Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum

Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum Heritage House is the municipal museum, archive & art gallery for the Smiths Falls community. He died in debt on January 1st, 1864.

In the early 1850's the lure of plenty of water power and the promise of railway development attracted Joshua Bates, founder of nearby Farmersville (now Athens), to a site beside the roaring waters of Old Sly's Rapids on the Rideau Canal. Bates built two mills on property leased from the Crown and promoted the development of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company. After suffering considerable l

osses in his milling operations and investing heavily in the now bankrupt railway company, he began construction of his large frame house in 1861. Despite his optimism for the future, fate did not allow Joshua Bates to recoup his fortune or to enjoy his new home. Ironically, his home and mills were acquired by his competitor Truman R. Ward, eldest son of Abel Russell Ward, a founding father of Smiths Falls. After many years of neglect, the Corporation of the Town of Smiths Falls purchased the once dignified country estate from the Gleeson family in 1977 for use as a museum. Today the lifestyles of Joshua and Tamson Bates and Truman and Anabella Ward are depicted in the classically styled home where both families once lived. Heritage House Museum functions as a historic house depicting upper middle class life circa 1865-1875 and as a local museum featuring a permanent collection of Smiths Falls artifacts, traveling exhibits and art shows.

Rideau Artist of the Year 2026The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum will be hosting the Rideau Artist of the Year Compe...
06/02/2026

Rideau Artist of the Year 2026

The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum will be hosting the Rideau Artist of the Year Competition during the Big Art Walk on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Artists will be tasked with creating original works of art that will capture the beauty of Smiths Falls along the historic Rideau Canal waterway, in the tradition of en plein air art making.

The winners of the Rideau Artist of the Year Competition will be decided by a panel of jurors made up of art professionals. The Grand Prize winner will receive $1000 and the place of honour in the Rideau Artist of the Year showcase. The second-place winner will receive $300 dollars, and the People's Choice winner will receive $100 DBA dollars, which can be redeemed at any downtown business.

To register or for more information, please contact the museum: 613-283-6311, [email protected].

The SFHHM is joining in with the 2026 edition of Museum Week! Every day from June 1st - June 7th, we will share informat...
06/01/2026

The SFHHM is joining in with the 2026 edition of Museum Week!

Every day from June 1st - June 7th, we will share information tying in to each Museum Week theme. The first topic of the week is Museums x AI: State of play. Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we sometimes use AI to save time editing event posters. Apart from that, we don’t presently use AI in our organization but we would like to point out some pros and cons of AI in museums.

AI does have many positive aspects, especially when it comes to accessibility. There are many AI tools available that are used to make resources or public spaces more accessible such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech and translators.

One of the biggest concerns with AI is the spreading of misinformation on social media. With generative artificial intelligence getting better, it has become harder to tell the difference between what is real and what is false. This is especially a concern for museums and historians when it comes to the use of AI to alter photos and videos. This lets misleading information or incorrect information be spread through social media and other social networks at a rapid pace.

What are your thoughts on AI and its use today? Do you think AI will change society? Would you like to see more AI in museums? Do you think there are ways to solve people's concerns with artificial intelligence?

We are a week away from the rescheduled date for the Spring Carnival! We can't wait to see you there!
05/31/2026

We are a week away from the rescheduled date for the Spring Carnival! We can't wait to see you there!

It's Prom 2026! Wishing everyone celebrating their senior prom a safe and memorable day! Thank you for stopping by the b...
05/29/2026

It's Prom 2026!

Wishing everyone celebrating their senior prom a safe and memorable day! Thank you for stopping by the beautiful grounds of the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum for your photographs.

Remember When: Pictured here is the Beach Industries welding line in the 1970's. Russ Beach founded Beach Industries in ...
05/28/2026

Remember When:

Pictured here is the Beach Industries welding line in the 1970's. Russ Beach founded Beach Industries in 1949 with 12 employees. Producing top quality tool and tackle boxes and more. They grew to 250 employees in 1987 with business sales of 16 million. That same year the company was sold to Stanley Tools and stayed in business until its unfortunate closure in 2008.

Photo from the book: "A Beach Commitment: A Man and Company," prepared by Isobel Anderson, Jill (Beach) Porter, Mac Summers, Duncan Schoular, Tom Erwin & Jamie Porter.

Spring is in the air!As we work on our gardens, prep for weddings, prom and our famous rhubarb ginger jam, staff and vol...
05/25/2026

Spring is in the air!

As we work on our gardens, prep for weddings, prom and our famous rhubarb ginger jam, staff and volunteers have been snapping some photographs to capture the season.

See you at the museum!

They're Back! Our summer students Hannah and Emilie have started back with us this week. These amazing ladies will be he...
05/22/2026

They're Back!

Our summer students Hannah and Emilie have started back with us this week. These amazing ladies will be helping us with our daily visitors, tours, planning programs and exhibits, day camps, promotions and Movie Nights Under the Stars! They are an integral part of our summer and we are so fortunate to have them back again. Drop by and say hi or ask them to take you on a tour of the Heritage House, Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm. Admission is by donation (pay what you can) in celebration of May is Museum Month.

See you at the Museum!

Due to the ongoing threat of rain, we unfortunately have had to make the call to reschedule the Spring Carnival to SUNDA...
05/22/2026

Due to the ongoing threat of rain, we unfortunately have had to make the call to reschedule the Spring Carnival to SUNDAY, JUNE 7TH, 2026 11 AM - 2 PM.
Most vendors need 48 hour advance notice. We hope we will see everyone on June 7th! Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconveniences.

Congratulations to Ava! Ava Legault has just received the Brooke & Brittany Henderson award for her "commitment, perseve...
05/21/2026

Congratulations to Ava!

Ava Legault has just received the Brooke & Brittany Henderson award for her "commitment, perseverance and small town values in pursuit of her goals". We have benefited from her creativity for several years. She has helped the museum with our kids camps, the annual Haunted Heritage House, facepainting at community events, and even day to day administrative work. We are so proud to call Ava a friend of the museum. She is a young person to watch!

Photo credit: Kathy Botham

Turtle Power! Don't forget to keep an eye out for these little guys. This little friend visited the museum yesterday on ...
05/20/2026

Turtle Power!

Don't forget to keep an eye out for these little guys. This little friend visited the museum yesterday on their way to enjoy the sandy soil at Lower Reach Park.

Address

11 Old Slys Road
Smiths Falls, ON
K7A3M3

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+16132836311

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category