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On Now!
PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS
Where Ottawa begins…
Come and explore
the Bytown Museum!
Travel through time and explore the stories that shaped Bytown and early
Ottawa. From the arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel John By and the construction
of the Rideau Canal to the naming of Ottawa as the nation’s capital, the
permanent exhibits will introduce you to the people and the objects that
helped build our great city.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Building Block and Growing Pains: the lives of children in early Ottawa
Until November 30, 2008
Imagine a school house with one rickety old wood-burning stove to keep you
warm in the winter.
Imagine boys wearing velvet
dresses. Imagine working the night shift in a lumber mill.
These were the lives of children in early Ottawa. We hope that your life is
a little easier...
COMMUNITY GALLERY
Celebrating 150 years of Canada's Polish Kashub Heritage
Until June 22, 2008
 
Presented in collaboration with
the Kashub Heritage Museum, Wilno, this exhibition showcases the history and
cultural heritage of the Polish Kashubs who arrived in the area in 1858.
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
The
Commissariat 3D Reconstruction Project
This bilingual, 8-minute animation takes the viewer back in time to the
Ottawa Locks site and Commissariat Building (which now houses the Bytown
Museum), as they appeared when the Rideau Canal was first completed. The
animation guides the viewer through the locks on Lieutenant-Colonel By’s
maiden voyage in May 1832, even diving underwater to understand how a sluice
gate works.
The museum also displays an
annual temporary exhibit which highlights a part of our past not
included in the long term displays.

In 2006, the museum is showca sing the life, times and tragic death of
Father of Confederation Thomas D’Arcy McGee as well as a look at the
life of his convicted assassin, James Patrick Whelan. Featuring the
first public exhibition of Whelan’s Revolver, acquired by auction in
2005 by the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Take our
Virtual Tour – learn more about Bytown’s history.
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