Family culinary traditions tie us not only to each other, but to our family heritage as well. Often, the recipes we use to prepare specific dishes for family meals have been passed down through generations. Learn why family food traditions matter.
Museum Classroom: Welcome to St. Catharines – Freedom Seekers and the Power of Information
This lesson will focus on understanding the challenges Freedom Seekers faced with the decision on whether to attempt the Underground Railroad to Canada.
BHM Series Part Two: Abolitionist Activities in St. Catharines
The wealth of abolitionist activity that took place in St. Catharines during the Underground Railroad Era tells a story of a community of people committed to aiding in the escape of Freedom Seekers.
VMLS via Podcast – Where They Walk: the Making of the Annual Guided Spirit Walks at Victoria Lawn Cemetery
Today’s lecture features Adrian Petry, visitor services coordinator here at the Museum. In this presentation, he looks at the research that goes into creating our annual Guided Spirit Walks at Victoria Lawn Cemetery, and how dark tourism like ghost walks have influenced the practice public history and the public’s imagination of historical personalities.
BHM Series Part One: Welcome to St. Catharines, Canada West
Mary Shadd wrote a thirty-six-page book called A Plea for Emigration to share information on Canada. Shadd came to Canada after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 as a means of helping Freedom Seekers who had managed to make it across the border.
History from Here: St. Catharines Train Station
On this episode of History from Here, Public Programmer Sara takes you to the St. Catharines Train Station at 5 Great Western Street, in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Something’s Happening Here! A look at our Interpretive Plan Implementation
Let’s take a look at what’s happening at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre as we implement our Interpretive Plan and what we have coming up next.
VMLS via Podcast – Stones and Symbols at Victoria Lawn Cemetery
Today’s lecture features special guest Dr. Adam Montgomery, one of the most recognized historians on cemetery history today. Dr. Montgomery shared the history of Victoria Lawn Cemetery in a lecture titled ‘Stones and Symbols of Victoria Lawn Cemetery’. This lecture was originally presented on September 15, 2020. Enjoy the lecture.
Museum Classroom: Hold on to Your Hats – Community in St. Catharines (Jr.)
The things we put on our heads can tell an awful lot of stories. To celebrate National Hat Day, enjoy this Museum Classroom post examining the history of hats in the Museum’s collection.
How the Story Goes: Reexamining the Story of the First Welland Canal Part 4
The whole point of reexamining the story then is to show that the reduction of the narrative undervalues significant contributions and struggles and is an injustice to the memory of the people who built the canal. Can you imagine the labourers hearing the story as it is traditionally told and rightly crying out ‘what about us!? We dug the darn thing!” Or Merritt himself admitting “woah, woah, it was not that easy.” The simplified version risks undervaluing the accomplishments they all spent their lives (literally and figuratively) working for.
VMLS via Podcast – Lost and Historic Architecture of St. Catharines
This next lecture will wrap up our VMLS podcast for 2021 just as the lecture itself wrapped up our first lecture series in the spring of 2020. ‘Lost and Historic Architectures’ was presented by yours truly on June 23, 2020. After this, we’ll be taking a little break but we’ll back with more lectures in January 2022, so stay tuned, and as always, enjoy the lecture.
My Year with Mrs. Beeton – Part 10 – Invalid Cookery
As we approach the end of our year of adventures with Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, for our second to last post, let’s take a look at what Mrs. Beeton has to say about cooking for the sick.
How the Story Goes: Reexamining the Story of the First Welland Canal Part 3
There is no such thing as an easy infrastructure project. But when it comes to the First Welland Canal, it seems the project was plagued with bad luck.
How the Story Goes: Reexamining the Story of the First Welland Canal Part 2
Requesting a private company charter was the smartest move Merritt made in his entire career and pushed his competition out of the way, but it didn’t make him popular and it didn’t make the project easy.
VMLS via Podcast – Racetracks and Runaway Carriages
Another guest joins us for the lecture today. Dr. Keri Cronin is a historian of visual culture and faculty at Brock University with a special focus on the history of animals. Her lecture titled ‘Racetracks and Runaway Carriages’ Dr. Cronin looks at the history of horses in St. Catharines. This lecture was originally presented on Jun 17, 2020. Enjoy the lecture.
History from Here: The Lake Street Armoury
On this episode of History from Here, Sara takes you to the Lake Street Armoury. Not only does this conspicuous landmark help us understand our local military history, but was also once a social hub for the community.
How the Story Goes: Reexamining the Story of the First Welland Canal Part 1
The story of the First Welland Canal has been told over and over again by historians and canal buffs so that the story has shifted and changed over time. Facts, of course, mostly have remained the same, but the way the narrative is harnessed for others, and the way the story is constructed and relayed has changed. In my study of the historiography and the public’s perception of the narrative, I have discovered a few challenges with the telling of the history of the First Welland Canal.
VMLS via Podcast – Archaeology of a 19th Century Shipyard
dramatic arts students from Governor Simcoe Secondary School appear in my discussion of the Shipyard Strikes from 1861 and how we turned some dramatic history into a play. And Dr. Kimberly Monk joins us to talk about the history of the Shickluna Shipyard, along with the thrilling story of the archaeological dig she is leading at the yard. This lecture was originally presented on June 9, 2020.
VMLS via Podcast – The Horseless Revolution
On today’s lecture, we join Curator and Supervisor of Historical Services Kathleen Powell as she talks about the history of Packard Electric and the early manufacturing of Oldsmobile and REO cars here in St. Catharines. The lecture was originally presented on June 2, 2020.
My Year with Mrs. Beeton Part 9 – Milk, Butter, Cheese and Eggs, Oh My!
This month, the watchful eye of Mrs. Beeton takes us into the realm of the dairy and a look at milk, butter, cheese and eggs, both how to keep them and how to cook with them.
2021-2022 Educational Programs
Ready for 2021-2022! We are thrilled to announce our 2021-2022 educational program offering. We have an exciting line-up of safe, […]
VMLS via Podcast – Tracing the Tracks of the Underground Railroad
On today’s lecture, we join our public programmer Sara Nixon as she traces the tracks of the Underground Railroad and examines the legacy of Freedom Seekers arriving in St. Catharines in the 1850s. This lecture was originally presented on May 26, 2020.
Reminiscences of 10 years of Guided Spirit Walks
There’s nothing quite like a guided tour through a cemetery. There are a lot of versions of this type of event. A spooky walk in the dark, a theatrical ‘spirit walk’ featuring actors portraying folks buried in the cemetery, or even an afternoon historian-led walking tour. Everyone has their favourite experience but it’s the theatrical spirit walk that advances important and personal historical narratives with a high return on interpretive value. The spirit walks also have the unique ability to allow us to lift the primary sources found in the Museum’s collection off the pages of the archives and bring them to life. In most cases, there may not be another opportunity to present those archival sources to the public.
One Hour in the Past E404 – Restaurants and Taverns
On this episode, we welcome Christine Girardi, Assistant Curator from the Niagara Falls History Museum to join us for a discussion on the history of taverns and restaurants.
VMLS via Podcast – Open for Business: The Welland Canal in 1830
The story of the first full operating season of the Welland Canal in 1830 is interesting because it challenges the dominant narrative of a well organized, well financed, well run, and generally successful endeavour, when in actuality, it was plagued with problems and failures.
Guided Spirit Walks 2021 Character Exclusives
This year’s Guided Spirit Walks tour theme, “Before they were Famous,” provides a diverse cast of characters.
VMLS via Podcast – The 1918 Pandemic in St. Catharines
On today’s VMLS via Podcast is Kathleen’s lecture on the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic in St. Catharines, presented May 12, 2020.
STC StoryLab Presents: Back to School
Happy First Day of School! 🍎👩🏫🏫📚 Over the last few months, STC StoryLab sat down with a few members of […]
History from Here: The Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course
Home of the St. Catharines Rowing Club, Brock University Rowing, the Ridley Rowing Club, and the Ridley Graduate Boat Club; a training site for numerous school rowing teams, and a venue for rowing competitions of all levels, including the highly reputable Henley Regatta – the Royal Canadian Henley Course has welcomed and cultivated world-class rowers and coaches on its waters, since 1903.
On this episode of History from Here, Sara takes you to Rennie Park, across from the Henley Grandstand, to learn about the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines, Ontario.
VMLS via Podcast – Next Stop: the NS&T
Virtual Museum Lecture Series via Podcast In the spring of 2020, we began to offer history lectures through our Virtual […]
Wrapped up in History: Guided Spirit Walks Costume Design
One of the most important (and fun) features of our Guided Spirit Walks productions is the costumes. They help to bring our show to life and immerse the audience into past societies.
STC StoryLab Presents: Scott Street Church
Day-to-day our lives may seem ordinary, but everyone’s unique experiences are what make our stories special. These stories tap into feelings of nostalgia, happiness, sadness, and more. These are the stories that help to make St. Catharines what it is today. At the St. Catharines Museum, our goal is to collect these stories and share them for generations to come.
History from Here: The Welland House Hotel at 30 Ontario Street
This episode of History from Here brings you to the site of the Welland House Hotel, destroyed by a devastating fire in July 2021.
Remembering the Welland House
From what we’ve seen online and in the news over the last few weeks, it is clear that the loss of the Welland House Hotel has hit the St. Catharines community hard. It is no different here at the St. Catharines Museum. Within all the varied work of a museum, the history of the Welland House would come up at least once a week among staff, volunteers, researchers, and visitors in some way. It’s tangible loss is stark.
History from Here: Lakeside Park at Port Dalhousie
Once widely touted as the “Playground of Ontario”, Lakeside Park has been a destination for summertime fun for more than a century. What started as a boisterous port town grew to be a hub of entertainment, leisure, and play that drew thousands of locals and tourists each summer.
Picture This: Photo Albums
Photo albums are an interactive medium and tools for conversation and storytelling. Similar to the art of scrapbooking, the process of compiling an album involves organizational choices that, though they may seem insignificant at the time, collectively shape our memories of certain people, events, or experiences.
Words for the Future, From our Visitor Book
This year, Museum Week ends with the theme #WordsForTheFutureMW. The words for the future we choose to share today come from our 2019 Visitor Book, where visitors from around the world left their mark and shared their comments about their experience at the St. Catharines Museum. As we enter the summer months of 2021, I was curious to learn what our visitors were saying about the Museum back in Summer 2019. It turns out, there’s a few lessons for the future we can gather from our visitors.
Eureka! Inventive Moments from our History
For Museum Week’s “Eureka Moments” theme, we’re counting down the top 5 Eureka Moments in St. Catharines history.
There are definitely more than 5 eureka moments in St. Catharines history, so if we left one out that you feel MUST be included, add it in the comments!
Searching for Family History – Kids Scavenger Hunt
This kid’s activity is part of the St. Catharines Museum’s Museum Week, is a global festival celebrating cultural institutions across the online world. In celebration of #ChildrensEyesMW day, we’ve created this scavenger hunt to spark children’s curiosity in their family history.
Lego Challenge: Bridge Edition – the Garden City Skyway
This year, we’re looking at the important engineering structures that join our communities together across the City: bridges. We’ll build the new Burgoyne Bridge, the Garden City Skyway, the Henley Bridge, the Homer and Glendale Bridges over the Welland Canal, and the CN Rail Bridge over 12 Mile Creek.