Dundas Museum and Archives (Dundas, Canada)

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00am-4:30pm, Thursday, 10:00am-8:00pm, Saturday, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Location: 139 Park St. West, Dundas, ON, L9H 1X8
Access: Admission is free
Contact: mail@dundasmuseum.ca  
Telephone: 905-627-7412
Website Address: https://dundasmuseum.ca/

The Dundas Museum and Archives’ collections, exhibits, and events showcase how Canadian history and geography has unfolded in the Dundas Valley.

The Dundas Museum & Archives houses more than 16,000 artifacts and over 30 metres of documents, spanning the entire history of the Dundas Valley, from 150 million year old calcite crystals, to digital photos taken for Dundas Hockeyville 2010.

The museum maintains an extensive collection of vintage everyday objects – from tools to toys, and from furniture to fashion. The museum also maintains one of Ontario’s best collections of early First Nations artifacts related to the Neutral People of the Dundas Valley. Some other collection strengths include both the decorative and fine arts.

The Atrium, the entrance hall to the museum, has architectural features which recall the ecological setting and industrial past of Dundas. Gallery 1 features First Nations artifacts and natural history educational exhibits, including child-friendly touchable displays like the escarpment climbing wall, a 3-D topographical map, and longhouse interior. Gallery 2 features the exhibit “Cradled in the Valley: The Stories of Dundas,” a history of Dundas which focuses on the people, places, and businesses that have shaped Dundas. Gallery 3 is the Feature Gallery for scheduled rotating exhibits which change every 3-4 months. The c.1848 Doctor’s Office, moved from King Street to the museum property in 1974, is an example of the vernacular gothic revival style. The building served as a doctor’s office for local physicians from the time of its construction until 1974 and has been restored to showcase the medical practice of the Victorian period.

Archival and reference materials can be viewed in the C.E. (Clare) Crozier Reference Room. The museum’s archival collections include textual records, photographic material, maps, plans, audio-visual records, and books. Descriptions of the records can be found on the Archives Association of Ontario’s database of archival descriptions: Archeion. The Museum is the custodian of the Town of Dundas records which consist of archival records created and maintained by the Town of Dundas from 1847 to 2000. These records include assessment rolls, Town Council proceedings, records of departments and committees, and other historically significant records related to the Town of Dundas. Other collections significant for the study of the history of medicine include:

• Dr. T.A. Bertram fonds  – Bertram helped to establish a health service that would eventually develop into the Board of Health and placing him in the position of Medical Officer of Health. Fonds include his physician’s day book and journal.
• Royal Templars of Temperance Victoria Council No. 7 (Dundas, On.) fonds – The Royal Templars of Temperance Victoria Council No. 7 was established in Dundas on December 30, 1879. It was an organization of the temperance movement which sought to control alcohol consumption. The Victoria Council No. 7 established a number of funds and committees, such as the Relief Fund, the Committee on the Care of the Sick, the Auditing Committee, the Room Committee (for readying the meeting room and regalia), the Committee on the Good of the Order and the Committee on Visiting. Fonds include minute books from 1879-1899.
• Ellen Osler Memorial Home fonds – The Ellen Osler Memorial Home was founded in 1909. It was initially created to house and assist elderly Protestants living on limited incomes, but eventually served only women.
• Cora Tunis fonds – The fonds consist of diaries, fashion magazines, ration booklets, autograph book, miscellaneous documents, recipes, remedies, note books, and cards. It also includes two photographic prints.

The Dundas Museum and Archives holds thousands of photographic prints & negatives, slides, and postcards. Some of them have been digitized and can be found in the museum’s Gallery and its Flickr site. 

The museum’s website also features excerpts from interviews from The Voices of Dundas Oral History Project.

The Reference Collection consists of files and books to assist researchers in their discovery of Dundas history. The most significant is the Woodhouse Family History Collection which provides information about thousands of Dundas citizens over the years. There are also the House Histories files which give historical information about some houses in Dundas and the Subject Files which include files on organizations, businesses, and events in Dundas.

The museum’s website also features online exhibits which illustrate the history of Dundas.