This is the sixth part in an ongoing series of stories to draw attention to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum as it embarks on a fundraising campaign for an expansion that would nearly double the size of the current museum on Castlereagh Street.
The Niagara–on-the-Lake Museum is more than a building housing a collection of artifacts.
It’s much more, say the people who have helped it become a vital part of the community through outreach events and programs.
“We are a museum and we’re dedicated to history, but history is also today. We are tied into current affairs as well,” said Barbara Worthy, the museum’s community engagement co-ordinator.
“I think that’s what makes us so alive and a part of the community … is that we present things that are not just in the past. We are talking about now and appreciation of your culture around you.”
Among the museum’s offerings is the popular Kids Curator Program, two-week summer camps that allow children to learn about the town’s history through hands-on activities.
As well, there are virtual and in-person speaking events, a documentary club and historic walking tours to name a few.
“I think that’s what makes us so alive and a part of the community. We present things that are not just in the past,” Worthy said.
“You bring kids in at that age and they start to see the museum is not such a daunting place,” she said. “It’s something where they can have fun.”
Kids attending the camps don’t just focus on history. Programs tie in events happening in the community. For example, campers learned about the Canada Summer Games that came to Niagara in 2022.
“(Campers) understood what was going on outside the museum. It was kind of fun for them,” Worthy said.
Mona Babin, president of the museum’s board of directors, agreed.
“One of the offshoots of that could be that you bring your child here, they would learn about the Games, and then they’d go — the week after that weekend — to the Games.”
There are also fundraisers that not only help support the museum, but also raise its profile in the community.
“A couple of years ago, we started Band in the Barn,” Babin said. “(We have) a board member who plays the drums and I thought, ‘Well I’m going to do a concert to give some money to a museum’ and it was successful.”
A second event was held last year and attracted 150 people, she said.
“We ramped it up,” she said. “It was 100 per cent organized by volunteers with some donations from people in the community. We raised about $6,000 with that.”
The museum is in the midst of its Building History, Strengthening Community fundraising campaign to help finance an 8,000 square-foot expansion — almost doubling the museum’s current 10,000 square feet of space — that will add to the facility’s storage and exhibition spaces as well as provide space to deliver programs for the community.
Through the campaign, the museum hopes to raise $5 million to cover half of the $10-million cost of the project, which will include a two-storey addition to the rear of Memorial Hall and more basement space for storage.
While funds raised through programs and events usually goes toward museum operations, some of the money raised by the biannual Niagara Polo, which took place on Sept. 14, will go toward the expansion campaign.
Held every two years rain or shine at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Commons, Niagara Polo features two four-chukker games with players from the Toronto Polo Club, a traditional divot stomp, entertainment, music, food, wine, beer, artisans, a silent auction, vintage cars, pony rides and more.
In the off years, the historical society will host events such as History in the Vineyard at Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery.
“Paul Harber, the owner, is a board member as well,” Babin said.
During the pandemic, it continued as a take-home meal event involving three restaurants but 2023 saw it return to its traditional setup with Ravine hosting the dinner.
“People would register and get to know the area, get to know a little bit about history, and then would come back (to Ravine) and have dinner,” Babin said.
One of the most visible events the museum has embarked on is the Poppy Project.
Every November, the museum, the historic courthouse and — starting in 2023 — the Royal Canadian Legion on King Street are draped in hand-knitted poppies in honour of Remembrance Day.
More poppies, crafted by a team of dedicated volunteers, are added annually, said Dianne Hughes, a volunteer with the museum.
“I have a neighbour who makes poppies all year, just for them,” Hughes said.
Like Worthy, Hughes said a huge part of the museum’s appeal — and one of the reasons why she got involved as a volunteer — is because it’s more than a repository of artifacts from the past.
“I like that we talk about the past, but we’re also incorporating history that’s being made right now, today.”
And the programs, she added, are a bonus.
“You can’t help but be totally taken by history coming alive,” Hughes said. “Because of the personalities and the experts that come into the museum to give the presentations. It’s incredible.”
It has been a learning experience for her.
“I found that I was interested in history. I discovered Black history,” she said. “I had no idea because we didn’t check Black history in school.”
Hopes are for the expansion to be completed by 2026, which is the 100th anniversary of the death of museum founder Janet Carnochan.
Donations to the campaign can be made in person at the museum, at 43 Castlereagh St., or online at canadahelps.org/en/charities/niagara-historical-society/.