Current Exhibits

100th Anniversary of the Poppy

Last year was the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the poppy as the flower of Remembrance. In July 1921 the Great War Veterans Association, which would unify with other groups to form the Canadian Legion in 1925, selected the poppy as this symbol and 100 years later it is still worn as a sign of respect and remembrance for those who fought and sacrificed on behalf of our country. 

It was this anniversary that sparked the Callander Museum to develop an idea to have students create paintings of poppies using watercolours, and to also invite members of the Canadian Legion to paint their own, as a way of uniting the generational gap through art and Remembrance resulting in 100 images of the poppy. The Museum would like to thank the students and teachers from the Grade 2-3 and Grade 5-6 class at M.T. Davidson Public School, and Grade 2 and Grade 7-8 class at St. Theresa Catholic Elementary School, members of the Callander Legion for their enthusiastic participation, and Christine Bretherick of Creativity Matters for running the programming.

Callander and the Great War

Sunday November 11^th, 2018 marked the 100^th anniversary of the end of the First World War and the Callander Museum has created a temporary exhibit that explores the individual experiences of the 128 men and women from the Callander area who enlisted and served in some capacity.

This exhibit explores the individual experiences of each of these brave men and women. The idea for this exhibit was inspired by a research project that local historian Donald Clysdale embarked on this past spring following some travelling to Europe where he visited many of the old World War One battle sites. His curiosity about Callander's involvement in the war sparked a research journey that resulted in the creation of two books that he generously put together as resources for the Legion and local museum and libraries.

Callander Rocks! Callander's Geological Journey

Rocks, drill cores, geological maps and more have taken over an exhibit room at the Callander Bay Heritage Museum thanks to the hard-working efforts of members of the Nipissing Rock and Mineral Club. This exhibit collaboration features many samples of rocks that can be found in the surrounding region and examines the geological history of this area through four different subjects: “Titanic Forces Shaped the Callander Area”, “Every Rock Tells a Story if You Know How to Read it”, “Mining Matters” and “The Rock Lab”. Guests can test their knowledge with the interactive Rock ID Gizmo, learn about the rock cycle, or even start their own rock collection.

The Northern Coney Island

Quintuplet Drive. Dionneville. The Quintuplet Village. Quintland. All these names described a stretch of road no longer than 300 meters that attracted over 3 million tourists in the 30s and 40s to come and watch five identical girls dance and play in an outdoor observatory. This “Coney Island of the North” rivalled Niagara Falls as the top tourist destination in Canada as thousands of people were counted waiting in line for the free shows that took place each day. Luckily for the area, an influx of tourists meant an opportunity for business and commercialization, and it did not take long for souvenir shops, information booths, public restrooms, and even a teepee to arrive, where guests could have their photo taken with a First Nations Chief.

Over 20 buildings (some built from scratch, some moved to different locations, others gained additions) covered this landscape between 1934 and 1938, with the exception of the Big House in 1943. Outside of this area, other souvenir shops opened up in downtown Callander just 5 minutes away.  This exhibit explores the timeline of these buildings, and the evolution of Quintland, from a regular country road to a bustling attraction, that compared to the likes of Radio City Music Hall, Mount Vernon, and Gettysburg.

The Barber Shop

Our turn-of-the-century barber shop is one of the most unique aspects to our museum. Complete with a working barber pole installed at the entrance, take a stroll through time and see the original chairs from the shop, a wall of mugs (used by the regulars at the time), old razors and more. It was first owned by Eugene Dufresne and then later his son, Alex Dufresne. Alex apprenticed many barbers who then went on to run their own shops in the area. The shop was also used as a Credit Union where loans were given on a handshake. The shop was originally located on the Main Street in Callander before making the move to the old Dafoe house in 1979 where it was retired from regular use. Along with many other artefacts also donated by Alex, it was set up as a permanent display in the new North Himsworth Museum (later changed to the Callander Bay Heritage Museum).

The Story of the Dionne quintuplets and Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe

This room explores the international sensation of the Dionne quintuplets and the "country doctor" of the 1930s through artefacts that include photos, charts, books, newspaper articles and old newsreels (available to view on request). There is also clothing and souvenir memorabilia, as well as old advertisements and an exhibit entitled "When Hollywood Came To Callander" which depicts the various celebrities of the 1930s who trekked to Northern Ontario to meet the doctor and view the Quints and the 3 Hollywood films the Quints themselves starred in. Our collection of over 400 artefacts also includes many from Dafoe's personal life such as his short wave radio, his (now) 100-year old pump Karn organ, the wedding dress of his mother's from the 1880s and many of his medical instruments. In addition the room gives a flashback to the doctor's life during the quintuplet era, as the original phone line to the Dafoe Hospital/Nursery is on the wall. This was how he stayed in contact with the nurses while he was at home.

Shipping on Lake Nipissing

Originally the office and examination room of Dr. Dafoe, this room now explores the nautical history of Lake Nipissing. Because of the strong presence of the lumber industry in the area, shipping became very important and at one point there was approximately 54 working ships/tugboats on the lake. Our collection features models of the Chief Commanda I, Northern Belle, Woodchuck, Sea Gull I and Sea Gull II, artefacts such as compasses, barometers, spotlights and steam whistles, and many photos and paintings of the boats and their crew. In addition, our museum houses artefacts from the John Fraser shipwreck of 1893 - the worst shipping disaster in Lake Nipissing history. After remaining under water for 80 years, the North Bay Scuba Club discovered the wreck in 1972 retrieved many of the objects during an "underwater excavation". Most notable of these objects on display is the steam whistle, which is in surprisingly stable condition. Some of our Fraser collection is currently on loan to Discovery North Bay Museum, and we encourage you to visit their display to see the rest of the artefacts.

Saw Mills and the Logging Industry

J.B. Smith and Sons, J.R. Booth, and the Payette Lumber Company all operated mills along Callander Bay. McBurney and Leacock, Darling and Sons, A.B. Gordon, the Canadian Timber Company and Callander Industries Limited (Gary Mote's Mill) ran at different times but at the same location, at present day Centennial Park. There is evidence of other mills as well operating in the Callander area. The bay provided a calm body of water for the operations, and the area was abundant in the highly sought after white pine which attracted many lumber tycoons and men seeking work. It was a very busy lumbering town with workers typically spending their summers working at the mills, or on the boats, and their winters in logging camps out in the bush.