Most of the time, when we think of the bridges on the Welland Canal, we think of being stuck at them. The many bridges that cross the canal from Port Weller to Port Colborne are often just thought of as part of the infrastructure that gets us from Point A to Point B- with sometimes a wait in between. But, when you are stuck at a bridge, waiting for a ship to pass, have you ever really thought about what that bridge represents? We can actually tell so many stories and explore our history in new ways by talking about the crossing points on the Welland Canal.
Museum Chat Live! E503 – Learning from the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
In early 2019, the St. Catharines Museum opened a temporary exhibition called Outbreak. The exhibit explores the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic and tells a larger story about public health and disease in St. Catharines and Canada. We opened Outbreak to commemorate 100 years since the influenza pandemic, but we could have never guessed just how relevant this exhibit would become in light of the global pandemic we are currently facing.
One Hour in the Past E205 – Photography
We discuss the history of photography and talk about the oldest images in the Museum’s collection. This image of an unknown child is one of the oldest in our collection.
Museum Chat Live! E502 – At Home with your Family History
Listen and gain ideas of how you can use your #stayhome time to dig into your family history!
Starting a family history “isolation project” is a great opportunity for you to pass the extra time you are having at home in a meaningful, constructive way and to learn more about your family history.
Museum Chat Live! E501 – Trailblazing Women in St. Catharines
On this episode of Museum Chat Live!, we share the stories of some of the trailblazing women who’ve made their […]
One Hour in the Past E204 – Telephones with Special Guest: Mayor Walter Sendzik
Kathleen welcomes St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik to the podcast to discuss telephones. They have a great history-based conversation about this ever-changing technology.
One Hour in the Past E203 – Shopping
On this episode of One Hour in the Past, Kathleen and Adrian look at the history of shopping. The rabbit holes and tangential side-bars abound in this hilarious discussion of shopping carts, catalogues, and shopping malls.
One Hour in the Past E202 – Crossed Letters
On this episode of One Hour in the Past, we welcome Manager of Programs and Cultural Services Lori Mambella to the podcast to discuss cross letters. It’s a great conversation that leads down some interesting rabbit holes and Kathleen and Lori even consider the future of letter writing.
Museum Chat Live! E406 – The 2019 Mitten Tree Campaign
Are you just as excited as us for the winter holidays?! To kick off the holiday season, the St. Catharines […]
Museum Chat Live! E405 – Obituaries
In honour of ooky-spooky Halloween time, this Museum Chat Live! episode explores local obituaries in St. Catharines newspapers. Obituaries can be incredibly valuable sources for understanding the nuances of society at a particular moment in time.
Museum Chat Live! E403 – The Bus
Beep, beep! Get on the bus, everyone. On this episode of Museum Chat Live! we are celebrating the first anniversary of the 337 Crosstown bus route that ends here at the Museum.
One Hour in the Past E201 – Sidewalks
Kathleen and Adrian welcome Tisha and Carolyn from the St. Catharines Downtown Association for a discussion about sidewalks. Spoiler alert: there are approximately 500 kms of sidewalks in St. Catharines!
Museum Chat Live! E402 – Museums, Innovation, and our New Interpretive Plan
On this episode of Museum Chat Live!, we discuss the latest venture of the St. Catharines Museum – undertaking a new Interpretive Plan. We explore what an Interpretive Plan is, what it means for the Museum, and why it matters.
Museum Chat Live! E401 – The B.M.E. Church
On this episode of Museum Chat Live!, we dig into the history of the B.M.E. Church in St. Catharines and […]
Museum Chat Live! E310 – The Fallen Workers Part 5
This is Part 5 in a Museum Chat Live! podcast mini-series detailing the Fallen Workers of the Welland Canal. Click […]
Museum Chat Live! E309 – We Did Our Bit: Closing our WWI Exhibit
Our very popular WWI exhibition, Doing Our Bit: St. Catharines to the Western Front is officially closing its doors at […]
Museum Chat Live! E308 – The Fallen Workers Part 4
This is Part 4 in a Museum Chat Live! podcast mini-series detailing the Fallen Workers of the Welland Canal. Click […]
One Hour in the Past E106 – Daylight Savings Time
Adrian and Kathleen look back in time at the world of clocks, bells, the history of daylight savings, and end up down the rabbit hole in a couple of weird places. Use that extra hour we get this weekend to listen to the Season Finale of One Hour in the Past.
Museum Chat Live! E307 – The Fallen Workers Part 3
This is Part 3 in a Museum Chat Live! podcast mini-series detailing the Fallen Workers of the Welland Canal. Click […]
One Hour in the Past E105 – Canadian Thanksgiving
Enjoy this commercial-free episode with Kathleen and Adrian recalling their research on Canadian Thanksgiving and ending up in a bunch of different places including Raggamuffin Parades, the Order of Good Cheer (L’Ordre de Bon Temps), and the Caribou Shot. Join them on this wild ride filled with tangential sidebars and get ready for your own Thankgiving weekend. Gobble, gobble!
Museum Chat Live! E306 – The Fallen Workers Part 2
This is Part 2 in a Museum Chat Live! mini-series detailing the Fallen Workers of the Welland Canal. Click here […]
One Hour in the Past E104 – The Arts & Crafts Movement
On this episode…
Kathleen and Adrian jump into the world of the styles and forms of Arts & Crafts architecture, design, decor, and explore a little into the lives of the founders of the movement. They end this episode with a discussion about great examples of Arts & Crafts architecture in St. Catharines.
One Hour in the Past E103 – Soda Water
When our exhibit focused on objects found in attics and walls, titled Lost & Found, was coming together, Kathleen became intrigued with the soda water bottle that was to be included in the exhibit, and the history surrounding it. And that’s where our conversation picks up on the podcast for this episode: the history of Soda Water (and the history of Soda Water in St. Catharines).
Museum Chat Live! E305 – The Fallen Workers (Mini-Series): Introduction
E305 This is the first in a series of episodes that details the Fallen Workers of the Welland Canal. Over […]
One Hour in the Past E102 – Rowing
Rowing has been a popular sport in the community for more than 100 years! As host to the Royal Canadian Henley Race Course, the community has been lucky to host many world class regattas showcasing rowing’s best! Our community has also trained some of the best rowers in the world.
Museum Chat Live! E304 – Gender, Class & Social Control in Alias Grace
E304 As a podcast companion to our next Books & Brews read, Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace, we interview Dr. Linda […]
Museum Chat Live! E303 – Holodomor
April is International Genocide Awareness Month and will also mark the opening of a new, temporary exhibit created by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) about Holodomor – or Ukrainian Genocide of the 1930s.
We sat down with Natalie Duduch, a child of a Holodomor survivor, and a member of the Niagara Chapter of the UCC to talk about Holodomor, the Congress’ education efforts, and the exhibit that will be here at the Museum from April 4 to November 31, 2018.
One Hour in the Past E101 – Hats
Did you ever notice that a simple information search can lead you in strange and wonderful directions? As in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, historical research can lead you down a winding rabbit hole that might take you off your original path and lead you to new and amazing historical places!
This podcast starts with that premise.
Museum Chat Live! E302 – International Women’s Day 2018
Listen International Women’s Day is about raising women up, celebrating their accomplishments and contributions, and recognizing that there is still […]
Museum Chat Live! E301 – Company Town
In this podcast study guide (to go along with your reading of the book) we take a look at the idea of Merritton, one of the 4 former cities that amalgamated into St. Catharines, and it’s development as a ‘company town’ alongside the historic Welland Canals. Of course, the history of Merritton, and the history of any place, is far more complex than could possibly be analysed in a brief study-guide podcast, and so this episdoe should not be considered a complete history of the town, but rather the presentation of one idea as a just one part of explaining its rich history.
Museum Chat Live! E206 – The Mitten Tree
The holidays are an exciting time of year but for many people in our community who find themselves in a place of need, it can be a cold, uncomfortable, and lonely time.
Museum Chat Live! E205 – Volkswagen Blues
We round out the autumn Books & Brews book club with a wonderful selection titled ‘Volkswagen Blues’ on our last Books & Brews podcast episode of 2017. The 1980s novel by Jacques Poulin (translated to English by Sheila Fischman) tackles colonialism, Quebecois national identity, and Canadian and American Indigenous-Settler history.
Museum Chat Live! E204 – Spooky Halloween Episode
It’s the spookiest time of year! In the haunted spirit of Halloween, we’ve dedicate this episode of Museum Chat Live! to some of the creepiest and eeriest stories in St. Catharines’ history. You might want to listen with the lights on…
Museum Chat Live! E203 – The Diviners
Since Margaret Laurence’s Can-Lit stalwart novel is so incredibly rich of historical themes, we had to pick just one to talk about on our podcast. The choice wasn’t difficult, though, and we spent this episode talking about the historiography of Louis Riel and the Metis peoples of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Museum Chat Live! E202 – The Monuments
How do we deal with monuments that commemorate problematic histories and problematic historical figures? It’s a debate that has gotten quite heated in recent weeks, and as museum professionals, the Museum Chat Live! podcast team thought we’d weight in.
Museum Chat Live! E201 – Green Grass, Running Water
We’re kicking off Museum Chat Live! with an episode dedicated to our Books & Brews Book Club with a discussion of our first book, set for September 19, of Green Grass, Running Water.
Museum Chat Live E108 – The Fallen Workers
A staggering 137 men lost their lives as a result of accidents that occurred during the construction of the Welland Ship Canal. This number is shockingly high. To our knowledge, it is the largest loss of life in the history of Canadian government infrastructure projects.
Museum Chat Live! E107
Happy Victoria Day, everyone! We love this May-long weekend for so many reasons – it signals the beginning of warm weather in Canada, and it is steeped with history that still impacts our lives today.
Museum Chat Live! E106
E106 We just can’t believe that it’s April and that we’re on to our third book of Books & Brews! […]
Museum Chat Live! E105 – Remembering Vimy Ridge
Episode 5 of Museum Chat Live! shares the stories of the St. Catharines soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge from multiple perspectives. We are lucky enough to have letters and diary entries from soldiers including George Hibben, Charles Mercer, Jack House, and Jack Hardy, whose writings bring you right to the battle field.