Horses, Hucksters and Hogs

I love looking at vintage photographs in Kingston and area museums, especially scenes with horse-drawn wagons and carriages. While the scenes look peaceful, anyone who knows horses knows the potential for chaos to be unleashed. In the 1850s when Kingston’s streets were filled with horse-drawn wagons, an unexpected noise could spook a horse. If this...

Murney Tower’s Connection to the Republic of Genoa

When I visited the Murney Tower before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was only vaguely aware of its Mediterranean connection. Recently, I’ve looked into the details. It’s tied to the Republic of Genoa, which was a maritime republic from the 11th century to the late 18th century, based in what is now the northwestern coast of...

The Founding of the Hotel Dieu Hospital 175 Years Ago

In 1841, Kingston’s Bishop Remigius Gaulin wrote to Bishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal asking him to allow the Sisters of the Hotel Dieu of Montreal, the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph (RHSJs), to found a hospital in Kingston to care for the increasing number of poor Irish Catholics who settled in the city following the...

Social Distancing at the Cataraqui Cemetery

At a time when we are constantly reminded of the rising death toll of COVID-19, it may seem strange to do a cemetery walk. Spring may be beckoning us outdoors, but do we really want to explore a cemetery? “Yes” is the answer. On a mild, spring day, I enjoyed a walk in the gorgeous...

Ontario Street: Brewers, Bakers and Boilermakers, 1830-1970

I liked it. I liked the alliteration. It drew me to the PumpHouse to see what their special exhibit was all about. Did they ever make beer at the PumpHouse? What about bread? I had visited the PumpHouse when I was a university student at Queen’s many years ago, but I don’t recall anything about...

There’s more to the RMC grounds than you’d expect

With the sun shining brightly, I set off with photographer Sean McEvoy to explore the grounds of the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston. Having visited before, I knew that this was really two trips in one. The first trip was taking us to the site of the Royal Naval Dockyard, significant for its role...

Steps away from Lake Ontario, I discovered the Museum of Health Care at Kingston

Twice in the last month, I’ve heard music as I approached Newlands Pavilion. Perhaps that’s not surprising given that this attractive wooden building was designed in 1896 as a music pavilion, but it’s nice to know that it is still being used for musical events and dances. It’s a very special part of Kingston’s waterfront,...

Murney Tower – A UNESCO World Heritage Site In Our Own Backyard

It was a great privilege to spend a couple of hours on a warm and sunny spring morning with the Curator of the Murney Tower, Danielle. It was a good thing she had given me a heads up to bring a sweater - it stays quite cool on the inside of these limestone walls. They...

Share Your Family Story – South Frontenac Museum

The most recent stop on our Tour of Kingston Museums was the South Frontenac Museum in Hartington. For those of you not familiar with the location, you will find the museum next to the Hartington branch of the public library on Road 38, just up from Harrowsmith. It is a short 20 minute drive up...

Frontenac County Schools Museum and Barriefield

It feels like I am starting off every blog post I write with something along the lines of "we discovered another Kingston gem", this may be getting old but it is so very true of the couple of hours we spent in Barriefield on a wonderful, sunny and warm spring morning. I had never been to...