(The Stittsville News was there in 1990 to capture the original “Museum” sign being hung on the Goulbourn Museum building. In the photo, John Leroux of the Goulbourn Parks Department is pictured installing the sign which was made and donated by Claude Swolfs of Stittsville.)
There are many stories about meetings, dances, and soirees being held in the Museum in its past life as the original Town Hall, built in 1873, for the Township of Goulbourn. Today, that old Town Hall is the Goulbourn Museum dedicated to preserving the history and sharing the stories of the former Goulbourn Township. On July 8, 2026, the Goulbourn Museum celebrated sharing Goulbourn’s history for 36 years.
The Museum was created by the Goulbourn Township Historical Society in 1989 and officially opened on July 8, 1990, when the Goulbourn Township Town Council offered the Historical Society free use of the former township hall. From that opening day, the Museum was the public face of the Historical Society until December 2010 when, by a mutual agreement, it incorporated itself and became a separate organization called the Goulbourn Museum. The Museum received charitable status in March 2011 and in September of 2011, the Historical Society legally transferred all of the three-dimensional artifacts to the Goulbourn Museum.
With more than 200 guests at the official opening of the Goulbourn Museum, a feature of the celebration was the exhibit that honoured Stittsville’s railway heritage with a vintage railway handcar photo opportunity. Local history books were available for previewing, along with activities for all. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place using scissors that had been hand-forged almost 200 years ago. It was a day filled with local history pride for all who attended.
Major renovations took place in 2017-18 to revitalize exhibitions, create a new welcome area, gift shop, and upgraded the level of the floor. While construction continued slightly into 2019, the 2018 enhancements successfully refreshed Ottawa’s oldest military settlement in tandem with the “Richmond 200” anniversary. Upon re-opening, a Grand Re-Opening Party was held in May, 2018. And wouldn’t you know it, a power outage occurred during the formal part of the evening. Candles were quickly lit and didn’t deter those in attendance. Once the power was restored, the band – Snap, Crackle & Pop – took everyone on a fabulous trip down memory lane to the era of the 1950s & 1960s reminiscent of those dances in the old Town Hall. Everyone broke in the newly ‘levelled’ floor with dancing.
Stittsville Central was in touch with Acting Manager, Sarah Holla, asking her to reflect on what the 36 years means to her. “The Goulbourn Museum’s greatest strength has always been its connection to the community and the incredible stories preserved within its collections. As we celebrate 36 years, we are also looking ahead to new ways of sharing those stories and making local history more accessible than ever before.”
The Museum houses over 10,000 artefacts, including collections from a local archaeological dig and military collections. In June 2025, a new resource had been launched – the artefacts had been digitized – allowing interactive virtual tours featuring the artefacts, archaeological finds and military collections. Sarah worked tirelessly, to not only gain funding, but to ensure that each in-house piece of history is included in the Museum’s Artefact Catalogue https://goulbournmuseum.ca/collections-research/artefact-catalogue/ and the History Centre https://goulbournmuseum.ca/collections-research/history-centre-2025/.
“The digitization of our collections and archival materials has been a meaningful step forward for the Museum. By bringing photographs, documents, newspapers, and other historical resources online, we are removing barriers to accessing our community’s history and creating opportunities for more people to discover, research, and connect with Goulbourn’s past. This work ensures these important stories can be shared not only with today’s visitors, but with future generations as well.”
“The success of this project has only been possible because of the dedication of our staff and volunteers, who have contributed countless hours to reviewing, organizing, scanning, cataloguing, and preserving these materials. Their work has opened the door to new discoveries and allowed more people to engage with our local history from wherever they are,” shared Sarah.
Sarah shared her final thoughts, “Thirty-six years ago, the opening of the Goulbourn Museum was featured in the Stittsville News. Today, those newspaper pages are preserved in the Museum’s History Centre, documenting not only our own beginnings on July 8, 1990, but also decades of milestones, celebrations, and everyday moments that have shaped our community. As part of our ongoing digitization efforts, we are preserving these historic newspapers alongside thousands of other archival records to ensure they remain accessible for generations to come. By making these resources available both in person and online, we’re helping connect more people with the stories, people, and places that define Goulbourn’s history.”
The dedication of volunteers, staff, members, donors, and visitors ensures that our local history is preserved and the Museum’s legacy continues. If you are interested in learning more or want to get involved, visit the Goulbourn Museum website or follow their Facebook page for planned events and more.
The above photos of newspaper clippings from the 1990 official opening can be found in the Goulbourn Museum History Centre, where all bound copies from 1957 to 2018 of the Stittsville News can be found in the John Curry Collection.