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.
Upcoming Events
February 2020
Downtown EarlyON Playtime
Weekly program offerings for children from 0 to 6 years old and their families, offered through the EarlyON Child and Family Centre. Free drop-in family programming that promotes early learning and development from 9:30 to 11:30 AM on a weekly basis. The EarlyON Child and Family Centre at the Guelph Community Health Centre has been in existence since 2003. EarlyON has eight off-site Neighbourhood Playtimes and two main locations (Downtown and Stone Rd Mall) each providing a multitude of free drop-in and…
Find out more »History Bites: Into the Light
A NEW lunch hour series at the Civic Museum! Third Wednesday of the month, 12 to 1 p.m. Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of our feature exhibitions. Let us know if you'll attend, please RSVP. Admission by donation. Into the Light: Eugenics and Education in Southern Ontario This exhibition of artistic, sensory, and material expressions of memory aims to bring one of Guelph’s dark secrets, as well as stories of survival, out of the…
Find out more »Military Lecture: Bison brigades and battle tactics during the Northwest Resistance
Jesse Thistle presents, Bison brigades and battle tactics during the Northwest Resistance. Métis life on the plains was extremely perilous. From century-long fights with the Sioux, to the massive and dangerous logistics of the bison hunt, Métis hunting tactics took on a battle-like precision run by a general known as the Captain of the Hunt. The Métis took their bison-hardened skills into battle during the Northwest Resistance, winning two battles against Canadian troops at Duck Lake and Fish Creek, and…
Find out more »Feeling Sound, Performing Access
Image: Gordon Monahan, Water Coiling (photo: Simon Vogel) A vibrotactile performance by acclaimed artists Marla Hlady, Ellen Moffat and Gordon Monahan, curated by David Bobier. Using haptic systems (belts, pillows and floors that vibrate), the audience is invited into an immersive experience that extends beyond sight and sound to touch and motion. Co-presented by Guelph Museums and VibraFusionLab with support from the Musagetes Fund through the Guelph Community Foundation. The building is physically accessible and there will be ASL interpretation.…
Find out more »Fourth Friday: Sasha Henry and Aaron Ridge
Kick off your weekend with a performance by Sasha Henry and Aaron Ridge. On the Fourth Friday of the month, Guelph Museums offers free admission to the Guelph Civic Museum after 5 p.m. Performance by Sasha Henry and Aaron Ridge at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Presented in partnership with Guelph Black Heritage Society. Cash bar. Sponsored by: Sasha Henry always had a love for music but it wasn’t until she began singing that she discovered her passion for it.…
Find out more »March 2020
Downtown EarlyON Playtime
Weekly program offerings for children from 0 to 6 years old and their families, offered through the EarlyON Child and Family Centre. Free drop-in family programming that promotes early learning and development from 9:30 to 11:30 AM on a weekly basis. The EarlyON Child and Family Centre at the Guelph Community Health Centre has been in existence since 2003. EarlyON has eight off-site Neighbourhood Playtimes and two main locations (Downtown and Stone Rd Mall) each providing a multitude of free drop-in and…
Find out more »Tales from the Hill
Join Guelph Guild of Storytellers and special guests on the first Wednesday of each month. Free admission.
Find out more »Military Lecture: Spies in our Midst – The Damage to Canada
Dr. Wesley Wark presents, Spies in our Midst: The Damage to Canada A contemporary talk on a major Canadian spy case--the Delisle affair (2011)--involving a Canadian military officer who supplied secrets to the Russians for a four year period. The arrest of Lieutenant Jeffrey Delisle in January 2012 exposed the serious damage that espionage can cause to Canada's interests and revealed the challenges involved in uncovering and prosecuting spies. Delisle's case forced the first use of Canada's new official secrets…
Find out more »Guelph Circa 1999
Like a time capsule, visitors will discover Guelph of 20 years ago. Told through the stories of the people who spent time at The Bookshelf, a cultural hub in this city since 1973, the exhibition also features artifacts from the 1990s and early 2000s.
Find out more »Lay of the Land
Opening reception: Friday, March 27, 6 p.m. You are here! This interactive exhibition will orient visitors in time and place through an installation of maps, spanning time immemorial to present day. Lay of the Land invites all visitors to understand our complex relationship to the land, past and present, and to the place that we now call Guelph. On loan from Canadian Geographic is the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. Also displayed is a territory map of Treaty 3: Between…
Find out more »March Break Museum Camp – SOLD OUT
Engage and explore at Museum Camp. Bring your curiosity and sense of wonder as we join museum educators for fun activities. Games, crafts, active outdoor time, and hands on, in-depth exploration with the exhibits are all part of your week. Come join us as we discover, create and learn together. Ages: 4 Yrs. to 8 Yrs. Register online at regexpress.guelph.ca, using code: 229209
Find out more »March Break at the Museum
Guelph Civic Museum is the place to be during the March Break! Daily activities, with special guests and the museum programming team, weekdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. General admission. Monday Pirates of the Museum Tuesday Special Guest - Guelph Outdoor School Wednesday Stylin’ 90s crafts Thursday Special Guest- Wild Ontario Friday Party Like It’s 1999
Find out more »History Bites: Behind the Scenes
A NEW lunch hour series on the third Wednesday of each month. Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of featured exhibitions and collections. For this History Bites session, we'll take you behind-the-scenes and tour the Guelph Museums collection. See how the collection is preserved and view artifacts rarely seen on display. The Guelph Museums collection numbers over 40,000 items; objects, photographs, printed, audio-visual and digital material pertaining to the history and story of Guelph…
Find out more »Downtown EarlyON Playtime
Weekly program offerings for children from 0 to 6 years old and their families, offered through the EarlyON Child and Family Centre. Free drop-in family programming that promotes early learning and development from 9:30 to 11:30 AM on a weekly basis. The EarlyON Child and Family Centre at the Guelph Community Health Centre has been in existence since 2003. EarlyON has eight off-site Neighbourhood Playtimes and two main locations (Downtown and Stone Rd Mall) each providing a multitude of free drop-in and…
Find out more »Spring Exhibition Opening Reception
Celebrate the opening of spring exhibitions, Guelph 1999 and Lay of the Land. Doors open 5 p.m., opening remarks at 6 p.m. Followed by a musical performance at 7 p.m. Free admission. Cash bar.
Find out more »Fourth Friday: Tannis Slimmon
Celebrate the opening of spring exhibitions, Lay of the Land and Guelph Circa 1999 with a performance by Tannis Slimmon. On the Fourth Friday of the month, Guelph Museums offers free admission to the Guelph Civic Museum after 5 p.m. Opening remarks at 6 p.m., performances by Tannis start at 7 p.m. Tannis will be joined by her talented partner/producer/co-writer/multi-instrumentalist Lewis Melville. Cash bar. Sponsored by: About Tannis Slimmon: Tannis Slimmon is a critically acclaimed Canadian musician who has been singing,…
Find out more »April 2020
Tales from the Hill
Join Guelph Guild of Storytellers and special guests on the first Wednesday of each month. Free admission.
Find out more »History Bites: Guelph Circa 1999
A NEW lunch hour series on the third Wednesday of each month. Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of featured exhibitions and collections. Admission by donation. Tickets in advance. About Guelph Circa 1999: Like a time capsule, visitors will discover Guelph of 20 years ago. Told through the stories of the people who spent time at The Bookshelf, a cultural hub in this city since 1973, the exhibition also features artifacts from the 1990s…
Find out more »The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada’s Second World War
Award-winning Canadian military author Tim Cook will talk on his latest book “The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada’s Second World War". About The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada’s Second World War: A masterful telling of the way World War Two has been remembered, forgotten, and remade by Canada over seventy-five years. The Second World War shaped modern Canada. It led to the country's emergence as a middle power…
Find out more »School’s Out, Museum’s In PD Day
Maps and Codes and Signals, Oh My! On this PD Day, use games, puzzles, and crafts to practice the art of long-distance communication, and learn a secret code or two to use with friends! Two sessions, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Find out more »Fourth Friday: Murray Foster
Before Doors Open After Dark 2020 officially kicks off, warm up with a free Fourth Friday concert by Murray Foster. On the Fourth Friday of the month, Guelph Museums offers free admission to the Guelph Civic Museum after 5 p.m. Performances by Murray Foster start at 7 p.m. Cash bar. Sponsored by: Stick around! Launching the Doors Open Guelph weekend, Doors Open After Dark will celebrate Guelph’s 193rd birthday with history and art activations at and around the Civic Museum. Connect, explore and engage with history…
Find out more »Doors Open After Dark 2020
Celebrate Guelph’s 193rd birthday and kick off Doors Open Guelph at the Civic Museum with live music, food trucks, and pop-up art and history installations at and around the museum. Connect, explore and engage with history in unique ways. Add Guelph Museums on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for event updates. Don't forget to share your photos and tag @guelphmuseums, #DoorsOpenAfterDark Call for Submissions: Doors Open After Dark Deadline: March 8, 2020 Have an idea for a big, bold, innovative history or art…
Find out more »May 2020
Tales from the Hill
Join Guelph Guild of Storytellers and special guests on the first Wednesday of each month. Free admission.
Find out more »Mother’s Day Tea
Treat mom to an afternoon of tea, and treats at the Civic Museum. Relax and enjoy fresh scones, jam, shortbread cookies, fresh fruit and bottomless pots of McCrae Private Blend and Guelph Town Garden Blend teas. There will be two seatings: 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets in advance.
Find out more »Looking Twice
A poetry reading from Karen Houle's "The Grand River Watershed: A Folk Ecology" matched with artifacts and stories found in the museum’s gallery spaces. Karen has made the finalists list for the Governor General's Literary Award for this work. She will share readings from this collection which contemplates the complexities of the Grand River watershed in southern Ontario. Afterwards, mingle in the museum to view the many artifacts which are embedded in her poems. Karen will be available to share…
Find out more »History Bites: Lay of the Land
A NEW lunch hour series on the third Wednesday of each month. Bring a brown bag lunch and join us for bite-sized history tours of featured exhibitions and collections. Admission by donation. Tickets in advance. About Lay of the Land: You are here! This interactive exhibition will orient visitors in time and place through an installation of maps, spanning time immemorial to present day. Lay of the Land invites all visitors to understand our complex relationship to the land, past and present, and…
Find out more »Fourth Friday: River North (Matt Zaddy & Heather Christine)
Kick off your weekend with a performance by River North. On the Fourth Friday of the month, Guelph Museums offers free admission to the Guelph Civic Museum after 5 p.m. Performances by River North start at 7 p.m. Cash bar. Sponsored by: About River North: River North is a Mississauga based duo comprised of award-winning musicians Matt Zaddy and Heather Christine. Together these artists are partners in music and in life. River North combines soulful acoustic guitar and moving vocal…
Find out more »Fifth Friday Pub Night: Mapping Guelph’s Possible Energy Futures
19+ Event, cash bar Have a drink with researchers from the U of G Geography Department, discuss the future of renewable energy in Guelph, and participate in an interactive mapping project. Admission by donation.
Find out more »
