Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum

06/26/2026

Smiths Falls soccer fans, we would love to hear from you!

With Fifa World Cup action happening right now, we are trying to delve into our own history of soccer in Smiths Falls. If you have any photographs or information to help us out, please comment or contact us. The photo you see here is a badge from the Smiths Falls Rideau Soccer Club but the date is currently unknown.

Thank you for your help!

06/25/2026

School's out for Summer!

Quick shout out to all the wonderful students we have had the chance to meet over the last few months. We have had the pleasure of sharing our science and history programs with all of you. Thank you to our volunteers Will, Mark, Maria, Christine, Kelvin and Tamara for making these programs such a success.

Wishing all the students, graduates, teachers and EA's a wonderful summer break!

06/25/2026

❤️

Explore Lanark County's museums, galleries, and heritage sites while collecting unique stickers along the way by joining the sticker challenge! It all kicks off July 1, 2026.

💧 Register at a participating site and pick up your FREE LCAH water bottle (while supplies last).

📍 Visit other participating sites to collect exclusive stickers.

📸 Collect at least 5 stickers, then share a photo of your bottle using for a chance to win a grand prize!

Who is participating, you may ask?

Archives Lanark, Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum, Dalhousie Library & Museum, Hall of Remembrance military museum, Lanark & District Museum, Middleville & District Museum, Mill of Kintail Museum at Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, North Lanark Regional Museum, Perth and District Sports Hall of Fame, Perth Museum and Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum!

Get out, explore, and discover all that Lanark County Arts & Heritage has to offer this summer!

06/18/2026

Do you remember R.J. Stampings Co. Ltd.?

RJ Stampings was a metal manufacturing company in Smiths Falls. The company is most known for manufacturing U.S. M1 military steel helmet shells like the one displayed here. They also produced specialty items like bumpers for Mack and Peterbilt trucks, and 1968 camaros.

Did you work there or know someone else that did? We would love to hear from you. You can check out this helmet along with many other manufacturing samples from Smiths Falls in our Forged in the Falls exhibit, on now.

See you at the museum!

06/16/2026

The Spirit of the Drum powwow might be over but don't forget that the SFHHM has information on our local indigenous history. The museum continues to work with area elders to research and interpret indigenous history from their own perspective. Currently on display you will discover historic pieces from the shores of Rideau Ferry and near Beveridges Locks. Some of these beautiful pottery pieces are estimated to have been created as far back as 1000 BCE/BC. It is wonderful to be able to look at the designs up close and appreciate the materials that may have been used to create each of them.

Drop by Wednesday - Sunday, 10:30am - 4:30 pm (or by appointment).
See you at the Museum!

06/13/2026

45 years ago today!

After four years of tireless restorations, the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum opened its doors for the first time on June 13th, 1981. Led by the dedication of volunteers Joan Hogan, Harold Nichol, Ron Stewart, Joyce Brennan, and Bill Dobson, Smiths Falls finally had a permanent home to share the history of the community.

This photograph shows Mayor Fred Aboud greeting the public on the front steps of the museum.

Drop by SFHHM this weekend. Admission is by donation.

06/07/2026

The Spring Carnival at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is still on today from 11 am - 2 pm! The rain is expected to stop before the event. We hope to see you there!

06/05/2026

Museums for the Planet

Today’s theme is “Museums for the Planet”. Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we have lately been focusing heavily on revitalizing the bounty and knowledge of our little section of the natural world. Here are three of the latest “Did you knows” from the museum’s yard:

1. Did you know that our community garden, which is in the final processes of getting a new fence, is run completely by volunteers from the Smiths Falls & District Horticultural Society? All food grown in this garden goes to the Smiths Falls Food Bank. Thanks to the wonderful group of volunteers, hundreds of pounds of freshly grown food have been provided to our community.

2. Did you know that last year, we planted six new apple trees and three new pear trees? This expanded our Victorian orchard from five trees to fourteen! In terms of Varieties, we now have three Bosc Pear, two Gravenstein Apple, one Empire Apple, one Jonathan Red Apple, one Jonagold Apple, one Gala apple, three McIntosh Apple, two Northern Spy Apple and one Pippin Apple trees.

3. Did you know that we host an outdoor tour? On the tour, our guide points out seasonal plants and their histories, geography of the area, social history of the area and many other insightful natural facts. Through the walk you will see the lush museum grounds, a beautiful view of Old Sly’s Rapids and the incredible engineering of Old Sly’s Locks.

Come by and wander the beautiful grounds!

06/04/2026

Museum Week: If Objects Could Speak

Today’s theme is If Objects Could Speak! Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we look to our switchboard found in one of our period rooms. This switchboard was originally used at the Hotel Rideau until it was moved to the former Rideau Regional Center. Afterwards it was transferred again to the Jean Vanier School to train students in telephone usage. 

You would think after a long history of usage throughout multiple institutions, this switchboard would be nothing more than a shell of its former self. This isn’t the case however! Some of you may remember back in 1991 when this switchboard first came to us, it was hooked up to four phones. Though it has been unfortunately disconnected, the integral pieces remain and it is able to be reinstalled. It is our plan to eventually rewire the phones through the museum for visitors to be able to experience Smiths Falls telephone history for themselves. If this object could speak, it might sound like… you?!

Falls