News & Media Releases
Ornaments from Christmases Past
By Mary Ann Grant Years ago, this writer became a collector of old-fashioned ornaments that fell out of favour with the advent of plastic. Whether antique, vintage or reproduction, they are precious for their beauty and unique design. They are not just the red...
A Tom Thomson Mystery
By Fred Blair If you found the name “Tom Thomson” on the back of a landscape painting, would you think of the Group of Seven? This is a wandering tale about a painting and the possible connections between four landscape painters and Stephen Leacock. In 1888, the...
Private Raymond John Gagnon
By Mary Ann Grant The son of Aimee and Emile Gagnon came to Rathburn, Ontario (Monck Road) from Alberta as a boy. The family operated a small strawberry farm on the 12th Concession of Mara Township. A happy-go-lucky lad, Gagnon enjoyed joking with his siblings and...
Is St. Columbkille’s Church in Uptergrove haunted?
Trish Crowe-Grande It is that time of year when the leaves change colour, pumpkins and fall mums appear on porches and there is a crisp coolness in the air. If you have taken any walks in your local neighbourhood or drives around town, you may have noticed...
The Man Behind the Badge – an OPP Officer with ties to Orillia
By Chris Johnstone OPP Museum Curator Robert George Beatty was born on July 18, 1904. At the age of 23, he decided to embark on a career in policing after his work as a Provincial Officer under the Ontario Temperance Act came to an end. He joined the OPP as a regular...
Orillia Hall of Fame Inductee author Marian Keith – Mary Esther (Miller) MacGregor (1874-1961)
Marian Keith was the pen name for Mrs. Esther MacGregor nee Miller. She was born in 1874 In the village of Rugby, Oro Township (now Oro-Medonte), to parents who instilled in her the value of education, a keen interest in learning, a love of good literature and a...
Orillia Regional Arts and Heritage Awards Nominations Now Open
September 1, 2021 (Orillia and area) – Following the success of last year’s arts and heritage awards night, the Orillia & District Arts Council (ODAC) and Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH), along with the City of Orillia Community Services Dept., are...
Leslie Frost: Orillia’s First Premier
Premier of Ontario 1949-1961 By John Merritt, Simcoe County Historical Association September 20, 2020 marked the 125th anniversary of the birth of Orillia native and former Ontario premier Leslie Frost. Frost was born in Orillia on September 20, 1895 to William...
What We Have Lost
What We Have Lost By David TownAs we approach the one-year anniversary of the YMCA closing in Orillia, I think it is insightful to see what the Y did for Orillia from a historical perspective. You never know what you’ve lost ‘til it’s gone. The Y in Orillia, as...
Sound as a Barrel
by Ellen Blaubergs, Volunteer, Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum There are numerous interesting “works in progress” involving artifacts at the Coldwater Canadiana Heritage Museum, including two wooden barrels once used to transport ceramics. Both are in...
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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.