Exhibits

The Oakville Museum holds a diverse collection of objects reflecting the history of Oakville from its establishment to the present day including costumes and textiles, fine and decorative arts, ethnological artifacts and Chisholm family-related materials. You can also find exhibits at our satellite gallery at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre.

Artifacts that are not currently part of our permanent or temporary exhibits are carefully stored to ensure their preservation.

Oakville Museum virtual tour

Wicket Fun! Cricket in Oakville

The Seven Glorious Virtues

On display at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy Street

How do you begin to define an elusive emotion like 'happiness'? Is it even possible? Not within a single definition anyway. But the Seven Glorious Virtues may help us rethink what it means. The artifacts, photos, and stories in this exhibition relate to one of the Virtues, which philosophers deemed necessary for a ‘happy’ individual and a good society.

Let’s celebrate some of Oakville's incredible residents who have demonstrated Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Prudence, and Temperance. Whether as individuals, members of worthy associations, or as a person caught up in a wider movement, they made a positive impact within our town and helped spread happiness to all.

Be Our Guest: The Social Etiquette of Gathering

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.

It Belongs in a Museum! How and Why Museums Collect and Preserve

On display at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
February 2025 to January 2026

One of the most quotable lines from the Indiana Jones films is the hero telling bad guys that “it belongs in a museum!”. When Indie says that famous line, audiences understand his meaning: the object is important, it needs to be cared for, and it needs to be shared with the public.

But what does that really look like?

In a lot of ways, a “museum” wouldn’t be a museum without its collection of artifacts. The objects “that belong” can have different names (artifacts, artworks, specimens, archives) but they share many of the same qualities and are collected and cared for in similar ways.

It Belongs in a Museum takes you behind the “Artifact Storage” sign to explain how and why local museums and historical societies acquire and care for the artifacts in their collections.

Freedom, Opportunity and Family: Oakville’s Black History

The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Freedom

Oakville’s Flower: HMCS Oakville

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".