Civic Museum
Celebrating Guelph’s stories!
The Guelph Civic Museum showcases Guelph’s history through permanent and changing exhibits, a fun and interactive families gallery, and special events and activities. Located in the recently renovated Loretto Convent, atop the hill at Norfolk Street and beside the landmark Church of Our Lady, the museum is home to a collection of over 30,000 artifacts that bring Guelph’s past to life.2012
Guelph Civic Museum opens at 52 Norfolk Street, the former Loretto Convent.2000
The "Growing Up in Guelph Children’s Museum" opens at the Civic Museum. The popular children’s gallery attracts many more visitors and significantly increases the number of family memberships.1980
Guelph Civic Museum opens at 6 Dublin Street South, a commercial limestone building built c.1855. The building had many uses over the years but was most recently known as the Knights of Columbus Hall.1967
Canada’s Centennial Year. The Museum opens in its first home in the horse stables, now the Farmer’s Market.1960's
Members of the Guelph Historical Society begin to collect artifacts and displays are mounted in store fronts and community centres.
Darkness and Light: Inside the Ontario Reformatory
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaFor over 100 years, the Ontario Reformatory/Guelph Correctional Centre was imbedded in lives of the people of Guelph. The exhibition shares stories from within the institution, addressing misconceptions, propaganda, and myths – some perpetuated by the institution itself and recounted in public archives. Officially opened in 1911, the Ontario Reformatory evolved to be many things,…
Tales from the Hill: Guelph Guild of Storytellers
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaTales from the Hill is presented by the Guelph Guild of Storytellers and features a guest teller in addition to Guild tellers. The evening includes hot cider, light refreshments, and conversation. Guests are invited to register a telling or participate during the open mic storytelling. Tales from the Hill runs on the second Wednesday or Thursday…
Mother’s Day Tea
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaFamilies can treat their moms to teatime together with scones, sweets, a bottomless pot of McCrae Private blend tea, and live music at the Civic Museum. Seatings at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Preregistration via Eventbrite is required.
Sacred Space: Intuitive Nature Sculptures
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaSacred spaces are deeply rooted in our lineages as interfaces of our spirits with a place, an ancestor, or the divine. They can be anywhere from a woven textile, a body of water, a bedroom wall, or a built structure where community gathers. They are as much an external space rich in meaning as they…
Fourth Friday: Zubayeer Swani
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaJoin us for an unforgettable evening of music and storytelling as acclaimed, award-winning artist Zubayeer Swani presents Love, Longing & Devotion – A Journey Through Ghazal & Thumri. Swani will introduce the rich South Asian traditions of ghazal and thumri, deeply expressive art forms that weave together history, poetry, and melody. Ghazal, known for its…
Reclaiming my SHYNE: an invitation to Black women, Indigenous women and women of colour to embrace rest and cultivate more peace in their lives
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaThis 2-hour workshop centers around the maxim that rest is an act of resistance, a radical form of self-care, and a powerful tool for Black, Indigenous, and women/femmes of colour…
Tales from the Hill: Guelph Guild of Storytellers
Civic Museum 52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaTales from the Hill is presented by the Guelph Guild of Storytellers and features a guest teller in addition to Guild tellers. The evening includes hot cider, light refreshments, and…
