Thunder Bay Historical Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1908 |
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| Location | 425 Donald Street East Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Public transit access |  Thunder Bay Transit via City Hall Terminal[[|1]] [[|3M]] [[|8]] [[|10]] [[|12]] [[|14]] [[|16]] [[|18]] [[|4]] (limited) |
The Thunder Bay Museum is a cool place to visit in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It's run by the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. This society started in 1972. It took over from an older group called the Thunder Bay Historical Society.
The Museum works with other important groups. These include the Canadian Museums Association and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The original Thunder Bay Historical Society began on October 2, 1908. It was started because Barlow Cumberland wanted it to. He was the president of the Ontario Historical Society. Peter McKellar was the first president of the Thunder Bay Historical Society. He led the group from 1908 to 1923.
The Museum's Building
Since 1994, the museum has been in a special building. This building used to be the Fort William police station and court house. It's located close to Thunder Bay City Hall.
The building has three floors. It was built in 1910. An architect named Robert Mason designed it. The building looks like an old Greek or Roman temple. It has two big Corinthian columns and flat columns called pilasters.
People are currently raising money to fix parts of the building. They want to restore the decorative top edge, called a cornice. They also want to fix other missing parts. The inside of the building has been fully updated since 1994. This included new heating and cooling systems. A wheelchair ramp was also added. A storage area for the museum's collection was made bigger. Recently, a special gallery was built. It lets visitors see large items from the collection.
What You Can See: The Collection
Exploring the Galleries
The first floor of the museum has exhibits about local history. These exhibits are always there for visitors to enjoy. The second floor is called the James Murphy Room. This room is used for meetings and special events. Kids can even have birthday parties there. The museum also hosts themed camps for children. These camps happen during March break and in the summer.
The third floor has exhibits about military history and music. It also has space for local art shows. Sometimes, traveling exhibits from other museums visit this floor. There is also a room available to rent for different events.
What the Museum Collects
The museum collects many interesting items from the region. These include old dolls, pictures, and furniture. They even have a firetruck in their collection! The museum also has a huge archive. It holds 130 meters of historical records. There are 1,900 maps and plans. The archive also has 150,000 old photos. Plus, there's a library with 2,200 books.
Programs and Publications
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society publishes a yearly journal. It's called Papers & Records. This journal includes articles reviewed by experts. The Society also publishes several books each year. These books are about local and regional history.
Museum's Coat of Arms
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The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society has its own special symbol. It's called a Coat of Arms. This symbol was officially given to them on October 15, 2006. It includes an hourglass, which reminds us of time. The motto, or saying, for the museum is "Learning From History."
