Brockville Museum

06/01/2026

What's on this June at the Brockville Museum:

This month's History Talk will explore the history of Smarts Manufacturing. History Talk takes place on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm. Tickets are $5.31 + tax. Tickets for the June talk are already 50% sold, so don't delay! Tickets can be purchased by phone or by visiting the front desk during business hours.

This month's History Walk will journey up Court House Avenue. History Walks takes place on the last Saturday of the month (until October) at 10am. Tickets are $12 + tax. Advance purchase is required and can be done online or by visiting the museum's front desk during business hours. Tickets for the June walk are already 50% sold! Private walks are also available - visit our website for all the details.

The museum is open Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm. Group visits by appointment only. Admission is by donation.

05/29/2026

Our featured 2026 art exhibit, Seasons, is now open.

This exhibit has been months in the making. The gallery walls were repaired and repainted over the winter and we acquired and installed a new professional (and secure) art hanging system. Once the works were selected for display, new and secure hardware had to be added. The hanging process involved levels and light meters, to ensure the works both look good and won't be damaged by too much light exposure. And now... planning starts for next year's featured art exhibit.

Seasons, which includes works by 20th century Brockville artists, Robert Henry Lindsay (1868-1938), Robert Leslie Wright (1870-1942), and Thomas Hare (1905-1984) depicting their experiences of the four seasons in Brockville, runs until December 4.

The Brockville Museum is currently open Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm. Admission is by donation. Group visits by appointment only. Visit our website for more information.

05/28/2026

What is today known as Hardy Park and Centennial Park was the location of a sprawling factory complex from about 1862 until the early 1960s. "Smarts" as we colloquially refer to it, had many different names over its 100 year history and made a wide variety of cast iron products.

Demolition of the buildings started in 1961 (pictured). The last building wasn't demolished until 2014.

The museum's Made in Brockville exhibit includes a display of a large selection of products made by Smarts.

Learn more by attending our June 11th History Talk: An Overview of Smarts Manufacturing. Details on our website (note: tickets are already 50% sold!)

05/26/2026

We've arrived at the last new episode of our latest season of our Out of the Vault video series. Out of Vault explores the stories of objects not currently on display. This season, we've been looking at what objects can tell us about Brockville's changing landscapes. All episodes will be available on the museum's YouTube Channel starting in June. (Catch up on past episodes anytime on the museum's YouTube Channel).

In our final episode, we're looking at the former St. Vincent de Paul hospital building (1892 - 2021), formerly located at the corner of Garden and Pine Streets.

Out of the Vault: St. Vincent de Paul Hospital

05/21/2026

In celebration of the grand opening of our Made in Brockville exhibit, this week's looks at some of the turn of the century industries located along the railway line between William St. and Park St. This was a particularly dense couple of blocks for factories from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Cossitt Bros. Co. Ltd. operated an agricultural implement manufacturing business just south of the rail line on Brock St. at William St. between 1872 and 1908. Later, Guardian Manufacturing Ltd. was located in some of the former Cossitt buildings at the end of Tunnel Ave. manufacturing fire extinguishers between the mid-1930s and 1960s.

The Canada Carriage Company was located just north of the rail line at Park St. between 1892 and 1918. (Now home of the Legion and ballfields). Opposite the Carriage Company, south of the tracks, was an automobile factory from about 1911-1922.

Also south of the rail line at Park St. was the hat factory: Union Hat Works 1902-1904, Wolthausen Hat Co. 1905-1933, and John B. Stetson Co. Ltd. 1935-1970.

All but the hat factory suffered one or more fires that destroyed part or all of their buildings at some point.

Learn more about all these businesses and check out some of their products by visiting our Made in Brockville exhibit!

05/20/2026

THANK YOU! Our May 30th History Walk is SOLD OUT.

Missed out? Private bookings are available! Grab some friends and book a date and time that works for you, starting at just $80. Details on our website. (Subject to availability).

This walk (Wealth & Leisure: Hartley Street & St. Lawrence Park) runs again on July 25th at 10am. Book early to avoid disapointment.

History Walks take place on the last Saturday of the month at 10am. Tickets are $12/person plus tax, and must be booked in advance (in-person or online). Our next walk, Iconic Brockville: Court House Avenue & Green, takes place on June 27th.

Visit our website for all the details.

Thank you again to everyone who has already purchased tickets! We even added a second tour on May 30 due to demand. We sincerely appreciate your interest and support and look forward to welcoming you on our upcoming tours.

05/19/2026

We're back with another season of our Out of the Vault video series. Out of Vault explores the stories of objects not currently on display. This season, we're looking at what objects can tell us about Brockville's changing landscapes. New episodes will launch every Tuesday morning in May here on Facebook. All episodes will be available on the museum's YouTube Channel starting in June. (Catch up on past episodes anytime on the museum's YouTube Channel).

This week we're looking closely at a painting by Robert Henry Lindsay.

Learn more about Lindsay, and explore some of his works by visiting our "Seasons" temporary art exhibit - now open!

Out of the Vault: Robert Henry Lindsay Artwork

05/16/2026

Extended summer hours now in effect!

The Brockville Museum is open Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm including holidays! Admission is by donation.

Check out the new Made in Brockville exhibit and our 2026 featured art exhibit, Seasons.

Reminder: groups of 8 or more are by appointment only - visit our website for more information.

05/15/2026

Last night, community members, local businesses, and partners gathered at the Brockville Museum to celebrate the launch of Made in Brockville, a new collaboration between the City of Brockville’s Economic Development Department and the Brockville Museum.

The initiative highlights Brockville’s proud industrial roots while also celebrating the manufacturers, makers, and small businesses that continue to shape our local economy today.

Through the Museum’s new exhibit and the City’s Proudly Made in Brockville program, residents and visitors are encouraged to learn about — and support — products made right here in our community.

Guests also enjoyed local flavours throughout the evening, including samples from Local 1000 Islands Brewery, Queen Bee’s Cafe, sweets from Sweet Ofelia Cafe & Market, a selection of meats and cheese from The Butcher Shop-Brockville, smoked cream cheese from Harps Smokin’ BBQ and Catering, and breads, granola, and more from Hearthstone Foods. A great reminder of the talent and creativity found in Brockville’s local business community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to recognize Brockville’s innovation, entrepreneurship, and local pride.

👉 Read the full media release to learn more about the Made in Brockville initiative: https://brockville.com/news/

-
Michael Barrett
Matt Wren - Mayor of Brockville
Brockville Museum
Brockville Economic Development
Commissioner Charlie Mignault of the St Lawrence Corridor Economic Development Commission

05/14/2026

The Brockville Railway Tunnel reopens for the season tomorrow, May 15 at 10am! So, this week's features a pair of "then" and "now" images of the tunnel.

The cornerstone for the Brockville & Ottawa Railway Company tunnel was laid on September 16, 1854. Over the next six years, builders used three different tunnelling methods to construct the 1,751 foot (0.5km) long tunnel. The first train went through the tunnel on December 31, 1860 and it was in operation for just over a century.

In 1983 the City of Brockville purchased the tunnel from the Canadian Pacific Railway and soon undertook work to stabilize it and make it possible to enter for a few feet at the south portal.

It was only in 2017, after a focused multi-year campaign of significant fundraising, geological studies and considerable restoration and construction work, that Brockville’s Railway Tunnel re-opened end-to-end to the public as the attraction we know today.

Interested in learning more? The history of the Tunnel is featured prominently in the Brockville Museum's River & Rail exhibit.

Please note: while the Tunnel is reopening tomorrow and will be open daily through the rest of the season, some maintenance work on the lighting system is ongoing and may not be completed until later in the season. In the meantime, every effort has been made to provide the best possible experience.

Brockville Tourism