What's On
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Feature Exhibitions
The aftermath of World War II saw a world faced with mass movement of human beings on a scale never before seen. Initially the idea was to “repatriate” people back to the countries from where they had been displaced, and there were over 1.1 million people left who were determined "non repatriable." The job of finding homes for these individuals was handed over to the newly created International Refugee Organization (IRO).
In 1947 the Canadian government agreed to open the borders for 5000 displaced persons to come to Canada and begin life anew.
Since 2016, the Oshawa Museum has been undertaking a very important oral history project. The focus of this project was to 
collect the memories of those who arrived in Oshawa as displaced persons and post-war immigrants, many hundreds of whom resettled in Oshawa due to economic and social factors, positively contributed to the city as both an industrial hub and as the proud beneficiary of a rich cultural landscape.
Experience the 360 Tour of Leaving Home, Finding Home in Oshawa.
Thank you to our sponsor, Ontario Power Generation, and donors for helping make this possible
Oshawa has a unique maritime perspective that often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. For centuries, the waterways of Lake Scugog, Oshawa Creek, and Lake Ontario have provided Indigenous Peoples and settlers with a natural navigation system and the backdrop for the commercial, agricultural, and residential development that would later become the city of Oshawa. From Ship to Shore: Looking at Oshawa's Relationship with Lake Ontario celebrates the city's port history, the marine industry, and contributes to an overall sense of pride in being part of a port city.
Oshawa’s waterfront has more than two centuries of stories to tell, from hunting and fishing, ship building, trade, railways, steamboats, pleasure crafts and ocean-going vessels. The waterfront and specifically the Oshawa Harbour have played an important role in the settling of our area, and continues that function as a vital element of the City's growth and economic development today.
A Carrying Place is on display in Robinson House. This immersive exhibit connects our community with their past, embraces the present Indigenous community, and builds towards a spirit of reconciliation and partnership.
A Carrying Place showcases objects recovered from the Grandview and MacLeod archeological sites and interprets the culture of the ancestral Wendat that lived in this area from 1380 – 1450 CE, and it examines the arrival and impact of European immigrants. This exhibition looks at the Indigenous community today, featuring displays from partner organizations, including the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nations, the Oshawa and Durham Region Métis Council, and the Durham District School Board.
Opening in Summer 2023: Hope and Healing Canada, an installation by Tracey-Mae Chambers.
More info: https://www.traceymae.com/
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Feature Events
March 13-17 - March Break at the OM: Back to School
Drop in activities at Guy House and Museum Tours - $5/child
9am-4pm (last tour at 3:30pm)
Book your tickets in advance: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/541168819507
March 19 - World Storytelling Day with the Durham Storytellers
Three Tours: 1pm, 1:45pm, 2:30pm
Book your tickets in advance: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/world-storytelling-day-at-the-oshawa-museum-tickets-560676096297
March 21 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Dan Buchanan: Murder in the Family: The Dr. King Story
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
April 18 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Doris Cherkas & Irene Chromej-Johnston: Finally Finding Home in Oshawa
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
May 6 - Doors Open Oshawa
Henry House open FREE
12-4pm
May 13 - Union Cemetery Tour
Theme: TBD
2pm, departing from King Street gates
May 16 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Annual Meeting, Oshawa Historical Society
Melissa Cole, Curator, Oshawa Museum: Summer in the City
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
June 10 - Union Cemetery Tour
Theme: TBD
2pm, departing from King Street gates
June 21 - Indigenous Peoples Day
Check back for more info
July 8 - Union Cemetery Tour
Theme: TBD
2pm, departing from King Street gates
July 15 - Music in the Gardens with the Oshawa Civic Band
1:30pm - Bring your own lawn chair!
August 12 - Union Cemetery Tour
Theme: TBD
2pm, departing from King Street gates
September 9-10 - Scenes from the Cemetery
2-4pm, Union Cemetery; tour times: 2pm, 2:20pm, 2:40pm, 3pm
Tickets required for admission; ticket link to be updated
September 19 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Dave Mowat, Chief, Alderville First Nations: The Williams Treaty
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
October 1 - Orange Shirt Day
A Carrying Place open for free admission
12-4pm, Robinson House
October 17 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Rob Brown: Ontario's Ghost Towns
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
Registration required: check back for registration link
November 21– Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
TBD
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
December 2 - Annual Lamplight Tour
6-8pm; more details to come
January 17 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Nicole Adams, Local History & Genealogy Librarian, Oshawa Libraries: Oshawa's Newspapers
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
February 20 - Family Day at the OM: Artefact Explosion!
Drop-in, 12-4pm
February 21 – Speaker Series, in partnership with Oshawa Libraries
Club Carib: The History of Club Carib: Our First 50 Years
6pm, McLaughlin Library Auditorium
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Plan Your Visit
The Oshawa Museum is open year round for tours - learn more about how you can experience the Home to Oshawa's History!
Please note: There HAS been changes to tour procedures due to COVID-19 - please read the information on the 'Plan Your Visit' page carefully.
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Programming at the OM
Featured Education Programs
Travel on a journey through the Oshawa Museum's latest exhibit that connects oral histories, artefacts, and primary and secondary sources: Leaving Home, Finding Home in Oshawa. Students will experience what it was like to be Displaced Persons in Oshawa.
Using the stories from those who contributed to the exhibit, students will research their lives, learn to empathize with the unfamiliar experiences of Displaced Persons and contemplate their own family’s arrival in Canada.
This program is free and offered as a virtual program, facilitated by Museum staff. While directly linked to the grade six social studies Ontario curriculum, it can be tailored to other grades discussing aspects of traditions and immigration. Teachers will need to schedule 60 - 90 minutes for this program to be facilitated effectively.
The Oshawa Museum is committed to telling the history of our culturally diverse city and its inhabitants. Observation of Black History Month has challenged our thinking about local history and whose stories we choose to tell. In addition, the discovery and compilation of primary source documentation in the form of census records open up conversations about ethics, bias, diversity, and inclusion.
The Oshawa Museum will bring a two-lesson virtual program to your class throughout February. Students will begin with an introduction to examining census records and creating and reading family trees. These documents play a significant role in telling the story of some of Oshawa’s earliest Black settlers. In the second lesson, we will trace the journey of the Dunbar/Andrews/Pankhurst family from the United States through Lower Canada until they settled in East Whitby, Canada West (Oshawa). It also touches on the historical significance of Black families coming to Canada and deciding to stay in East Whitby.
In Lesson One, students follow along on census record handouts provided by the Museum. Next, we will introduce the family by screen sharing from Ancestry.com, and students will begin to create their family trees. Then, using a PowerPoint presentation to provide historical context, Lesson Two introduces the family through maps, photos, newspaper articles and military papers. There will be time after each lesson for questions.
The OM can teach these lessons as a half-day program or differently to accommodate your timetable. This program is free in February and timed to meet your scheduling needs. This program is suitable for grades 7 – 12.
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Teachers
We offer a number of workshops suitable for elementary and secondary classes, and they can be offered virutally or in-person. These include Critical Thinking Using Objects, Working with Primary Sources and a World War I Timeline.
Curriculum based local history programs are also available, and most are adaptable to any grade level, from JK to Grade 12.
Email to learn more about how you can incorporate local history into your classroom.
Leaders
The Oshawa Museum offers badge based experiences for all levels of Guiding and Scouting. We do the work for you, the kids do the learning for themselves.
We have different program options available - to learn more, view our Guiding and Scouting Brochure:
Lectures
The Oshawa Museum has developed over fifty lectures that pertain to various aspects of Oshawa's immense cultural history. Lectures are $50 each, plus mileage if your facility is located outside of Oshawa. Lectures are approximately one hour long and are often accompanied by associated artefacts. An experienced staff member of the Oshawa Museum delivers each lecture.
NEW!
The Oshawa Museum’s first digital memory box is waiting for you to unpack! Do You Remember? An Online Trip Down Memory Lane, created for an older adult audience, features twenty advertisements from between 1967 and 1999 that will have you rockin’, rollin’ and reminiscing! The digital memory box includes discussion questions, word puzzles, and links to Spotify playlists.