Hello everyone and welcome to Sault Memories, the Space for all things local history!
We are the Sault Ste. Marie Musuem, and we are happy to host you here! As our first post, we figured we would chat about the history of the Museum.
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum is a non-profit, charitable organization facilitated by the Sault Ste. Marie & 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. Historical Society for the citizens of Sault Ste. Marie and the District of Algoma, as well as visitors to the community. We are located in the Old Post Office building at 690 Queen St. East where we work to preserve local history, house thousands of local artifacts and archives, take research requests and host community events.
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum was founded as the Sault Ste. Marie Historical Society in 1920 by 12 passionate community members who saw the importance of preserving local history. It was subsequently incorporated through affiliation with the Ontario Historical Society in 1921. The Museum was housed in temporary locations until 1951, when Lt. Col. Derrer persuaded the Department of Defense to approve the exclusive use of a room in the Pine St. Armoury for a library/museum. Subsequently, a meeting held in the council chambers of City Hall led to the amalgamation of the Sault Ste. Marie Historical Society and the Regimental Historical Society. Although the Department of Defense had allocated space for the museum, the Society was responsible for its furnishings. Sir James Dunn, then president of Algoma Steel, furnished it handsomely in all details. In 1956 a part-time curator was hired.
Over time, the Museum collection outgrew the space at the Armoury. In 1980, the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation introduced new museum standards as a requirement for funding. The need to find alternative space became imperative.
The “Old Post Office” building was identified as the most promising site. The municipality of Sault Ste. Marie purchased the building in 1981. An agreement was recorded between the 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. and the Sault Ste. Marie and 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. Historical Society regarding their continuing collaboration in 1982, recognizing the debt owed to the Regiment by the Society for providing space in the Armoury. The agreement stated the intention of the Society to relocate to the new facility and included terms of ownership and loans for the military artifacts and papers pertaining to military history that would be transferred to the new museum.
The museum was opened in 1983 by the Sault Ste. Marie Historical Society under an agreement with the City of Sault Ste. Marie for the use of the building, where we still operate to this day!
Our permanent displays consist of: - The recently renovated Walter Wallace Military Gallery. - The second-floor Skylight Gallery tells the history of the Sault through various displays of artifacts, maps and photographs and covers daily life and various industries in Sault Ste. Marie in years past. - The Discovery Gallery, which takes a hands-on approach to history. - The Russ Ramsay Sports Hall of Fame, which showcases sports history in the Sault from the 1800’s onward. - The Naturally Gifted music gallery which features the rich connection that our community has with music, featuring artifacts, photos and videos from our collection. - Through the Porthole, our nautical gallery that features a pictorial display of early Great Lakes cruise ships, a brief history of the Locks as well as several scale models and other local nautical artifacts. - The Durham Gallery, a rotating exhibition space that is currently displaying local art from the Algoma Art Society.
We look forward to seeing everyone’s posts in the Sault Memories Space and celebrating our local history with you! Please ensure to fact check your information, credit where your images came from and to steer clear of negativity. We want to keep this space positive, nostalgic, educational and fun!
Hello everyone and welcome to Sault Memories, the Space for all things local history!
We are the Sault Ste. Marie Musuem, and we are happy to host you here! As our first post, we figured we would chat about the history of the Museum.
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum is a non-profit, charitable organization facilitated by the Sault Ste. Marie & 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. Historical Society for the citizens of Sault Ste. Marie and the District of Algoma, as well as visitors to the community. We are located in the Old Post Office building at 690 Queen St. East where we work to preserve local history, house thousands of local artifacts and archives, take research requests and host community events.
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum was founded as the Sault Ste. Marie Historical Society in 1920 by 12 passionate community members who saw the importance of preserving local history. It was subsequently incorporated through affiliation with the Ontario Historical Society in 1921. The Museum was housed in temporary locations until 1951, when Lt. Col. Derrer persuaded the Department of Defense to approve the exclusive use of a room in the Pine St. Armoury for a library/museum. Subsequently, a meeting held in the council chambers of City Hall led to the amalgamation of the Sault Ste. Marie Historical Society and the Regimental Historical Society. Although the Department of Defense had allocated space for the museum, the Society was responsible for its furnishings. Sir James Dunn, then president of Algoma Steel, furnished it handsomely in all details. In 1956 a part-time curator was hired.
Over time, the Museum collection outgrew the space at the Armoury. In 1980, the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation introduced new museum standards as a requirement for funding. The need to find alternative space became imperative.
The “Old Post Office” building was identified as the most promising site. The municipality of Sault Ste. Marie purchased the building in 1981. An agreement was recorded between the 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. and the Sault Ste. Marie and 49th Field Regiment R.C.A. Historical Society regarding their continuing collaboration in 1982, recognizing the debt owed to the Regiment by the Society for providing space in the Armoury. The agreement stated the intention of the Society to relocate to the new facility and included terms of ownership and loans for the military artifacts and papers pertaining to military history that would be transferred to the new museum.
The museum was opened in 1983 by the Sault Ste. Marie Historical Society under an agreement with the City of Sault Ste. Marie for the use of the building, where we still operate to this day!
Our permanent displays consist of:
- The recently renovated Walter Wallace Military Gallery.
- The second-floor Skylight Gallery tells the history of the Sault through various displays of artifacts, maps and photographs and covers daily life and various industries in Sault Ste. Marie in years past.
- The Discovery Gallery, which takes a hands-on approach to history.
- The Russ Ramsay Sports Hall of Fame, which showcases sports history in the Sault from the 1800’s onward.
- The Naturally Gifted music gallery which features the rich connection that our community has with music, featuring artifacts, photos and videos from our collection.
- Through the Porthole, our nautical gallery that features a pictorial display of early Great Lakes cruise ships, a brief history of the Locks as well as several scale models and other local nautical artifacts.
- The Durham Gallery, a rotating exhibition space that is currently displaying local art from the Algoma Art Society.
We look forward to seeing everyone’s posts in the Sault Memories Space and celebrating our local history with you! Please ensure to fact check your information, credit where your images came from and to steer clear of negativity. We want to keep this space positive, nostalgic, educational and fun!
Happy posting!