Before 1961, Merritton was an independent municipality, separate from St. Catharines. Merritton developed around the Welland Canal’s most aggressive escarpment […]
Museum Classroom: William Hamilton Merritt Biography
Explore the history and narrative of William Hamilton Merritt and his involvement with the Welland Canals through this interactive biography activity.
Museum Classroom: Immigrating to Canada
This lesson plan explores the history of various diverse groups and their immigration to Canada from a local perspective.
One Hour in the Past E306 – The October Crisis
On the season 3 finale of One Hour in the Past, Kathleen and Adrian discuss their research into the mysterious and turbulent history of the FLQ and the October Crisis.
One Hour in the Past E305 – The Fur Trade
On this episode of One Hour in the Past, Kathleen and Adrian tackle the expansive history of the Fur Trade.
BHM: The Howe Report Part 4
The picture of Canada and of St. Catharines I had in my head was one that was a ‘safe haven’ for Freedom Seekers. Technically true: legal freedom was available to Freedom Seekers. But St. Catharines wasn’t much of a ‘promised land’ afterall. Understandably, it is difficult to reconcile this information found in the testimonies of the Howe Commission, into the established picture we have of St. Catharines.
BHM: The Howe Report Part 3
St. Catharines in this period was truly the industrial hub of Niagara. Agriculture and shipbuilding – the largest employers – dominated the landscape. The Welland Canal brought innovation, wealth, technology, and tourists to St. Catharines. It was dirty – animals had the run of downtown, but it was also clean – Victorian tourists swept into the city at this time to take advantage of all the recreational opportunities available.
BMH: The Howe Report Part 2
I have seen hundreds of cases where families were separated. I have seen them in droves 150-200 together – men, women, and children – linked side by side. There used to be two drivers to a drove, one driver in front and one behind. I have seen them from eight or nine years old up to 45 and 50; and when the mothers were sold, I have seen young babes, torn from the cradle in these gangs. I have seen this, many and many a time, and heard them cry fit to break their hearts.
BHM: The Howe Report Part 1
Black history is a part of Canadian history and that history includes racism. It’s difficult to come to terms with, I know. I love sharing the exciting story of Harriet Tubman and others who found freedom and refuge in St. Catharines. I have difficulty coming to terms with the idea that even though Freedom Seekers were welcome and supported in the community, they (and other minority or immigrant groups) were treated poorly, were openly disrespected, and experienced racism.
At War’s End: Behind-the-Scenes Part 1
Those who served in the Great War, both domestically and overseas, deserve our respect and recognition. I am honoured to be part of the process of creating the St. Catharines Museum’s 2018 Guided Spirit Walks because it means that I get to help share the stories of these heroic individuals. As the programming assistant I am helping to conduct research on our characters, to create the script, and to facilitate rehearsals. Jack Hardy acquired some valuable wisdom from his experiences and emerged from the war grateful for his successes. It is my hope that we will all be able to learn similar insight from the stories of Hardy and a variety of others who were affected by the war that ended one hundred years ago this November.
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.
BHM Part 4: How to Reconcile the Good and Bad Parts of Our History
Stories like the establishment of the Refugee Slaves Friends Society here in St. Catharines, or the popular Emancipation Day Picnic, held at Lakeside Park from the 1920s to the 1950s to celebrate the 1833 Act for the Abolition of Slavery, are enjoyable to share and to consume because they can help us to feel better about ourselves and our past while living in troubling times. Unfortunately, history is messy. We love organization and labels as much as you do, but history is complex and accurately telling stories includes acknowledging the bad parts too. Recognizing messy histories can actually help to clean up and heal the impacts that history has on our community today. Reconciling the good with the bad parts of our history can help us to move forward.
BHM Part 1: Using Our Past to Inspire Us to Compassion and Action
Black History Month is an incredibly important time to recognize, reflect, and commemorate the history of the Black community in St. Catharines, and indeed, throughout Canada. It does not start on February 1, nor stop on February 29.
More over, Black History should never be recognized, reflected, or commemorated as a silo of history. Black History is as important and vital a part of the Canadian story as any other.
I’ve found myself searching for ways to make our history relevant to our current human experience. To be honest, it can be difficult to connect to the past with the news the way it is these days. Things move so fast that it’s hard to figure it all out.
Yet parallels exist. Our community has a strong history of responding to injustice with compassion and action. And so my goal, with this first post in our series of four is to reveal how our history can inspire compassion and action in our daily lives and in our community.
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! 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 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.
A Walk Around Town – Walk G
Excerpts from “Walk G” in “St. Catharines A-Z” by Junius, originally published in the St. Catharines Journal on June 19th, […]
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.