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.
This is just one of many gems that can be found in the recently published River, Road and Rail - Woodroffe Memories, a beautiful coffee-table book including over 300 photos, maps and other images on the history of Woodroffe. I have lived here for the past 40 years. This book contains a history of the area from earliest days, a description of the effect of building the Ottawa River Parkway, which required the demolition of about 180 cottages, and then brief stories written by residents describing their experience growing up here during the period 1920 through 2010.
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
Explore our series of “How to” projects by the City of Ottawa Archives. These projects will help educate and encourage you to explore your own history! Everything is explained step-by-step, made simple and is based on what the experts do!
Whether you are finding that special piece of family history, discovering a fact about Ottawa’s past or determining the history behind your heritage home, begin your researching journey with the City of Ottawa Archives today! Our passionate staff will help you succeed with your research goals.
The Ottawa Museum Network’s Connexion Card is a cutting edge loyalty program that engages cardholders across the City of Ottawa, offering advantages at nine community museums.
Like the Nova Scotia Museum Pass or the Montreal Museums Pass, the OMN Connexion Card capitalizes on each museum’s strengths to create a singular and robust city-wide offering. By joining forces, the Network museums are increasing their visibility, raising awareness within the community and reaching a larger audience.
