A rare map returns home to Guelph

The map, which had suffered severe deterioration, was discovered and donated to the museum in 2008. An application was made to and accepted by the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) in Ottawa to have the map conserved free of charge as part of the CCI’s commitment to preserving Canadian Heritage.

About the Map:

The map is an 1868 Map of the Town of Guelph produced by James Hobson. This map is very rare and may be a one of a kind as it has not been documented in any historic references and is not located in any other regional or provincial archives. This map is also rare because it is hand coloured with watercolours. This map is significant as there are not many maps of Guelph from the 1860s and not many that are this detailed – as it shows every lot in the town at the time. Guelph was growing significantly in the 1860s with several large industries being founded, a growing population, and many large scale building projects. This map will be invaluable to researchers, demonstrating how Guelph was growing and expanding.

The Guelph Civic Museum is very grateful to the CCI for the work they did to conserve the map. The map took over two years to conserve and a total of 275 hours was dedicated to this project. The map is now stored in temperature controlled archives storage at the Museum.

As a wrap up to May is Museum Month, the map will be available for viewing at the museum Tuesday, May 28 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm with the Assistant Curator Kathleen Wall on hand to answer questions.

For more information about the map or any of the museum’s holdings, please contact Kathleen Wall at [email protected] or (519) 836-1221 ext. 2776

 Guelph Civic Museum is located at 52 Norfolk Street. Open daily 1:00-5:00 pm. 

About the CCI:

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) is a Special Operating Agency of the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Institute was created in 1972 to promote the proper care and preservation of Canada’s cultural heritage and to advance the practice, science, and technology of conservation.

Through conservation science, treatment, and preventive conservation, the Canadian Conservation Institute supports heritage institutions and professionals in conserving Canada’s heritage collections so they can be accessed by current and future generations.

This mission is accomplished through conservation research and development, expert services, and knowledge dissemination – through CCI’s publications, library, and professional development.

Posted by Dawn Owen on May 3, 2013