peterborough museum and archives

My dad worked for the Peterborough Canoe Co. years ago and I used to go to his work after school and watch him work till the 5o'clock whistle blew. I inheirited a love of boats then, so the museum brings back memories. The boats are very well displayed , it is a classic display of canoes, etc.

I went to this museum for the first time this morning and was very pleasantly surprised. A lovely informative museum with quite a number of artifacts. We also saw the Egyptian artifacts which were on loan from the ROM. Very interesting as well. Thank you.

With a great local standing exhibit and as host to visiting exhibits this community museum is a great way to spend an afternoon!

This excellent museum is small but enough to see to make the trip worthwhile and it is free, although a donation is appreciated.

This museum gave me a better understanding of how my family came to be in Peterborough. It starts with the Native Americans and takes you to the immigration of Irish settlers to the Peterborough area.I walked away with a new understanding of Peterborough and my own family history. And what did this cost me............Nothing. It is by donation only. I will be returning in October to see a new display called "Egypt, The Gift of the Nile" on loan from the ROM in Toronto. Hope to see you there too.

Great exhibits, & it was free! We went mid week in early June, & there was only one other couple there.

Been to the Museum a few times now for the ever changing exhibitions and displays. The museum is small but has a extensive collection of historical items from the area.

We are frequent visitors to the museum. It is very kid friendly. The Sunday afternoon crafts are simple but fun. The people who work/volunteer are very nice and enjoy interaction with the guests. Visits are by donation, so please donate, this is a great place for families to learn about Peterborough and its history.

We had a very positive experience at this facility. The staff were simply amazing. Our suggestion is to take the walking tour and then ask questions of the staff. You will be surprised at their knowledge. Take your time! There is a lot of information available about the Peterborough area.

It's not that there was something wrong in particular, it's just that it's more local rather than specialized exhibits. For me, having gone to the ROM for years and of course going through umpteen number of museums in Europe it just didn't have the same pizzzzaz - perhaps for grade school students it might be more enjoyable

The museum is close to the much vaunted Lift Lock and pleasantly located within the attractive Memorial Park(good views)This attraction is affiliated to the Fleming University (archives)who occupy nice modern buildings adjacent.The museum charts the progress of Peterborough from early settlers (predominantly Irish) through to the installation of infrastructure viz; canal, railways and highways through to modern times as a important regional financial and industrial centre. Each era is illuminated with superb illustrative material, models and historical documents of the highest order.The history of major employers eg Quaker Oats and General Electrical is covered in detail as is the culture of the First Nation peoples who occupied the land before the 19th century influx. All other aspects of daily life including religion, housing, architecture, commerce and recreation are detailed.No charge is made to the visitor ,however, donations are welcomed.My wife and I spent considerable time absorbed by the content of this museum and would thoroughly recommend to people of all ages. A significant attempt has been made to make the exhibits interesting to young visitors and it is not at all stuffy.

free admittance & parking; public transit available; very interesting exhibits; surprisingly larger area than expected; excellent historical photos.

Donation entry fee, my 10 year old son and I enjoyed a 1/2 hr visit of the museum which had many local artifacts from the 1600-1920's. The front desk person was very friendly and informative.

What a great place to go and see what peterborough was many years ago, it is fun, informative and the staff there are top notch!! Love visiting and I try to go often!!

Museum on history and artifacts of the area was very nice and well presented, small with very enthusiastic staff. Visited May 2010. My primary purpose for the visit was the archives as I descend from Peter Robinson Settlers (Irish who came to the area in 1823 and 1825). Appointments in advance are needed to go through the records. There was some difficulty making arrangements, but once there an Archivist worked with me 1 to 1 an entire morning to help me find records of my immigrant ancestors. I was surprised to find I they let me handle the original ship records from 1825 (very carefully and with white gloves on). Archivist also made copies of these documents for me for a fee. Very meaningful visit and awesome opportunity to handle original historical documents.