Museum Exhibits

The Museum presents various exhibits throughout the year on the first floor. You can also explore our permanent exhibits, including our Main Galleries and Micro-Exhibits. Find out what’s currently on display!

The Suitcase Project

On view Sept. 28, 2024 – Jan. 11, 2025

The Suitcase Project is a travelling exhibition from the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre.

In 1942, more than 23,000 Japanese Canadians living on the west coast were uprooted from their homes and placed in internment camps.

In this impactful exhibition, over 80 fourth- and fifth-generation Japanese Canadians and Americans share what they would pack if forcibly removed from their homes today. They were given one day to assemble their things, similar to what many Japanese Canadians faced in 1942.

The Suitcase Project exhibit

“The idea wasn’t just about what people would pack, but also what they are forced to leave behind.” — Photographer Kayla Isomura, on why the history of internment camps in Canada is relevant today.

Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre logo

Physics Matters: An Interactive Science Exhibit

Coming soon: Jan. 18, 2025 – Summer 2025

Discover the science that shapes our everyday lives with an engaging exhibit all about physics!

Explore topics including matter, force, motion, light, sound, structures and simple machines through diagrams, interactive components and hands-on activities.

This exhibit supports the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum for Grades 3 to 5. To book a program for your class or group, visit our School Programs page.

Newton's Cradle device

Main Galleries

The History of Woodstock

This 1,200 square foot gallery space features over 400 artifacts and 125 Images. Explore Woodstock's rich history through artifacts, photos and stories as you move through the space.

Council Chambers

Prior to changing locations, Woodstock's city hall was located in the present-day site of the Woodstock Museum NHS. City council met on the first floor in the council chambers. In 1980, the entire old city hall was refurbished back to its original state. The council chambers looks the same way it did when the building was constructed in 1879.

Micro-Exhibits

Barber Shop Display

Les McKerral owned several prominent barber shops in Woodstock throughout his lengthy career. His third and final barbershop was once considered one of the foremost barber shops in western Ontario. This micro-exhibit features one of the chairs from the barbershop, complete with tools, awards that belonged to Les, and accessories. It's just like a walk into the past!

exhibit of a barber's chair and barber tools

Brick by Brick: The Heritage Architecture of Woodstock

Discover Woodstock's heritage architecture and learn more about the history behind some of the city's oldest buildings. This micro-exhibit includes historic and present-day photographs of buildings located in downtown Woodstock, as well as architectural information and terms.

exhibit of historic buildings and architecture in a stairwell

Great Murder Trial Case

The Great Murder Trial took place in the Museum's Grand Hall and was considered the greatest murder trial of the 1890s. This micro-exhibit tells the complete story of the case and features artifacts from the trial.

artifacts including a wooden chair and a handgun displayed in a glass case

Woodstock Firefighting Display

This micro-exhibit is built around a 1920 hand-drawn fire cart that was used at Oxford Regional Centre. The exhibit also contains other early firefighting equipment used in Woodstock, as well as a collection of fire safety posters.

exhibit of hand-drawn fire cart, firefighting equipment and fire safety posters

Captured Under Glass

In the early years of photography, making an image was painstaking work. One of the earliest photographic processes was to capture a negative image through a camera on a chemical treated glass plate, which in turn was used to develop a paper positive print. This micro-exhibit features reproductions of glass plate photographs from Woodstock's history.

exhibit of reproduced glass plate photographs in a stairwell

Contact Us

© 2017 City of Woodstock P.O. Box 1539, 500 Dundas Street, Woodstock, ON N4S 0A7

 

Phone: 519-539-1291
Email: General Information

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