History. The Fair will return in 2021.

2019 Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair

Virtual Fair

HSO is immensely proud of our important role as official Patron of the annual Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair (ORHF).

Every year, enthusiastic young students from area schools submit wonderfully researched and thoughtfully written projects relating to local and/or Canadian history.

In “normal” years, a national museum atrium is jostling with students, teachers, parents, and local dignitaries while judges carefully examine each creatively rendered project, assessing the imaginative submissions, quizzing the young competitors, and determining the well-deserved award winners.

As we all know, things are done quite differently these days.

Take a look at some of the fascinating projects submitted by these young people for 2021 virtual edition of the ORHF.

The 2020 winner of The Algonquin College Award is Jonah Ellens. Jonah writes: 

It is with great personal satisfaction that I accept this award. I have enjoyed researching, studying and sharing Ottawa's history over the past years. I am thankful for the role Algonquin College and my friends in the Applied Museum Program have played in helping me develop my skills so that I can continue to improve my abilities and better share local history. I hope that in the near future we can return to an unrestricted public setting to tell our stories.