Museum

“Why is there a barbershop in your museum?” …Because our museum started in a barbershop!

In 1979 the town barber, Alex Dufresne, convinced the town council to purchase the red bricked house on 107 Lansdowne Street that had once belonged to Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, the physician to the Dionne Quintuplets, and turn it into a community museum. Alex donated his photograph collection, various antiques, and his actual barbershop (chairs, sinks, mirrors and all!) to start the museum’s collection. Today, this collection has expanded to include artefacts related to the Dionne Quintuplets, the shipping industry on Lake Nipissing, the sawmills around Callander Bay, and the general history of Callander. In 1994, an addition was added and named the Alex Dufresne Gallery in honour of our founder. The space hosts 5 different art exhibitions each year featuring local and area artists. We are open year-round and we hope you will stop by!

Bus tours are asked to book at least two days in advance.