Nepean Museum facts for kids
| Location | 16 Rowley Avenue Ottawa, Ontario K2G 1L9 |
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| Type | History of Nepean, Ontario |
The Nepean Museum is a cool place to visit in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It's a museum that helps us learn about the history of Nepean. Nepean used to be a separate town, but it is now part of Ottawa.
The museum collects, takes care of, studies, and shows off things made by people and from nature in Nepean. They keep old items from Nepean's past, from its very start up to the 1900s. You can see these old items in the museum's rooms and outside. The main exhibit area is quite big, about 2000 square feet! You can find the museum at 16 Rowley Avenue in Ottawa.
It's usually free to visit the museum every day. However, some special events or programs might have a small fee. The museum is open from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, it's open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is closed on November 11, December 25 and 26, and January 1.
Contents
Discovering Nepean's Past
How the Museum Started
The museum first opened in 1973. Back then, it was called the West Carleton Museum. A few years later, in 1976, its name changed to the Nepean Museum.
In 1983, the Nepean Museum became a non-profit organization. This means it's run for the good of the community, not to make money. From 1973 to 1985, the museum was located at the Graham Park Cultural Activities Center.
Moving to a New Home
In 1985, the museum moved to the Davidson family farmhouse. This old farmhouse was on Baseline Road. A few years later, in 1989, the Nepean Parks & Recreation Department offered the museum a new spot. This was an old library building at 16 Rowley Avenue.
The Nepean Museum opened its doors at this new address in 1989. The building was updated in 1990 to make it even better. As of 2025, the museum is still at this same location.
What You Can See and Do
Exploring Nepean's History
The Nepean Museum has a huge collection of items. These items help us understand Nepean's history from 1792 onwards. It's like a time capsule of the area!
Visiting Fairfields Heritage Property
The museum also offers tours of Fairfields Heritage Property. This is a beautiful old farmhouse built in the 1800s. It's designed in a style called Gothic Revival. The Bell family lived at Fairfields for almost 175 years, from 1823 to 2000.
William Bell first bought the land for this property in the 1820s. The home sits on about 1.8 hectares of land. The family originally used a much larger area of 660 acres for farming. Later, parts of this land were sold off.
Research and Special Events
If you're interested in history or your family's past, the museum has an archives research facility. Here, you can look at collections that help historians and people studying their family trees. The museum also holds fun special events throughout the year.
Museum Connections
The Nepean Museum works with other important groups. These connections help the museum share its history and learn from others. The museum is connected with:
Works
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Nepean Museum's Fallowfield Road Gang (1880)
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Nepean Museum's Steeplehill churches (1910)
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Nepean Museum's Sir Evan Nepean (1750s)
