Preserving History Since 1908
Our
Story
The Thunder Bay Historical Museum
Society was created in 1908 to preserve and interpret
the history of Northwestern Ontario through lectures,
publications, the
erection of monuments and plaques, and the
preservation of documents.
Among the Society's many accomplishments in its early years, was the publication of a long series of valuable historical reports and the construction of a monument to the original Fort William fur trading post at the foot of McTavish Street in Thunder Bay. It was unveiled in 1916 by our founding father, Peter McKellar.
Our
Museum
By 1942, enough documents and
artifacts had been collected to warrant the opening
of a museum in the basement of the local library and,
in 1972, the Society moved to new quarters in a
former registry office. Short of space for its
growing operations, the Society undertook a major
campaign in the mid-1990s to acquire and renovate a
former police station and courthouse, which today is
the home of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum
Society. Our major exhibit
gallery opened in 1997. The Museum is located at
425 Donald Street East, Thunder Bay, Ontario,
Canada.
Our
Mandate
The Society's mandate has always been
to serve both the city and district of Thunder Bay in
Northwestern Ontario, Canada, and to preserve the
history of the entire region. Today an active,
efficient organization has assumed responsibilities
far beyond those undertaken by its founders. The
Society operates as a museum, an archives, and a historical 
society, and offers a wide range of programs and services in each
area. Feel free to contact us for further
information about any of our programs, services, or
memberships.
Our
Future
Although today the museum and its
programs are fully operational, renovations to our
building continue. As this rendering illustrates,
plans exist to restore the front facade to its 1910
configuration. This was partially completed in 2007
along with the addition of a visible storage gallery
to the right front of the building. All three floors
of the interior including galleries, library, archives
and administration areas have been completed. Only the upper portion of the facade
remains to be completed.
We wish to thank all of our funders over the years -- each of the
three levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal)
and the many hundreds of individuals, businesses, and foundations
whose generosity has made our renovations so successful.