The Museum on Tower Hill

06/10/2026

You're invited...

The Museum on Tower Hill will hold its 2026 Annual General Meeting on Thursday, June 25th at 7:00 p.m. in-person at the Museum. Museum members in good standing are invited to attend and contribute their voice.

Wish to attend but aren't a member? Learn more about our Annual Pass program: https://www.museumontowerhill.com/annual-pass

06/09/2026

June 9th is ! And what better day to show off a little bit of our behind the scenes work than today.

Our collections assistant, Alayna, has been going through our archival books collection to update our accession files, and create a deaccession list for pieces that do not fit our mandate. This is a large project, as each book comes with a list of proper documentation procedures for both updating accession files and creating a deaccession list.

For each book, Alayna has to take and upload several pictures, give the book a description, describe the book's physical condition, determine whether it fits our mandate, and sort it into the relevant location.

It's a big and tedious job, but she is doing absolutely wonderful!

And no: we're not sure why the camera started moving on its own either.

06/05/2026

Happy !

These divers in 1965 managed to catch some sweet photos of a school of fish while inspecting the waterworks intake line.

Fish are integral to the Georgian Bay ecosystem and also play a large role in the vibrant culture of the West Parry Sound area! This World Environment Day, let's reflect on and appreciate the incredible diversity and beauty of the Georgian Bay Biosphere.

What are some of your favourite memories of Georgian Bay aquatic wildlife?

06/02/2026

In 1986, Georgian Bay and Parry Sound experienced record high water levels as demonstrated by photos taken from the Town Docks, the Coast Guard, and the Smelter Wharf/Salt Docks. Certainly a much different waterscape than seen today!

What's the highest you've seen the water in your lifetime?

Photos by Norma Curry, from Merrill Hammond.

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05/29/2026

Join us on Zoom June 10th at 7pm, as we welcome Laura Suchan, a historian and genealogist, presenting “Sacred to the Memory” – The Ephemera of Death and Mourning.

Much like gravestones, the ephemera (lasting a short time) associated with death and mourning is indicative of societal values. Memorial cards, obituaries, death notices, expressions of sympathy (cards) and other death ephemera exhibit the same language and motifs as seen on gravestones. In this presentation participants will gain a historical perspective of the methods and imagery associated with communicating the news of death and how these changed in response to changing societal norms. Death and mourning ephemera was sometimes stark and plainly adorned with black borders but could also feature elaborate poems, sentiments, images and drawings. Today death ephemera has become electronic with online spaces for remembrance and expressions of sympathy and the use of “living” tombstones.

To learn more about this event, visit: https://www.museumontowerhill.com/genealogy-club

05/28/2026

Last night we saw a very successful Grand Opening of our newest exhibit, Where Rock Meets Shore!

A huge thank you to all of you who came out to celebrate!

The exhibition hosts a collection of images from the Parry Sound Photography Club centering around the landscapes and biodiversity of local Georgian Bay shorelines.

This exhibit will be available until October 2026. We are currently open to visit Wednesday - Saturday from 11am - 4pm.

To learn more about this exhibit, visit https://www.museumontowerhill.com/exhibitions/where-rock-meets-shore

05/27/2026

THE REVEAL!👀

Yesterday's mystery artefact was a theodolite!

A theodolite is a precision instrument having a telescopic sight for establishing horizontal and sometimes vertical angles. It is an instrument used for surveying. This theodolite was used for surveying in the Avro project!

05/26/2026

WHAT'S THAT ARTEFACT !?🤔

Well isn't this a peculiar item from our industrial Nobel collection. Any guesses as to what it could be? Put your best guess in the comments!

Stay tuned for the reveal 👀

05/25/2026

05/23/2026

Snake season is in full swing here in the West Parry Sound District!

The brave stars of these are Sandy Barron, John Barron, and Joseph Barron--a keeper of the Gereaux Island Lighthouse in Britt.

Though it can be exciting to see snakes, they're best left to tend to their own matters. Give these slithery friends lots of space as you admire them from afar. And remember: brake for snakes!

Photos from Sandy Barron