Collections
Guelph Museums aims to collect and share stories about past and present-day lived experiences in the place we now call Guelph. The museum holds over 48,000 objects and photographs, including print, audio-visual, and digital materials, across three collections.
Guelph Civic Museum Collection
The Civic collection brings Guelph’s regional narratives to life. The collection includes Locomotive 6167, located at John Galt Park. Locomotive 6167 is a “Northern” locomotive used by Canadian National Railways during the Second World War and for special excursion trips throughout Ontario.
McCrae House Collection
McCrae House collects artifacts owned and used by Lt. Col. John McCrae and the McCrae family. The collection includes material related to the Boer War (1899-1902) and to the First World War (1914-1918), as well as about McCrae House and the Lt. Col. John McCrae Birthplace Society.
Rapid Response Collecting
The Rapid Response collection features objects, images, and personal expressions, made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to local initiatives in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. Rapid Response Collecting helps us to collect and preserve truths about how we are living today.
Search the Guelph Museums digital collection.
Helpful Hints
- Under keyword search, put quotations around your search term (e.g. “Eramosa River”). Your search will provide results for records that include both words, used together.
- Try to use specific words or phrases to keep your search results manageable. For example, there are 152 records for “Eramosa River” but 1,493 records for “river”.
Research Requests
Our staff responds to hundreds of research requests annually. If the answers cannot be found within the collections at Guelph Museums, we can direct you to other regional resources, such as Wellington County Museum & Archives, Guelph Public Library and the University of Guelph.
To make a research request, contact Laura Coady, Collections and Research Coordinator at 519-836-1221 extension 2776 or [email protected]
