Museums, Culture, and History

Interested in local history? Check out the Upper Ottawa Valley Heritage Centre at 1032 Pembroke St. E. and discover the story of the timber industry while exploring Pembroke at the turn of the 20th century. Enjoy guided tours through Pembroke's Lowertown schoolhouse, the Micksburg United Church, the centre's restored pioneer home, and special exhibits. The centre is open regularly from June-September and is open by appointment from October-May. Call 613-735-0517 to book a tour.

Plus, each Monday, the museum shares archival photos of Pembroke and the region on their Facebook page.

Pembroke Heritage Murals © since 1989 celebrates the region's heritage and character through large-scale paintings on an ever-increasing number of Pembroke's downtown walls, colourfully portraying a bygone era for the enjoyment of today's generation.

Our story unfolds as you walk through the streets of Pembroke. By the turn of the 20th century, Pembroke had grown into a vigorous logging community. As the town grew, the landscapes and lifestyles changed. Our murals are an illustrated record of these changing panoramas and history over the past two centuries.

Full Pembroke Heritage Murals listing and map

Visit the Garrison Petawawa Military Museum for a historical overview of the military presence in our area. Email the museum for more information. At the museum, explore the Garrison Petawawa, Canadian Airborne Forces, and Canadian Guards artifact collections to learn more about the history of Garrison Petawawa and how it fits into the history of Canada's Armed Forces.

At Petawawa Heritage Village, located at 176 Civic Centre Rd. in Petawawa, the settlement era and immigrant stories of early Canada are celebrated. Petawawa Heritage Village's archives and collections focus on the stories of the German founding families and stretch back thousands of years to the traditions and teachings of the First Nations people. They offer tours, artisan markets, and more. Come in and connect with times gone by, your memories will last a lifetime.

Learn about the history of hockey and the formation of the National Hockey Association at the NHA/NHL Birthplace Museum, located at 1 Ma Te Way Park Dr. in Renfrew. Read about the early days of hockey in Ontario and Quebec and learn about the making of the NHA in the small town of Renfrew over 100 years ago. Here, you can discover the story of M.J. O’Brien, his son Ambrose, and their mission to win the Stanley Cup, changing Canadian hockey forever.

Located at 2022 Foresters Falls Rd. in Whitewater Region, the Ross Museum has five buildings, including the Ross House (a replica of an 1800’s home), the Exhibit Hall (the former Ross Township Fire Hall), the Drive Shed, the Resource Centre and the recently acquired St. Aidan’s Church.

When you visit Ross Museum, you will be surrounded by period furniture, antique china, pottery, and kitchenware of an early settler at home. Next door in the Exhibit Hall, you may discover the old general store, schoolroom, chapel, barbers, and millinery shop.

Outside, the gardens provide a scenic setting where natural, perennial and annual flower beds invite you to have a picnic lunch.