Sidney Museum facts for kids
The Historical Post Office Building, Home of the Sidney Museum
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| Established | 1971 |
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| Location | Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. |
| Type | Local history museum |
The Sidney Museum and Archives is a cool place in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. It's a non-profit group that helps people learn about the history of Sidney and the North Saanich area. The museum is run by the Society of Saanich Peninsula Museums. They show off local history using exhibits, fun programs, and a huge collection of items. The museum has over 6,000 items in its main collection! Besides the regular displays, they also have special exhibits that change often.
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Discovering Sidney's Past: Museum Exhibits
The Sidney Museum has amazing permanent displays that focus on the human history of Sidney and the North Saanich Peninsula. You can learn about the First Nations groups who lived here long ago. You'll also see how the first settler families arrived and built their lives.
Exploring Local History: What You'll See
The exhibits show how the area grew over the last century. You can discover how the railway and transportation systems first started. Learn about the early days of the Town of Sidney. The museum also shows how the World Wars affected the people living here. Plus, you can see how ferry links connected Sidney to nearby islands.
Special Displays and Artifacts
The museum has some really neat reproductions. There's a copy of Critchley's Store, which was a real store in Sidney from 1899 to the 1930s. You can also see a vintage kitchen, just like people used to have. The museum also displays models and items from the SS Iroquois, a ship that sank. You'll find artifacts from local businesses too, like the Sidney Mill, Saanich Cannery, and the Victoria & Sidney (V&S) railroad.
The museum wants you to understand how these old items were used. They help you imagine what daily life was like throughout Sidney and North Saanich's history.
Exhibit Gallery
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A re-creation of Critchley's General Store
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Items found from the sunken SS Iroquois ship
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A classroom display from the middle of the last century
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Part of the First World War Exhibit at the Sidney Museum
Sidney Archives: A Treasure Trove of Records
The Sidney Archives is a special part of the museum. It's where they keep old documents and photos. If you want to do research, you can make an appointment to visit. The Archives holds materials specifically about the history of Sidney and North Saanich.
What's Inside the Archives?
You can find old copies of "The Review," which was the local newspaper, from 1912 to 1989. There's also a huge collection of photos from the Sidney Experimental Farm. The Archives also keeps official records from the Sidney town government. Most of the collection covers the years between 1910 and 1980. However, some items go all the way back to 1850 and even up to today.
The Archives also has a small library of published books and papers. They have written copies of stories told by people who lived here long ago. You can also find information about old, important buildings in the area.
