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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Murney Tower Museum

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Kingston, ON
Murney Tower Museum

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The architecture and construction of the tower are unique, and the masonry work is unsurpassed on this continent. Since 1925 it has operated as a museum.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/murneytowermuseum

Come take a fantastic journey back through time and tour from the long range cannon high above...to the armoury stores deep within. Built in 1846, at the height of the Oregon Crisis, as part of the defensive fortifications of Kingston, the Murney Tower stands as one of the finest Martello towers in North America. This redoubt was never attacked, but served as military housing for over forty years after its completion. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm - May-Long-Weekend to Labour Day

Admission is by donation. Please call or email to book tours for large groups.

10/22/2026

Looking for something to do this Halloween? We've got you covered! 👻

🧛‍♂️ The Great Vampire Escape offers Halloween fun for the whole family! Taking place this Sunday, October 25th, this family-friendly escape room will have you racing against time to find the vampire cure. The Murney team will be there with a spooky game to test your memory!

💀 Sips & Spirits 2: Choose Your Nightmare is an adults-only Halloween adventure on Thursday, October 29th. Come in costume, bring your friends, and choose a character on a self-guided quest through the history of health care. Dancing, drinks, and spookiness guaranteed!

📍Both events are held in partnership with Murney Tower Museum and are taking place at the Canadian Museum of Health Care (32 George St.).

🎟 Tickets available at www.museumofhealthcare.ca.

10/20/2026

When was the last time you wrote a letter by hand? ✍️

This week’s Collection Highlight is a letter opener in our General Collection. While on one hand a tool for the purpose of opening letters, letter openers were also an avenue for artists to express their artistic skill and creativity.

This letter opener is a coronation souvenir, commemorating the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary on June 22, 1911. It came from the Patrick Thomson Ltd department store in Edinburgh before finding its way into a Kingston resident's home. Established in 1889, Patrick Thomson Ltd became one of the largest department stores in the city and remained in business, under varying management, until the 1970s.

Let this be your sign to write a letter to someone today! ✉️

10/15/2026

🦇 Something wicked this way comes… 🦇

Halloween returns to the Canadian Museum of Health Care - but this year, you decide how the night unfolds. Join us after dark for Sips & Spirits 2: Choose Your Nightmare, a 19+ Halloween adventure where medical history gets a little mysterious… and monstrous. 🩸

Choose your character. Follow your quest. Determine your fate. Join the party… if you dare. 👻

📅 Thursday, October 29, 2026
⏰ 6–9 p.m.
📍 Canadian Museum of Health Care, 32 George St., Kingston
🎟️ $35 per person | 19+ event
🍻 Drinks available for purchase from Daft Brewing
🕸️ Costumes encouraged!

Please note: This event is held in partnership with Murney Tower Museum and will take place at the Canadian Museum of Health Care (32 George St.).

🔗 Get Your Tickets Here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/sips-and-spirits-2-choose-your-nightmare--19

10/12/2026

Happy Thanksgiving from the Murney Tower Museum team! 🦃🍂🧡

10/08/2026

What’s the weather today? 🌦

For thousands of years, humans have used a variety of methods to predict the weather. In the nineteenth century, technological transformation gave way to a proliferation of new devices, including the barometer. Barometers measure the air pressure of a given environment and forecast short-term changes in the weather. 🌧

Several types of barometers were invented – including the type pictured here. This is an aneroid barometer, which uses a small metal box held together by a spring. Small changes in air pressure cause the box to expand or contract, causing the needle on the face of the barometer to shift to either Stormy, Rain, Change, Fair, or Very Dry. This barometer was manufactured by Short & Mason, a company founded in the mid-to-late 1800s in London. Small barometers like these were common in nineteenth- and twentieth-century households. 🌡

Today, meteorologists use several devices, from barometers to satellites, to gather information on current atmospheric conditions. This fascinating artifact tells a story of both past and present and reminds us of the background to a relatively recent innovation that is now part of everyday life. 🌤

10/06/2026

🦇 Get ready for The Great Vampire Escape! 🦇

We're teaming up with the Canadian Museum of Health Care for a family-friendly escape room filled with teamwork, mystery, and just the right amount of spooky fun.

Murney Tower Museum staff will be joining the adventure with a spooky, memory-testing game of our own. Solve the puzzle, uncover the clues, and get one step closer to discovering the cure… and stopping the vampires! 🎃

📅 Sunday, October 25, 2026
⏰ 3–8 p.m.
📍 Canadian Museum of Health Care, 32 George St., Kingston
🎟️ $8 per person | Children under 5 free
⏳ Pre-registration for a one-hour timeslot is required.
👨‍👩‍👧 Guests 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Please note: This event will take place at the Canadian Museum of Health Care, not Murney Tower Museum.

Come test your memory, solve the mystery, and help stop the vampires! 🧛‍♂️🦇

🔗 Get Your Tickets Here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/halloween--2026-2

09/30/2026

September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

Today, we reflect on the lasting and intergenerational impacts of the residential school system and Canada’s ongoing journey toward truth, healing, and reconciliation.

Murney Tower Museum is situated on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Huron-Wendat. We recognize that this is shared land through the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Covenant, which outlines our responsibilities to care for the land and for one another.

As a National Historic Site and museum, we continue to reflect on what it means to share, care for, and interpret this land. We are grateful to learn from the histories, knowledge, and relationships that connect people to this place.

09/29/2026

👥 Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the newest member of the Murney team, Ethan!

Ethan is joining us as a Collections Intern from September to December. He is a Joint Honours History and Geography student in his fourth year at Queen's University. Originally from Toronto, Ethan follows in his parents' footsteps as Queen's University alumni. Ethan has taken courses in history with topics ranging from post-Confederation Canadian history to the history of the Chinese Communist Party. His interests are focused on discourse surrounding colonialism and state-building in modern history. He looks forward to applying skills gained in the classroom to a museum setting with the goal of both learning and educating.

Welcome to the Murney Tower Museum team, Ethan! 🎉

09/24/2026

It’s cleaning time at Murney Tower! 🧹

Every September, we get the tower ready for its winter rest. That means carefully packing up our artifacts, safely transporting them to storage, and giving the tower a thorough cleaning before we close up for the season.

It’s a busy few weeks, but we’re always happy to give the tower the care it needs before winter arrives! 🍂

09/22/2026

✨ Last Tuesday, September 15, Murney Tower Museum took part in the 2026 Interpretation Canada Conference in Kingston, Ontario.

Our Manager & Curator and Museum Chair gave a presentation titled “Local Landscapes, Global Stories: Murney Tower Museum,” exploring how the stories of a local historic site can connect to broader conversations surrounding place, identity, history, and global events.

It was wonderful to connect with so many inspiring interpreters, museums, and historic sites. Thank you to Interpretation Canada for bringing us all together!

Address

King Street West At Barrie Street
Kingston, ON
K7L4V6

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+16135075181

Website

http://www.murneytower.com/

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