Exhibits

Current exhibits

On display at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street

Social gatherings can look and feel wildly different depending on their purpose and setting. They can range from an incredibly formal wedding ceremony with hundreds of friends and family to a relaxed movie night with your closest loved ones.  

Gatherings may serve drastically different purposes, but they each come with certain expectations for both hosts and guests. These social norms, or rules of etiquette, are always changing. They can be found written in manuals, magazines or blogs. They can be formal rules to an exciting game or the social norms that come with good conversation. They can be relaxed or strictly enforced. 

They are always present when we gather together.    

The Oakville Museum invites you to Be Our Guest as we explore the nuanced rules that are part of our social meetings.

On display at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex
May 2024 to April 2025

People have been playing hockey in Oakville for well over 100 years. Long before artificial rinks, organized leagues, and matching uniforms, folks were strapping on skates and shovelling off sections of frozen ponds and rivers to play with friends and family.

This display spans the history of Oakville’s hockey teams from their modest beginnings on local waterways to the dozens of competitive teams representing our community at local, provincial, and national levels today.

With a focus on the Oakville Blades Junior C team, the show will open as the Blades compete for the prestigious Centennial Cup national title beginning on May 9, 2024, at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.

Image courtesy of Appleby College Archives.

On display at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street

April 2024 marks 100 years of service for the Royal Canadian Air Force as an independent military element. Since the very beginning, the Town of Oakville and its residents have played an outsized role within the RCAF's contributions to world aviation and military history. By using artifacts and stories uniquely related to Oakville, this exhibition charts the growth of the Air Force from its earliest flights during the harrowing days of the First World War to its current position as one of the world's most advanced military units.

Permanent exhibit at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street.

Artifacts, pictures, text and a documentary video tell the stories of many of the African-American families who settled in Oakville and were important to the development of our community. 

Visitors will discover the story of Branson Johnson, a freeborn African-American, who arrived in Oakville with his family in 1855. His Certificate of Freedom from a Maryland court and the pocket watch in which it was hidden for many years are featured.

Permanent exhibit at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street.

In this multi-media presentation, the ghost of Deborah Brown tells the true story of her heroic flight from a life of slavery in Maryland to her new life of freedom in 19th-century Toronto. The presentation is available in French and English.

The exhibit was created by Parks Canada in partnership with the Ontario Black History Society and the Royal Ontario Museum.

On display starting September 25, 2023, at Oakville Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road.

This exhibit tells the story of HMCS Oakville, a Second World War naval ship which has a meaningful connection with the Town of Oakville. The ship was christened at Lakeside Park on November 5, 1941 and its officers and crew were adopted as honorary citizens. Less than a year later, HMCS Oakville would take part in one of the most famous naval battles of the Second World War when she attacked, captured, and sunk U-boat U94. The ship’s bell, which is said to symbolize the spirit of the ship, is among the cherished original artifacts on display.

Exhibit presented by the Oakville Museum with information provided by Sean E. Livingston, author of "Oakville's Flower: The History of HMCS Oakville".