Those who wish to learn more about Niagara’s long and varied history should look no further than the Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) Museum, which is offering free admission to all Niagara residents throughout the month of February.
The campaign, titled “Free February,” will give those who live in Niagara an opportunity to learn about the history of the town of NOTL with no cost.
The museum runs not only permanent exhibitions but temporary ones as well, which might incentivize history enthusiasts to make consistent returns to the museum.
Currently, the temporary exhibition on display is titled “All Along the Waterfront,” and focuses on the importance of water and the relationship it holds with humanity. The museum hopes to spread awareness of how NOTL’s waterways, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, have played a prominent role in the town’s history. The museum believes that a better understanding of the relationship that humans hold with water will “help us ensure its protection for future generations.”
The museum is also advertising its permanent exhibition, which details 9,000 years of NOTL’s past, ranging from Indigenous history to the increased tourism of the 1970s. The exhibit holds a series of significant artifacts, including uniforms worn during the War of 1812.
The museum also displays two new student exhibits. The first, “A History of Cycling,” observes the history of travel on two wheels; while the second, “Through All Eyes,” dedicates itself to the timeline of Indigenous culture in Niagara.
If you wish to extend your learning even further, the museum also offers virtual lectures, which run weekly from Feb. 1 until Mar. 8.
The lectures are presented over Zoom video calls every Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. They are free to attend, but registration is required. Weekly topics include historic homes in Queenston (a rural community based in NOTL) and Canada’s relationship to the Civil War.
Information on exhibits and events can be found on the museum’s website. The website also provides links to ordering virtual tickets for the weekly online lectures.