Tag: ontario
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Drawing Kingston and Area Museums: Process and Memory Recall
When the Kingston and Area Association of Museums, Art Galleries, and Historic Sites (KAM) approached me to create line drawings of their member sites, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. By drawing Kingston and area museums, I could finally combine my passion for creating art and visual arts degree with my work as a heritage…
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A Historic Place in Odessa, The Reopening of the Babcock Mill
The Historic Babcock Mill, built in 1856 and located on the banks of Millhaven Creek in Odessa, was officially reopened to the public by Loyalist Township on July 6th, 2023. For many, the wait for this day has been long. The historic place has been closed to the public for the last 30 years! As…
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Investigating Ghosts at Smiths Falls Heritage House
I just returned from a trip to Smiths Falls, where I had a unique adventure– investigating ghosts. Two ghost hunting organizations, G.H.O.S.T. and Nightwatchmen Investigative Team, teamed up to host a fund-raising event for the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum. Although I was hesitant to go ghost hunting, my friend convinced me, and we took…
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The Kingston Scout Museum, A Unique Museum
As a member of Girl Guides, Scout’s sister organization, I was fascinated to find that Kingston had a museum dedicated to preserving its history. Scouting has a long history, not just in Canada but across the world, and I was particularly interested to see what Kingston’s history with it was. Did you know that Kingston…
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The Neill Family of Galt, Ontario and The Great War – The Story of Brothers Thomas and James
Published by Iris Russak The First World War began in August 1914. At that time, when Britain went to war, Canada also did so automatically. While Canada was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire, it did not control its own foreign affairs. The war lasted for more than four years, and killed approximately nine…
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Murney Tower – A UNESCO World Heritage Site In Our Own Backyard
Published by Iris Russak It was a great privilege to spend a couple of hours on a warm and sunny spring morning with the Curator of the Murney Tower, Danielle. It was a good thing she had given me a heads up to bring a sweater – it stays quite cool on the inside of…
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Share Your Family Story – South Frontenac Museum
Published by Iris Russak The most recent stop on our Tour of Kingston Museums was the South Frontenac Museum in Hartington. For those of you not familiar with the location, you will find the museum next to the Hartington branch of the public library on Road 38, just up from Harrowsmith. It is a short…
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Frontenac County Schools Museum and Barriefield
Published by Iris Russak It feels like I am starting off every blog post I write with something along the lines of “we discovered another Kingston gem”, this may be getting old but it is so very true of the couple of hours we spent in Barriefield on a wonderful, sunny and warm spring morning. I…
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March Of Museums At The Military And Communications Museum
This March Break, we were enjoying a pretty awesome ‘staycation’ at home in Kingston. We had company with us – all the more reason to explore the unique sites Kingston has to offer. One of the great opportunities to see more of them – for free! – was the March Of Museums hosted by the…
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A Bring Your Thing Pop-up Museum: Made in Canada
The Kingston and Area Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites ran a series of free pop-up museums called Bring Your Thing throughout 2017 to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. The first pop-up museum was held on January 21st at Artillery Park Aquatic Centre. It invited people to bring any objects which fit the theme…
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Mistaken Point in Newfoundland at the Miller Museum in Kingston
Mistaken Point in Newfoundland is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Another listed site in Canada is The Rideau Canal, which encompasses Kingston sites like Fort Henry and Murney Tower. The Point’s unique collection of unusually preserved fossils makes it infamous. The fossils have not been discovered anywhere else in the world! The Miller Museum of…
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Canada’s Penitentiary Museum: Innovative Inmates
It is 1998 and you’ve landed yourself a bunk in the Dissociation Cell area of Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba. While using your supplied toothbrush for its rudimentary purpose of brushing your teeth is an option, there is another one. The innovative inmate you are, you could also use it and source remnants of various…
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Arresting Images: An Exhibition on the Chronology of Mug Shots
The Lennox & Addington Museum and Archives previously hosted a traveling exhibition curated by the Ontario Police Patrol called Arresting Images. This fascinating collection illustrates the chronology of mug shots and how they have evolved over time. Arresting Images features the two earliest mug shots to exist in a Canadian public collection. The Evolution of…