Bytown Museum | Musée Bytown

Bytown Museum | Musée Bytown Open Wednesdays-Sundays during the summer☀️ Join us for family events, new exhibits and daily programs and guided tours.
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Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, the Bytown Museum explores the stories of an evolving city and its residents from its early days as Bytown to present day Ottawa. Housed in Ottawa's oldest stone building, the Museum is located at the Rideau Canal locks between Parliament Hill and the Château Laurier—one of the most picturesque sites in the city. A six-language audio-tour, available in Engl

ish, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese, is included with the admission ticket. Our Summer hours are: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm; closed Monday and Tuesday.

NEW ACQUISITION ALERT! 🧭✨The Bytown Museum recently acquired this E.S. Ritchie Compass that was formerly used on the Rid...
06/17/2026

NEW ACQUISITION ALERT! 🧭✨

The Bytown Museum recently acquired this E.S. Ritchie Compass that was formerly used on the Rideau Queen steamship circa 1900-1933 by Captain Ned Fleming.

Passenger travel on the Rideau Canal took off exponentially at the turn of the century. The canal quickly became the central tourism destination and attraction for this area during the summer, attracting over 20,000 excursionists in 1905.

Luxury passenger steamboats were introduced by Daniel Noonan and the Rideau Lakes Navigation Company to serve this new industry starting in 1885. The Rideau Queen steamboat made its debut in June 1900.

The Rideau Queen was a large steamboat with lavish interiors. It served 300 passengers on its journey between Kingston and Ottawa. The journey took less than a day, making stops along the way and attracting spectators as it went.

The First World War brought changes to the industry, and the Rideau Queen stopped its route in 1915 and was used for freight service until 1933.

[Bytown Museum, 2026.002.01]

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈 All month, we are sharing items from our collection that reflect the...
06/15/2026

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈

All month, we are sharing items from our collection that reflect the colours featured in the Pride flag. Next up is green! Green in the pride flag is used as a symbol for nature. 💚

Which green item in our collection is your favourite?

[Bytown Museum, P2907, A201, C123a, 2014.001.01.27, and P4493a]

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈 All month, we are sharing items from our collection that reflect the ...
06/12/2026

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈

All month, we are sharing items from our collection that reflect the colours featured in the Pride flag. Next up is yellow! Yellow in the pride flag is used as a symbol for sunlight. 💛

Which yellow item in our collection is your favourite?

[Bytown Museum, P3253, P2349, P2859m, P770, and 1995.010.02.74]

Saturday is Ottawa Day - a celebration of our city’s historic area code and vibrant community! Mark the day by visiting ...
06/11/2026

Saturday is Ottawa Day - a celebration of our city’s historic area code and vibrant community! Mark the day by visiting your local museum and discovering the people, stories, and events that have shaped Ottawa into the city we know and love 💙

We’ll be open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with our iconic lemonade stand, revitalized audio guide, and recently launched temporary exhibition all ready for you to explore!

The Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG) recently celebrated its 154th birthday. 🎂 Formed on June 7, 1872, the GGFG is ...
06/10/2026

The Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG) recently celebrated its 154th birthday. 🎂

Formed on June 7, 1872, the GGFG is a primary reserve infantry unit located in Ottawa at the Cartier Square Drill Hall. The regiment contributed volunteers to the Boer War, First World War, and the Second World War as well as participated in many United Nations and NATO operations.

This photograph from the Bytown Museum’s collection was taken of the GGFG circa 1899.

[Bytown Museum, P2146]

06/08/2026

Check this out!

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈 All month, we are sharing items from our collection that reflect the c...
06/08/2026

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈

All month, we are sharing items from our collection that reflect the colours featured in the Pride flag. Next up is orange! Orange in the pride flag is used as a symbol for healing. 🧡

Which orange item in our collection is your favourite?

[Bytown Museum, P494, 1995.010.02.08, 1994.004.01, 1999.999.05, and P3097]

Between May 31 and June 3, 1899, the members of the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa (WCHSO) put on their f...
06/03/2026

Between May 31 and June 3, 1899, the members of the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa (WCHSO) put on their first loan exhibition featuring objects of significance to Ottawa's history. 🖼

The society’s main objective was to further Canadians' interest and knowledge about the formation of Bytown and Ottawa. The exhibition was held in a temporary space at 116 Sparks Street, and the over 200 objects featured in the exhibition were loaned by WCHSO members as well as members of the public.

The WCHSO held several more loan exhibitions following the success of the first one, and in time, these exhibitions led them to begin their own collection and museum (the Bytown Historical Museum). Many objects featured in their loan exhibitions were eventually donated to the Bytown Museum and remain in our collection today.

[Bytown Museum, P427]

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈Across the country during this season, events happen to spotlight the r...
06/02/2026

June is the start of Pride Season in Canada. 🏳️‍🌈

Across the country during this season, events happen to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. In Ottawa, we look forward to our annual Capital Pride celebrations in August, that commemorate the We Demand Rally of August 1971.

The original rainbow pride flag was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker and featured eight coloured stripes – each with their own meaning and symbolism. In 1978, the stripes were reduced from eight to six and became the flag widely used today. In 2018, Daniel Quasar designed the newest progress pride flag that incorporates chevrons with five new colours to represent Black, Indigenous, and people of colour, and the transgender Pride flag.

Over the next few weeks, we will share items from our collection that reflect the colours featured in the Pride flag. We are starting with red! Red in the pride flag is used as a symbol for celebrating life. ❤

Which red item in our collection is your favourite?

[Bytown Museum, K237a,b, P1900, 1998.017.01.01-09, P1704, and M107]

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. It is an opportunity to learn about the unique cultures, traditions...
06/01/2026

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. It is an opportunity to learn about the unique cultures, traditions, and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across Canada.

Since time immemorial, the Anishinàbe Algonquin People have lived and hunted in the territory surrounding the Kichi Sìbì (the Great River), now known as the Ottawa River Valley. Eight to ten thousand years ago the ancestors of the Anishinàbe began their inhabitation of this land.

Their nomadic but structured life continued the hunter-gatherer and spiritual patterns of their forbearers. According to the seasons and changes in the natural environment, Anishinàbe bands returned to the permanent fishing, gathering, and sacred sites along the river where their stone tools and footprints have remained. The Kichi Sìbì, as well as the surrounding forests, were filled with all forms of natural life and spirits; this land became the present-day City of Ottawa and suburbs.

In our exhibitions, guided tours, programming, and events, we share the history of the Anishinàbe Algonquin People. From Chief Tessouat’s encounter with Samuel de Champlain, to Chief Pinesi’s interactions with Philemon Wright, and the vital role Private Alexander Tennesco of the Pikwakanagan First Nation at Golden Lake played on the front lines of the First World War. We also discuss how Anishinàbe guides helped canal labourers navigate the swampy lands during construction, and the importance of Akikodjiwan (Chaudière Falls) as a vital portage site, trading center, and meeting place. Not to mention how our city’s name has connections to the Kichi Sìbì and the Algonquin word “Adawe” which means “to trade.”

At the Bytown Museum, we acknowledge and celebrate the stories, achievements, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples throughout the year. We and the City of Ottawa are located on the traditional, unceded territory of the Anishinàbe Algonquin.

This June, read and listen to historical stories in Anishinabemowin and Inuktitut, see our mural “Sibì Ashidj Kìjig (River to Sky)” by Three Sisters Artist Collective, and celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 with Indigenous vendors and performers at the museum!🧡

Address

1 Canal Lane
Ottawa, ON
K1P5P6

Telephone

6132344570

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