Heritage Projects
All of the heritage projects are initiated and developed by organizations or individuals from the local heritage community. They cover a range of themes and formats and offer a more in-depth look at topics in Ottawa heritage.
Featured Project: Bytown At Your Fingertips
Bytown at Your Fingertips brings the early history of Canada’s national capital, prior to 1855 when Bytown was renamed Ottawa, to everyone – from those with a casual interest in local history to those historians and scholars already familiar with the details of Bytown’s history. The project presents research and images from the Bytown Museum’s artefact collection and historic archives.
The Ottawa Street Names Project aims to document the histories of Ottawa's major streets and thoroughfares.
View our map of the currently documented streets.
Browse the street name index for more information about Ottawa's streets.
How do you define 'sense of place'? What makes a place special? What stories, buildings, places, people, define it? HeritageCrowd is a project to give members of the public the tools to define the cultural heritage of their place, wherever and whatever it may be. Even if you don't have very good internet access, you can still contribute using cell-phone text messages, voicemail, and other channels.
Conserving Our Stories
We collect objects in order to find meaning in the vast materiality of our world. Photographs, documents, clothing and tools – these artefacts hold stories that define a people and a generation. The passage of time alters both our understanding of artefacts, and their material condition.
The Ottawa Museum Network works throughout the community to engage people in the Greater Ottawa story. Through its group of ten museums, the network brings local history alive by sharing and preserving many of Ottawa’s richest and most interesting heritage sites and collections. Over the summer of 2010, in partnership with the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres of Ottawa, the OMN undertook an innovative pilot project called Building Community Connections.
If you are involved in the heritage sector, you know that many great outreach opportunities are available at heritage fairs, festivals, trade shows, and volunteer fairs. Many of these events allow participants to present display booths or tables, where they can showcase their publications, get exposure for their organizations, and recruit volunteers. But how do you stand out among the rows of exhibitors who come to these events? Below are some suggestions for “best practices” in heritage displays, to help you s
