Bytown Museum | Musée Bytown

Bytown Museum | Musée Bytown Open 11:00 am - 5:30 pm, 7 days a week this summer☀️ Join us for family events, new exhibits and daily programs and guided tours.

Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, the Bytown Museum explores the stories of an evolving city and its residents from its early days as Bytown to present day Ottawa. Housed in Ottawa's oldest stone building, the Museum is located at the Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier—one of the most picturesque sites in the city. A six-language audio-tour, available in Engl

ish, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese, is included with the admission ticket. Our Summer hours are: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm; closed Monday and Tuesday.

The Bytown Museum is excited to officially launch our Bicentennial Campaign - Ottawa 200+ Bytown Together!🌟Through a new...
09/03/2026

The Bytown Museum is excited to officially launch our Bicentennial Campaign - Ottawa 200+ Bytown Together!🌟

Through a new temporary exhibition, public art installation, free commemorative event, and fundraising drive, this campaign showcases the people and stories that have shaped—and continue to shape—Ottawa. Throughout the month, we’ll share more about what visitors can look forward to on September 26, including a community breakfast, Heritage Fair, immersive theatrical production, live music, and more!

As we mark this special year and count down to the big day, we’re asking for your support to help make local history more accessible. Our goal is to raise $20,000 for free activities, public programs, and the vital conservation work that protects our local history collection

🎨 A special thank you to the talented Cody Calligraphy for designing the campaign logo and helping bring the visual identity of Ottawa 200+ Bytown Together to life!

🔗Visit the link in our bio to learn more about the campaign and how you can support Ottawa’s community museum this month!

On this day in 1897, the ceremonial last shot was fired at the former Rideau Rifle Range. 🔫The Dominion of Canada Rifle ...
09/03/2026

On this day in 1897, the ceremonial last shot was fired at the former Rideau Rifle Range. 🔫

The Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA) was founded in 1868. In 1873, they established themselves at the Rideau Rifle Range, located where Strathcona Park stands today. As Ottawa extended down Laurier Avenue East toward the rifle range, the DCRA began searching for a new, safer location.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, then the Prime Minister of Canada, had proposed that his wife be the one to fire the last shot. In the end, the ceremonial last shot on the Rideau Rifle Range was fired by the Honourable William Mulock, who was the Postmaster General in Laurier’s cabinet. The real last shot on the Rideau Rifle Range most likely took place several months later as it was only ordered to close on November 2, 1897.

In 1898, the DCRA welcomed competitors to their new Rockliffe Rifle Range, located a safe distance from Ottawa at the time. Today, that site is occupied by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

[Bytown Museum, P2539]

On this day in 1916, the cornerstone of the new parliament building was laid by the Duke of Connaught. 🇨🇦166 years ago, ...
09/01/2026

On this day in 1916, the cornerstone of the new parliament building was laid by the Duke of Connaught. 🇨🇦

166 years ago, on the same day in 1860, the Duke’s brother, then Prince of Wales and later King Edward, laid the cornerstone of the first parliament building. The same cornerstone was used in the 1916 ceremony.

The stone was lifted from where it was first laid underneath the Senate Building and repositioned about 100 feet away to go under the new building’s northeast corner.

The stone itself was made of Canadian marble. It was laid along with a sealed copper receptacle that contained a scroll, coins, postage stamps, and newspapers of the day.

[Bytown Museum, 2014.004.01.61.01]

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈Today marks 55 years since the “We Demand” demonstration in Ottawa. In 1971, “We Demand” w...
08/28/2026

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈

Today marks 55 years since the “We Demand” demonstration in Ottawa.

In 1971, “We Demand” was the first recorded public political action in Canada taken by q***r activists. The demonstration effectively launched Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ liberation movement.

That day, in an effort organized by Toronto Gay Action, around 200 people gathered on Parliament Hill in the rain to address federal lawmakers with ten “demands” to incorporate 2SLGBTQIA+ rights into Canadian law and public policy. A similar protest in Vancouver attended by about 20 people took place the same day in solidarity.

The ten demands, largely composed by Herb Spiers and David Newcome, were part of a larger 13-page document. Many of the demands, were a direct response to the LGBT Purge that took place during the Cold War-era in the Canadian federal government and military.

Today, there is a mural commemorating “We Demand” at the intersection of Bank and Gilmour streets in Ottawa. The mural, created by Dan Metcalfe and Rob Lariviere, depicts Charlie Hill under an umbrella listing the ten demands on Parliament Hill that day.

The museum will be closing early today for our staff appreciation event🌟We will be back to our normal hours tomorrow!
08/27/2026

The museum will be closing early today for our staff appreciation event🌟We will be back to our normal hours tomorrow!

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈Did you know that Ottawa’s first Pride event was held in Strathcona Park (pictured here) in...
08/26/2026

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈

Did you know that Ottawa’s first Pride event was held in Strathcona Park (pictured here) in June 1986?

A group of about 50 people gathered in the park for a picnic, where colourful balloons decorated the festivities. This Pride picnic became a tradition that lasted for a few years across different parks in the city.

These Pride picnics were the forerunner to the city's first formal Pride Week that was organized from June 9 to 18 in 1989, with the first Pride Parade on June 18. The Pride Committee of Ottawa-Gatineau received their first proclamation from Ottawa City Council in 1997. Annual Pride festivities were held at City Hall until 2002, when they were moved to Bank Street. The Pride Committee of Ottawa-Gatineau rebranded to Capital Pride in 2008, a name which remains today.

[Bytown Museum, P3271i]

Just over a week ago, we hosted our second annual yoga fundraiser with Yoga Kāla! It was a beautiful morning filled with...
08/25/2026

Just over a week ago, we hosted our second annual yoga fundraiser with Yoga Kāla! It was a beautiful morning filled with movement, intention, and community. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our community museum - we are so grateful!

As a non-profit organization, your generosity enables us to preserve Ottawa’s rich history and make it accessible to everyone💙

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈The Lookout Bar, located in Ottawa's Byward Market, is Ottawa's oldest 2SLGBTQIA+ bar. It o...
08/24/2026

Happy Pride Week Ottawa! 🏳️‍🌈

The Lookout Bar, located in Ottawa's Byward Market, is Ottawa's oldest 2SLGBTQIA+ bar. It opened in 1996 at 41 York Street and offers weekly dancing, karaoke, drag shows, and more.

The building itself (pictured here ca.1900) was built in 1875 for the St. Louis Hotel, after the hotel's previous building was destroyed by a fire in 1874. The hotel operated until 1909, and the building later went on to house Petere Devine Ltd. Grocers until 1975.

In the 1990s, the building received heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act for its historic and architectural value including its brick facade, gable roof, second storey balcony and more.

[Bytown Museum, 2014.004.01.45]

WE'RE RECRUITING! Are you a museum lover? Passionate about supporting local? Interested in Ottawa's history? We need you...
08/23/2026

WE'RE RECRUITING! Are you a museum lover? Passionate about supporting local? Interested in Ottawa's history? We need you on September 26 as we mark Ottawa's bicentennial with a day of free events and programming!

🔗Sign up here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=dD57GC-6IkOzCIN9VJbPnOAOQexxfSNCpPzi36ZvwaZUQ1dOMlJFVzhMN0VTQko0MFpHSFRVOFRJWC4u&fbclid=PAVERFWAT4Mk9wZG9mAmZkaWQWUNDLoge8jVXsHLc6q6_59HGIv0r3hGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp0-VfBLb7XJzz5AnH4p6LQy3Lvjr1qzsIUa3GTKIoUgekhc1XP5F5g-rmP-f_aem_r-gPv1u288iQTUaHCW6a0A

Since January this year, the Bytown Museum has been marking Ottawa's bicentennial through exhibitions, programs, and eve...
08/21/2026

Since January this year, the Bytown Museum has been marking Ottawa's bicentennial through exhibitions, programs, and events. In 1926, Ottawa’s Centenary Week was celebrated August 16-21. 🎉

This significant anniversary was recognized across the city with a “galaxy of attractions.” Local theatres had their biggest week putting on sold out picture and vaudeville shows. A Historical Pageant at Lansdowne Park showcasing fashions from the previous 100 years took place (the Bytown Museum helped with the research for this program). A stampede, parade, military spectacles, sporting activities, and much more was on offer for residents and visitors alike during the week.

Pictured here are members of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa in front of the Bytown Historical Museum during Centenary Week. (From left to right: Miss Mary Mutchmore, Miss M.J. Tormey, Miss Eva Read, and Miss E.W. Armstrong.)

The Bytown Historical Museum was open to the public every day of the Centenary week from 10am to 6pm. And this summer the Bytown Museum is open every day from 11am to 5:30pm (until 7pm on Thursdays!).

[Bytown Museum, P4315]

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1 Canal Lane
Ottawa, ON
K1P5P6

Telephone

6132344570

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