Oakville Museum Exhibitions and Collections
The beautiful historic home and gardens of the Erchless Estate were once the home of our town’s founding family, but are now the setting for Oakville’s Community Museum. You can also visit our satellite exhibition gallery at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre. General admission at both locations during public hours is free!
The museum holds a diverse collection of objects reflecting the history of Oakville from its establishment to the present day including costumes and textiles, fine and decorative arts, ethnological artifacts and Chisholm family-related materials. Artifacts that are not currently part of our permanent or temporary exhibits are carefully stored to ensure their preservation. For information on donating artifacts to the collection, please visit the support page.
Hair: The long and the short of it!
Opening October 24, 2018
at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street
Can hair be an outward expression of our thoughts? What can the artifacts relating to hair in the Oakville Museum tell us? Whether exploring fashion statements, tools of the trade, valued keepsakes or objects of art, explore how hair has been used to mark rites of passage throughout time.
Opening night event
October 24 from 7-9 p.m.
Join us for our opening exhibition launch and enjoy a lively presentation on Ancient Egyptian hairstyles by Egyptologist Laura Ranieri of Ancient Egypt Alive. Refreshments will be served. Visit our events page for more information.
A French Connection
Now on until March 17, 2019 at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Rd.
The Oakville Museum is home to an astonishing collection of artifacts with a French connection.
You don’t have to carry a baguette under your arm to be considered a Francophile. People have been enamoured with France throughout history and the artifacts curated for this exhibit suggest that many Oakville residents have shared an enduring love of France.
The exhibit includes Great War letters from the Somme, prêt-à-porter ensembles from Paris and exquisite china from Limoges, which have found their way back to Canada demonstrating Oakville’s penchant for all things French.
Visit the QEPCCC page for current hours.
Crystal Clear: Pieces from the Oakville Museum's Glass Collection
Now on until November 2018 at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street.
Glass is a material of everyday life. We see through it and we see ourselves in it. Using the seven capital vices as facets of human fascinations, this exhibit explores pieces from the Oakville Museum glass collection. This exhibit first ran at QEPCCC from April 2016 to February 2017.
The Underground Railroad: Next Stop Freedom
Permanent Exhibit at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street.
In this exciting and moving multi-media presentation, the ghost of Deborah Brown tells the true story of her heroic flight from a life of slavery in Maryland to her new life of freedom in 19th-century Toronto.
The exhibit was created by Parks Canada in partnership with the Ontario Black History Society and the Royal Ontario Museum.
Presentation available in French and English.
Freedom, Opportunity and Family: Oakville’s Black History
Permanent Exhibit at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street.
Artifacts, pictures, text and a documentary video tell the stories of many of the African-American families who settled in Oakville and were important to the development of our community. Visitors will discover the story of Branson Johnson, a freeborn African-American, who arrived in Oakville with his family in 1855. His Certificate of Freedom from a Maryland court and the pocket watch in which it was hidden for many years are featured. Passed down from one generation to the next, the certificate shows how subsequent generations defined and preserved evidence of freedom.
Stand on Guard: Sport in Canada
Now on until September 2018 at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, 3070 Neyagawa Blvd
An amazing look into the history of Canadian sports and how they are influenced by our seasons, geography and social diversity. Learn the cultural origins and some cool facts about hockey, lacrosse, cricket and more of our favourite sports.
Past Exhibitions
For more information about previous listings, visit our past exhibition page.
Community Outreach Presentations
Throughout the year, museum staff present a series of mini exhibits coupled with conversational-style presentations to seniors’ residences in our community. Various themes are covered including oddities in the museum’s collections, an overview of Oakville’s history, vintage quilts and cocktail party gowns. If you are interested in booking an outreach exhibit at your facility, please call 905-338-4400 or email carolyn.cross@oakville.ca.