All About the O’Brien Family,  Founders of Shanty Bay

All About the O’Brien Family, Founders of Shanty Bay

By Trish Crowe-Grande, OMAH History Committee Chair Lucius Richard O’Brien portrait undated M.O. Hammond Collection: National Gallery of Canada Archives Edward and Mary O’Brien At the age of fourteen, Edward George O’Brien entered the naval service as a mid-shipman,...
Mayor William Sword Frost

Mayor William Sword Frost

By History Committee members Bruce McRae and Mary Ann Grant Recently, our own City of Orillia was featured on the popular game show Jeopardy. What could we have done to garner such attention? CLUE: IN 1912 ORILLIA, ONTARIO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TOWNS TO TRY THIS...
A Tribute to Jean Sarjeant

A Tribute to Jean Sarjeant

by Mary Ann Grant, OMAH History Committee Credit – Special to the Orillia Packet and Times – Kate Grigg Jan 12, 2017 “Dad’s Diary includes tales worth telling” The Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) believes that it is important to...
The History of Strawberry Island, Lake Simcoe

The History of Strawberry Island, Lake Simcoe

By Fred Kallin, OMAH History Committee member Anatari, Pa-Push-Quan, Gwillam’s Island, Lundy’s Island, Creighton Island, Anderson Island, Starvation Island: these are all previous names for a small 25-acre island in Lake Simcoe we now know as Strawberry Island. Few...
The Barons of Dallas

The Barons of Dallas

The Barons of Dallas By Fred Blair, OMAH History Committee member and Family Historian In 1835, James Dallas and his family sailed from Scotland to New York City, travelled up the Erie Canal, and made their way to Orillia.  In September he purchased 100 acres between...