Publications
These publications have been written and contributed by OMAH’s History Committee. The committee publishes an article every two weeks in the “Muse News” which goes out to OMAH members. If you would like to see more content like this, become a member to receive one of the committee’s fascinating articles with your newsletter every two weeks. If you would like to get involved with the committee, reach out to the History Programming Coordinator.
Her Quilt Tells Theresa Fama’s Story
Written by Guest Contributor and Quilter Theresa FamaI grew up in Thunder Beach. I had a loving family and had the best playground any child or adult could ever dream of. I made a story quilt to preserve these cherished memories. The McNamara Memorial Park is what it...
Hill’s Restaurant – A History
Written & researched by Ron NashHow would you describe a 98-year-old eating establishment? As there is very little signage these days, one cottager friend just calls it ‘The White House.’The 'White House'. Hill's Maple Leaf RestaurantIt was not so at its...
History of the Mariposa Folk Festival
Written & researched by Trish Crowe-Grande, OMAH History Committee ChairThe Mariposa Folk Festival was spearheaded by Ruth Jones, an Orillia resident and significant figure in the folk music movement, who rallied her local community and Toronto contacts to bring...
History of the Orillia Silver Band
Written & researched by Trish Crowe-Grande and Cliff WhitfieldIn 1949, Harry Peacock, a member of the Orillia Kiltie Band, decided to leave the Kilties to start up a brass-band in Orillia. In the 1950s, Mr. Peacock, along with his band committee, secured the...
The Cracked Bell Caper of 1900
With an Introduction by Fred Blair, Genealogist and Family HistorianThe Cracked Bell Caper of 1900 is a part of Orillia history worth retelling. On December 24, 1956, the Orillia Packet and Times published some recollections by either Alan or Heber Greene, both sons...
History of the Orillia Kiltie Band
Written & researched by Trish Crowe-Grande, History Committee Chair and Cliff Whitfield, Guest ContributorFollowing the success of the Orillia Citizens Band in 1923, winning second place in Class B at the CNE Band Competition, the Kiltie Band brought honour back...
History of the ORILLIA CITIZENS BAND
Written & researched by Trish Crowe-Grande, History Committee Chair and Cliff Whitfield, Guest ContributorIn the late 1800s, it was common to gather at Orillia’s Civic Park (now Couchiching Beach Park) and listen to the Orillia Citizens Band, where hundreds of...
OMAH Celebrates Black History Month – A Tribute to Ron and Ann Harrison
By Mary Ann Grant, OMAH History CommitteeEvery year in February, which is Black History Month, the History Committee at the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) takes time to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by Black Canadians, and to learn about...
Solving the Peter Street Cemetery Mystery
Who owned the Peter Street South cemetery? Your first thoughts might be that this was the St. James’ Church Cemetery, but that cemetery was about two blocks further north on the southeast corner of Peter Street and Coldwater Road. On June 19, 1873, the following...
Another Waterfront Transformation
By David Town, Historian, Author of ‘A Waterfront for Everyone’ Orillia Museum of Art & History Guest ContributorWhat a transformation our waterfront is undergoing! There’s a new road going in with better access to the downtown, massive new sewers lie sprawled...
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Land Acknowledgement
The Orillia Museum of Art & History is located on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg. The Anishinaabeg include the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. We respect and observe the long and enduring presence of Indigenous Peoples – First Nations, Metis and Inuit – on this land. Their teachings and stewardship, culture and way of life have shaped our City’s unique identity.
In acknowledging that we occupy colonized Indigenous territories, and out of respect for the rights of Indigenous people, we accept our collective responsibility to recognize our colonial histories as well as their present-day manifestations in order to honour, protect, and sustain this land.