Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum

Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum Heritage House is the municipal museum, archive & art gallery for the Smiths Falls community. He died in debt on January 1st, 1864.

In the early 1850's the lure of plenty of water power and the promise of railway development attracted Joshua Bates, founder of nearby Farmersville (now Athens), to a site beside the roaring waters of Old Sly's Rapids on the Rideau Canal. Bates built two mills on property leased from the Crown and promoted the development of the Brockville and Ottawa Railway Company. After suffering considerable l

osses in his milling operations and investing heavily in the now bankrupt railway company, he began construction of his large frame house in 1861. Despite his optimism for the future, fate did not allow Joshua Bates to recoup his fortune or to enjoy his new home. Ironically, his home and mills were acquired by his competitor Truman R. Ward, eldest son of Abel Russell Ward, a founding father of Smiths Falls. After many years of neglect, the Corporation of the Town of Smiths Falls purchased the once dignified country estate from the Gleeson family in 1977 for use as a museum. Today the lifestyles of Joshua and Tamson Bates and Truman and Anabella Ward are depicted in the classically styled home where both families once lived. Heritage House Museum functions as a historic house depicting upper middle class life circa 1865-1875 and as a local museum featuring a permanent collection of Smiths Falls artifacts, traveling exhibits and art shows.

The Spirit of the Drum powwow might be over but don't forget that the SFHHM has information on our local indigenous hist...
06/16/2026

The Spirit of the Drum powwow might be over but don't forget that the SFHHM has information on our local indigenous history. The museum continues to work with area elders to research and interpret indigenous history from their own perspective. Currently on display you will discover historic pieces from the shores of Rideau Ferry and near Beveridges Locks. Some of these beautiful pottery pieces are estimated to have been created as far back as 1000 BCE/BC. It is wonderful to be able to look at the designs up close and appreciate the materials that may have been used to create each of them.

Drop by Wednesday - Sunday, 10:30am - 4:30 pm (or by appointment).
See you at the Museum!

45 years ago today!After four years of tireless restorations, the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum opened its doors fo...
06/13/2026

45 years ago today!

After four years of tireless restorations, the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum opened its doors for the first time on June 13th, 1981. Led by the dedication of volunteers Joan Hogan, Harold Nichol, Ron Stewart, Joyce Brennan, and Bill Dobson, Smiths Falls finally had a permanent home to share the history of the community.

This photograph shows Mayor Fred Aboud greeting the public on the front steps of the museum.

Drop by SFHHM this weekend. Admission is by donation.

The Spring Carnival at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is still on today from 11 am - 2 pm! The rain is expected ...
06/07/2026

The Spring Carnival at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is still on today from 11 am - 2 pm! The rain is expected to stop before the event. We hope to see you there!

Museums for the PlanetToday’s theme is “Museums for the Planet”. Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we ha...
06/05/2026

Museums for the Planet

Today’s theme is “Museums for the Planet”. Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we have lately been focusing heavily on revitalizing the bounty and knowledge of our little section of the natural world. Here are three of the latest “Did you knows” from the museum’s yard:

1. Did you know that our community garden, which is in the final processes of getting a new fence, is run completely by volunteers from the Smiths Falls & District Horticultural Society? All food grown in this garden goes to the Smiths Falls Food Bank. Thanks to the wonderful group of volunteers, hundreds of pounds of freshly grown food have been provided to our community.

2. Did you know that last year, we planted six new apple trees and three new pear trees? This expanded our Victorian orchard from five trees to fourteen! In terms of Varieties, we now have three Bosc Pear, two Gravenstein Apple, one Empire Apple, one Jonathan Red Apple, one Jonagold Apple, one Gala apple, three McIntosh Apple, two Northern Spy Apple and one Pippin Apple trees.

3. Did you know that we host an outdoor tour? On the tour, our guide points out seasonal plants and their histories, geography of the area, social history of the area and many other insightful natural facts. Through the walk you will see the lush museum grounds, a beautiful view of Old Sly’s Rapids and the incredible engineering of Old Sly’s Locks.

Come by and wander the beautiful grounds!

Museum Week: If Objects Could SpeakToday’s theme is If Objects Could Speak! Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Mu...
06/04/2026

Museum Week: If Objects Could Speak

Today’s theme is If Objects Could Speak! Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we look to our switchboard found in one of our period rooms. This switchboard was originally used at the Hotel Rideau until it was moved to the former Rideau Regional Center. Afterwards it was transferred again to the Jean Vanier School to train students in telephone usage. 

You would think after a long history of usage throughout multiple institutions, this switchboard would be nothing more than a shell of its former self. This isn’t the case however! Some of you may remember back in 1991 when this switchboard first came to us, it was hooked up to four phones. Though it has been unfortunately disconnected, the integral pieces remain and it is able to be reinstalled. It is our plan to eventually rewire the phones through the museum for visitors to be able to experience Smiths Falls telephone history for themselves. If this object could speak, it might sound like… you?!

Falls

Remember When Combined Lockstation was being renovated?Originally Combined had three lockstations, a waste weir and ston...
06/04/2026

Remember When Combined Lockstation was being renovated?

Originally Combined had three lockstations, a waste weir and stone dam. In 1972, plans were put in place to replace the three locks with one lock creating a lift of 7.6 m (25.6 feet). The photograph here was taken in February 1973.

Do you remember when the bridge and waterway was dug up?

Rideau Artist of the Year 2026The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum will be hosting the Rideau Artist of the Year Compe...
06/02/2026

Rideau Artist of the Year 2026

The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum will be hosting the Rideau Artist of the Year Competition during the Big Art Walk on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Artists will be tasked with creating original works of art that will capture the beauty of Smiths Falls along the historic Rideau Canal waterway, in the tradition of en plein air art making.

The winners of the Rideau Artist of the Year Competition will be decided by a panel of jurors made up of art professionals. The Grand Prize winner will receive $1000 and the place of honour in the Rideau Artist of the Year showcase. The second-place winner will receive $300 dollars, and the People's Choice winner will receive $100 DBA dollars, which can be redeemed at any downtown business.

To register please visit: https://forms.smithsfalls.ca/Heritage-House-Museum/2026-Rideau-Artist-of-the-Year or for more information, please contact the museum: 613-283-6311, [email protected].

The SFHHM is joining in with the 2026 edition of Museum Week! Every day from June 1st - June 7th, we will share informat...
06/01/2026

The SFHHM is joining in with the 2026 edition of Museum Week!

Every day from June 1st - June 7th, we will share information tying in to each Museum Week theme. The first topic of the week is Museums x AI: State of play. Here at the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum, we sometimes use AI to save time editing event posters. Apart from that, we don’t presently use AI in our organization but we would like to point out some pros and cons of AI in museums.

AI does have many positive aspects, especially when it comes to accessibility. There are many AI tools available that are used to make resources or public spaces more accessible such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech and translators.

One of the biggest concerns with AI is the spreading of misinformation on social media. With generative artificial intelligence getting better, it has become harder to tell the difference between what is real and what is false. This is especially a concern for museums and historians when it comes to the use of AI to alter photos and videos. This lets misleading information or incorrect information be spread through social media and other social networks at a rapid pace.

What are your thoughts on AI and its use today? Do you think AI will change society? Would you like to see more AI in museums? Do you think there are ways to solve people's concerns with artificial intelligence?

We are a week away from the rescheduled date for the Spring Carnival! We can't wait to see you there!
05/31/2026

We are a week away from the rescheduled date for the Spring Carnival! We can't wait to see you there!

It's Prom 2026! Wishing everyone celebrating their senior prom a safe and memorable day! Thank you for stopping by the b...
05/29/2026

It's Prom 2026!

Wishing everyone celebrating their senior prom a safe and memorable day! Thank you for stopping by the beautiful grounds of the Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum for your photographs.

Address

11 Old Slys Road
Smiths Falls, ON
K7A3M3

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 10:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+16132836311

Website

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