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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

  • Time Travelling with the Historical Society of Ottawa

    2 April 2025 Society News
    Beginning on April 2, 2025, subscribers to Rogers TV will be able to enjoy a fascinating new weekly series, “Time Travelling with the Historical Society of Ottawa”, a collaboration between Rogers TV and the HSO. Each week's new episode will air Wednesday @ 7:30 p.m. and then be rebroadcast Friday…

  • The Bells of the Peace Tower

    30 March 2025 Speakers Presentations
    We began our speaker session of March 22, 2025 at the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on a somber note as Ben Weiss informed us of  the unexpected death of Jamie Bramburger who had been our guest speaker just one month earlier. All of us at the Historical…

  • The 1942 Almonte Train Wreck

    30 March 2025 Speakers Presentations
    The weather on that evening, Sunday, December 27th 1942 was miserable. The Ottawa Valley was hit with a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain as the local 550 train made its way from Petawawa toward Ottawa. Mist rising from the rivers and the blackout, necessitated by the war added…

  • The Story of Us - The History of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa

    20 March 2025 Speakers Presentations
    On the evening of Wednesday, October 9, 2024, the Historical Society of Ottawa delved into its own past with an exploration of the early decades of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa (WCHSO) and the remarkable women who formed and ran it. We were pleased to again welcome Connie…
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Upcoming Events

Apr 5 2025
French-language
1:00PM
Ottawa Public Library, St-Laurent Branch, 515 Coté Street

L'été 1847 à Bytown - Élisabeth Bruyère face à une épidémie

Michael McBane

Apr 9 2025
Evening Series
7:00PM
Online via Zoom

Ottawa’s Early Baseball History

Steve Rennie

Apr 26 2025
Afternoon Series
1:00PM
Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

Through the Lens of the Non-Fiction Writer: A Search for Order in the Chaos of Real Life

Denise Chong

Jun 16 2025
Afternoon Series
1:00PM
Ottawa Public Library, Main Branch Auditorium

A Life of John Buchan Beyond the Thirty-Nine Steps

Ursula Buchan

View Full Calendar

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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