The Huronia Museum is located in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The museum consists of the museum building (housing collections and art gallery) and the Huron/Ouendat (Wendat) village (palisade and longhouse). The museum is open year round and has nearly one million objects and receives some 20,000 visitors each year. The collections include artifacts pertaining to native history and maritime history

Maritime history

Maritime history is the study of human activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant...

. The museum provides educational programmes for schools and adults.

History

On July 1, 1947, the Huronia Museum first opened in a large wooden frame building that had been the family residence of James Playfair

James Playfair (businessperson)

James Playfair was noted for his entrepreneurship in the Great Lakes shipping, lumbering, grain handling, and industrial manufacturing businesses and was a central figure in the establishment of Midland, Ontario, Canada...

, a prominent Midland businessman. The current museum building was Midland's Canada Centennial project and officially opened on July 1, 1967 in Little Lake Park adjacent to the Huron/Ouendat (Wendat) Village.

Exhibits

In 1976, the Historic Art of Huronia Gallery in the museum building opened and presently displays art by David Milne

David Milne

David Milne may refer to:* Sir David Milne , British admiral* David Milne , Canadian artist* David Milne , Australian rugby league player...

, Homer Watson

Homer Watson

Homer Ransford Watson was a Canadian landscape painter. He was "the man who first saw Canada as Canada, rather than as dreamy blurred pastiches of European painting," according to J. Russell Harper, a former curator of Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada...

, Manly MacDonald, Franklin Arbuckle, Hilton Hassell, Mary Hallen (Victorian era watercolours), William J. Wood

William J. Wood

William J. Wood - Canadian painter, etcher Wood was a close friend of several members of the Group of Seven: Arthur Lismer and A.Y. Jackson. In 1923 at one exhibition Wood is listed as a member of the Group of Seven, replacing Franz Johnston. Much of his work depicts Midland, Ontario, his hometown...

, Thor Hansen

Thor Hansen

Thor Harald Hansen is a professional poker player. He was recruited by Larry Flynt to play poker for him after Hansen played against him in Las Vegas in the mid 1990s. He has two WSOP braclets, one from the 1988 WSOP in Seven-card stud, and then later in Deuce to Seven Lowball in the 2002 WSOP...

, Group of Seven artists (A.Y. Jackson, Franz Johnston, J. E. H. MacDonald

J. E. H. MacDonald

James Edward Hervey MacDonald was a member of the famous Group of Seven Canadian artists. He is the father of Thoreau MacDonald.-Life:...

) along with contemporary art, native art and archaeological collections of Ouendat and Ojibway First Nations. Other exhibits are about Georgian Bay lighthouses, shipwrecks, maritime and military heritage. There is also an extensive photographic collection of the work of Midland's long-time professional photographer, John W. Bald

John W. Bald

John Witherspoon Bald was a Canadian photographer who produced portraits, landscape and other commercial photographs. He recorded life in his community from 1890 until 1953 when he retired...

.

Huron Village

The Huron Village represents what Huron life was like between AD 1500-1600, just prior to the arrival of Europeans. The village has the following components: shaman's lodge, wigwam, masks, fish racks, longhouse, sweat lodge, corn field, bone pit, fur drying rack, burial rack. The Huron Village was created by W. Wilfrid Jury (1890-1981), Director of the Museum of Indian Archaeology and Pioneer Life

Museum of Ontario Archaeology

The Museum of Ontario Archaeology is a museum located in northwest London, Ontario...

 at the University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

 in London. The village is modeled on Jury's work on the excavation of the pre-contact Forget site near Midland. The village originally opened in 1956. In May 2007, a fire destroyed part of the village, which has been rebuilt and is now open to the public.

Affiliations

The Museum is affiliated with: CMA

Canadian Museums Association

The Canadian Museums Association is a national organization for the promotion of museums in Canada.The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum sector, representing Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. The...

, CHIN

Canadian Heritage Information Network

The Canadian Heritage Information Network is a Canadian government-supported organization that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage, largely through the World Wide Web. It aims to give access to Canada's heritage for both Canadians and a worldwide audience, by supporting the...

, and Virtual Museum of Canada

Virtual Museum of Canada

The Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...

.