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PO Box 523, Station B,
Ottawa, ON, K1P 5P6

PO Box 523, Station B, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5P6
Slide 1 - With Welcome Message - Bottom

Lady and Lord Aberdeen with the National Council of Women at Rideau Hall, shortly before their return to the United Kingdom, October 1898, Topley Studios/Library and Archives Canada, PA-029033

Truss Bridge over the Chaudière Falls, Ottawa River, watercolour by John Burrows, 1828, Library and Archives Canada, I.D. No. 2833217.

Timber raft on the Ottawa River, date unknown, John William Woolsey and family fonds, Library and Archives Canada, I.D. No. 319157.

Welcome

The Historical Society of Ottawa (HSO) is Ottawa’s oldest historical organization.The principal aim of the Society is to increase public knowledge of the history of Ottawa and the surrounding region through meetings, tours, awards, publications, and sponsored research.

Historical Society Articles

  • How Immigration Has Shaped Ottawa’s Cultural Mosaic - Part III

    1 May 2024 Speakers Presentations
    Another good crowd gathered at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Saturday, April 20, 2024 to listen to the third and regrettably final installment of Phil Jenkins’ lecture series on four immigrant groups in Ottawa. In this session, Phil completed his discussion of the Chinese community and…

  • Ottawa’s Landmark Homes

    30 April 2024 Speakers Presentations
    Ottawa is one big graveyard! Cemeteries are peaceful. Some like to stroll among the dearly departed to get away from the noise and chatter of daily life. Historians, on the other hand walk among the graves hoping that the tombstones will tell a story of those below. I feel the…

  • How Immigration Has Shaped Ottawa’s Cultural Mosaic - Part II

    29 April 2024 Speakers Presentations
    We were excited to gather again at the Sunnyside Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Saturday, April 13, 2024, to hear the second installment of Phil Jenkins’ lecture series dealing with the contributions of four immigrant communities to Ottawa. In this section, Phil would complete his discussions on the…

  • Paupers, Peddlers, Purveyors and Parishioners - Ottawa’s Jewish Community

    15 April 2024 Speakers Presentations
    In this presentation to the Ottawa Historical Society, historian David C. Martin takes us back to the real beginnings of Ottawa’s Jewish community. At the core of David’s thesis is the notion that the immigrant pioneers of Ottawa’s Jewish community ‘conserved’ and ‘adapted’ in equal measure, bringing with them the…
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Upcoming Events

Jun 1 2024
Special Events
All Day
Maniwaki, Quebec

Kitigan Zibi Traditional Pow Wow

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Sep 28 2024
Afternoon Series
1:00PM
Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

Striking Moments of Solidarity in the Chaudière District

Brian McDougall

Oct 26 2024
Afternoon Series
1:00PM
Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

Gateville & Beyond

Stephen McKenna

Nov 23 2024
Afternoon Series
1:00PM
Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

8,000 Years of History - The Algonquins of the Ottawa Valley

Alanis King

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Ottawa Stories

Ottawa has an interesting and varied history.
Enjoy stories from this month in history or discover other Ottawa stories.

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