Lesson: Welland Canals TourTopic: The Welland CanalsSub-Topic: The History and Routes of the Welland CanalsGrades: 3-12 Instruction for Educators Watch […]
Museum Classroom: March Break Live! Activities
Hi everyone! Now that our online March Break Live! activities are wrapped up, we’d like to share them with you! Below, you’ll find everything you need to run the activities at home.
Send us some photos of your completed projects and we’ll share them on our social media!
Have fun!
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.
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.
‘Tis the Season at Merritt’s Mercantile
Visit Merritt’s Mercantile this holiday season for great gift ideas. We have a wide variety of Canadian gifts and souvenirs, nautical décor, books, jewelry, maple syrup products, children’s toys and more.
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.
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.
Yearbook Flip: High School History Lesson
The St. Catharines Museum currently has 259 yearbooks catalogued in its archival collection. The yearbooks span the years 1913 to […]
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!
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! 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.
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 3: What Can We Learn From a Toy Doll?
The St. Catharines Museum recently catalogued an artifact that offers a unique perspective to Black History and the legacy of […]
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! 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.
Fire Insurance Plans Print Series
The plans continue to remain an important resource in my work as a public historian at the Museum today. I often find myself considering research questions by first checking the city’s business directories spanning the last 150 years, and the fire insurance plans. They aren’t perfect – they are static and only cover certain geography – but the visuals are priceless.
And that’s why we just couldn’t keep these plans to ourselves.
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.
Books & Brews 150
Our Fall 2017 Books & Brews series opens space for the voices of Indigenous, female, and French-Canadian authors to consider the impacts of colonization on what it means to be Canadian. The books we have selected explore Canadian-ness and the Canadian experience through the intersections of race, class, culture and identity.
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.
aMUSE 5 – The Fifth and Final Series
The series was created in response to the idea that the Museum is viewed by many in the community as important but not a part of their daily lives. Many believe we are an important institution in the community but can’t identify what we do or what kinds of objects we have in the collection. We think its vitally important to get our collection out and seen by the people for whom we steward those very objects.
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.
History InSite 2017
If you’re a history keener (like us) and are interested in taking a guided walking tour, you can meet Museum historians at the Festival Hub/Interactive Village on James Street on the hour between 11 am and 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 2017
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.
Museum Chat Live! E104
On this special episode of the Museum Chat Live! podcast we’ll be focusing once again on our very cool book club: Books & Brews. As a part of the book club series, we are delivering three podcast episodes that accompany our discussion.
Museum Chat Live! E103 – International Women’s Day!
In this special Museum Chat Live! International Women’s Day episode, we bring to life the words of Lillian Phelps by reading her 1890 essay, “Women as Wage Earners.” This essay, published in Woman: Her Character, Culture and Calling (edited by B. F. Austin), makes the urgent call to establish equal work opportunities, equal pay, and a voice for women. These are messages that still resonate today, in 2017.
Museum Chat Live! E102
Museum Chat Live! is back with another neat-o episode dedicated to our special Books & Brews series, and our February book selection: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Kathy, Adrian, and Sara chat about some of the historic and famous myths about the Underground Railroad, and the important role that St. Catharines played in the history and lives of refugee slaves.
Narratives of Fugitive Slaves – Part 2
I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave. I have no opportunity to see my friends in my native land. We would rather stay in our native land, if we could be as free there as we are here. I think slavery is the next thing to hell. If a person would end another into bondage, he would, it appears to me, be bad enough to send him into hell, if he could.
Museum Chat Live! E101
Introducing *dum da da dum!* Museum Chat Live! On this, our very first episode of Museum Chat Live! Adrian, Sara, and Kathy chat about their favourite history podcasts, we learn about the final series of the Museum’s award-winning pop-up museum experience aMUSE and we hear from Museum Archivist Alicia about her upcoming blog series!
Narratives of Fugitive Slaves – Part 1
St. Catharines played an important part in the success of the Underground Railroad. In railroad speak, the city was a destination, or terminal for refugee slaves. Many who made it to Canada settled in the city, which for reasons associated with the success of the Welland Canal, was, by mid-19th century standards, a thriving and bustling city rivaling Hamilton and London in population and industrial activity.
A Day in Collections – Archives
These past few weeks have been very busy for Snowflake and Sven, with the First Fridays Ugly Christmas Sweater Party […]
A Day in Collections – St. Catharines Standard Photographs
This week, Snowflake and Sven travel through a vibrant visual history of St. Catharines with a sneak peak of the […]