News & Media Releases

CHIEF YELLOWHEAD’S JUSTICE IN 1832

CHIEF YELLOWHEAD’S JUSTICE IN 1832

Indians and Canoe at Coldwater River, 1844, Titus Hibbert Ware (Toronto Public Library)By Fred Blair, OMAH History Committee member and Family Historian This is a story of an accidental killing in 1832, an unsatisfactory trial verdict, and how Chief William Yellowhead...

THE TAITS OF ORILLIA

THE TAITS OF ORILLIA

Andrew Tait, 1896. Photo from the Orillia Museum of Art & History ArchivesBy William Leslie, Guest ContributorThis is the story of the Tait family. William Tait, his wife, Mary and family left Scotland in 1848 for Canada, travelling from Liverpool to New York...

THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS

THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS

By Fred Blair, OMAH History Committee member and Family Historian About 1810, 20-year-old Benjamin Davenport, his younger brother William, and William’s wife Sarah arrived in Upper Canada (Ontario) as former Black slaves.  William was born in Virginia about 1792 and...

THE ORILLIA WINTER CARNIVAL – A HISTORY

THE ORILLIA WINTER CARNIVAL – A HISTORY

By P. (Trish) Crowe-Grande, Chair: OMAH History CommitteeWinter weather can bring short, bone-chilling days and long, dark nights with the sun setting much too early. For many of us, it can be challenging to find engaging activities that don’t involve bingeing an...

THE CANADA-AUSTRALIA SERIES

THE CANADA-AUSTRALIA SERIES

By David TownIt was another proud first for Orillia, and an astounding accomplishment – but as John Miller stepped off the train at the Orillia platform the only people there to greet him were his family.  He had single-handedly negotiated, organized, and managed the...

MASSEY FAMILY HOME CHILDREN OF CANADA

MASSEY FAMILY HOME CHILDREN OF CANADA

Albert (Bert) Scaife Massey – OMAH CollectionBy Fred Blair, OMAH History CommitteeIn 1868, Anne Elizabeth Massey was born in Chelsea, London, England.  She was the daughter of George and Elizabeth Massey.  By 1891, the family had moved to Fulham, London and “Annie”,...

Elmes Yelverton Steele and the Napoleonic Wars

Elmes Yelverton Steele and the Napoleonic Wars

By Fred Blair OMAH History CommitteeIn 1798, Elmes Yelverton Steele joined the Royal Navy in England as an officer cadet.  In 1799, the British acquired intelligence that Napoleon had commissioned four Spanish vessels to transport over twelve million pounds sterling...

Music and Mocktails at the Museum

Music and Mocktails at the Museum

OMAH is hosting a unique new event that will bring emerging musicians to the museum for an evening of live entertainment and refreshing mocktails developed by mixologist and museum assistant Mikenna Richardson.  Music and Mocktails kicks off on Thursday, September 29,...

THE HISTORY OF OMAH’S CLOCKTOWER

THE HISTORY OF OMAH’S CLOCKTOWER

By Mary Ann Grant – OMAH History CommitteeWhat’s going on?? If you have been by OMAH recently you will have noticed the scaffolding installed on the building and the work underway. The Sir Sam Steele Memorial Building, specifically the clock tower, is getting some...

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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.