The Edison, Vienna & Area Museum - Preserving & Sharing the History of the Municipality of Bayham
The Edison, Vienna and Area Museum was first conceived as the Edison Museum of Vienna in 1988 after Douglas Howard donated his house and Nora Edison Coombes, first cousin to Thomas Alva Edison, donated the furniture to fill it. The museum's focus was on the famous inventor Thomas Edison and the Edison
s of Vienna. In 2020, the Edison, Vienna and Area Museum relocated to where the Old Vienna Hotel once stood. The old hotel burnt down in 1981 and remained an empty lot until 1983 when the New Vienna Pub was built. The new building changed hands many times over the years before becoming the current site of the museum. Remnants of the past still grace the property such as the pub's bar and the foundations for the town bell. More recent additions include the two beautiful wall murals on either side of the building. The Edison, Vienna and Area Museum officially opened to the public in the summer of 2023. The Edison Gallery - The first Edisons arrived in Bayham Township in 1809 were Samuel Edison Sr. and his family from Nova Scotia. Samuel and his father John Edison, being British Loyalists, fled to Canada following the end of the American Revolution. Samuel Sr. served in the War of the 1812 with Colonel Thomas Talbot. After the war, Samuel Sr. was allowed to rename the small village of Shrewsbury. In honour of his Austrian ancestors, he named it Vienna. Samuel's son, Samuel Edison Jr. was also a resident of Bayham Township until his involvement in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion forced him to flee to Ohio. Ten years later, in 1847, Samuel Jr.'s son Thomas Alva Edison was born. Growing up, Thomas spent summers in Vienna with his grandfather. The Edison Gallery contains items pertaining to Thomas Edison, like his inventions, and to the Edisons of Vienna. Many of the items were donated by Nora Edison Coombes, Thomas' first cousin. The Bayham Township Gallery -
The Municipality of Bayham has a rich and varied history, something that is illustrated by our local history displays. From Frank Brownell, the inventor of the Brownie Camera, to local sports teams, to agricultural history, the Bayham Township Gallery is how we shine a spotlight on our local stories. It is the hope of The Edison, Vienna & Area Museum to represent all fo the groups, peoples and individuals who make up the Municipality of Bayham. Due to the abundance of histories that need to be shown, several exhibits wil be rotated regularly. Check back frequently to discover more about your history.
