The Brockville Museum’s mandate is to demonstrate how the City of Brockville has developed from the earliest times to the present.

The museum has a responsibility to grow, mature and continue to evolve as a living, dynamic institution.  In this respect, our purpose is:

• to inform by means of museum exhibits, historical interpretive programs, research facilities, and publishing of written and visual materials
• to accept by gift or acquire by purchase those items, document and artifacts which have been made, sold or pertain to Brockville and provide facilities for their preservation, storage and exhibition
• to preserve the museum collection by proper conservation measures
• to maintain on-going cultural and educational programs to serve children and adults in Brockville
• to provide visitors with the resources to gain knowledge of Brockville’s history and have an enriching and memorable experience

The collection is the heart of any museum. Exhibitions are the means by which most visitors have the opportunity to engage with our collection; however, due to conservation needs and space limitations, most museums have less than 20% of their collection on display at any given time.   This does give us the opportunity to change some exhibitions frequently, offering variety to the repeat patron.

As mentioned above, the Brockville Museum’s collection focuses on Brockville history.  Our objects tell the story of our people and our city.  Principally, our collection is made up of the tools and products used and made in Brockville’s once bustling factories, in addition to the personal pieces that make up our social history.  To this end, our main exhibit themes highlight “Made in Brockville” and “The People of Brockville”.

Accessing the Museum’s Collection Online

In 2013 the decision was made to make the Brockville Museum’s collection accessible and searchable online and the Open Drawer Project was launched. Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into and continue to go into describing every object and image in the museum’s collection thereby both improving access to our collection while safeguarding the objects for the future. This project would not have been possible without the support of the Friends of the Brockville Museum and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Images and additional information and continue to be added daily and a significant proportion of our holdings are now accessible online. We invite you to search our collection and explore our treasures by selecting “Search our Collection”.