Ontario Heritage Trust museums open for the summer

Mather-Walls House - Kenora, Ontario

TORONTO, Ontario May 7, 2015 /Canada NewsWire/ - This summer, visit one of the Ontario Heritage Trust's seasonal museums and learn more about our history. Located across the province, each of these museums brings Ontario's story to life through the experiences of ordinary and extraordinary people from our past.  

Opening dates in 2015:

Niagara Apothecary, Niagara-on-the-Lake – May 8 to September 7Visit this National Historic Site and see how pharmacists practised their profession 150 years ago, with rows of patent medicines and "miracle cure-alls" for everything from hair loss to tuberculosis. Open daily and on weekends from Labour Day to Thanksgiving. Operated by the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

Fulford Place Tea Room, Brockville – May 10 to August 30Come for tea at this opulent mansion and National Historic Site overlooking the St. Lawrence River and experience how a millionaire entrepreneur and his family lived in the early 1900s. The seasonal tea room offers treats and refreshments; the museum is open year-round.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site, Dresden, Chatham-Kent – May 16 to October 23Discover Josiah Henson, an abolitionist minister who escaped slavery and overcame unbelievable odds to find freedom and establish communities in Canada. The annual Emancipation Day celebration – a highlight of the season – takes place on Saturday, August 1.

Homewood Museum, Maitland (near Brockville) – June 13 to August 30Explore one of the oldest houses in Ontario where generations of the Jones family lived, including a descendant who developed an internationally renowned variety of apple. Bring the children to this National Historic Site for the annual Family Day celebration on Sunday, July 26.

Mather-Walls House, Kenora – June 29 to August 29Step into the house built by John Mather, an enterprising businessman who formed the Keewatin Lumbering and Manufacturing Company in the late 1800s. It was one of three nearly identical houses built for his employees. Operated by the Lake of the Woods Historical Society.

Macdonell-Williamson House, Chute-à-Blondeau (near Hawkesbury) – July 4 to August 30 Visit the former home of John Macdonell, a fur trader with the North West Company in the early 1800s who sponsored construction of the first steamboat on the Ottawa River. This National Historic Site is newly reopened after significant conservation work and features new displays. Operated by the Friends of Macdonell-Williamson House/Les Amis de lamaison Macdonell-Williamson.

QUICK FACTSThe Ontario Heritage Trust also owns the following museums and historic sites that offer programming year-round:

• Enoch Turner Schoolhouse (Toronto): offers tours and school programs about Victorian life in 19^th-century Toronto in one of the oldest schools in the city.
• The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre (Toronto): the last operating double-decker theatre in the world, this magnificently restored National Historic Site offers public tours and performances.
• Fulford Place (Brockville): provides a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyle of another era through the experiences of Senator George T. Fulford and his family.
• Sir Harry Oakes Chateau (Kirkland Lake): home of the Museum of Northern History, offers regular admission and special events, such as monthly art exhibitions, operated by the City of Kirkland Lake.
• Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site (Dresden): offers curriculum-based educational programs and engaging learning experiences that interpret the Underground Railroad; open outside of the summer season by appointment.

LEARN MOREFind out the hours, admission rates and location of these Ontario Heritage Trust museums.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.