Background image: a close-up photo showing the white-gloved hands of two individuals pointing to black and white photos in a scrapbook sitting on a wood table. Text reads: We're Hiring! Interpreter - Cataloguer Two Canada Summer Jobs positions (8 weeks, beginning July 7, 2026) Must meet program eligibility requirements (see website for details) Application deadline: May 20, 2026 https://www.klmuseumarchives.ca/employment-opportunities

Are you between the ages of 15 and 30 and passionate about local history?

We are now hiring for two Canada Summer Jobs positions (starting date July 7). See website for details and program restrictions.

www.klmuseumarchives.ca/employment-o...

A historic black-and-white photo of the Victoria County Gaol. The text on it reads: OPEN LATE until 6 pm Friday April 17 Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives

We're trying a thing!

This may become a regular thing, but for now, it's just happening tonight.

A small shiny statue of a bird (ptarmigan? it is black on the bottom half, white on the top half, with red feet and beak and a black cap) with statues of whales behind it. They all sit on a shiny surface in which they are reflected. There is a map in the background behind them all.

Apr 30th @klmuseumarchives.ca is hosting an exhibit launch for "approximately sixty Inuit carvings, sculptures, and materials collected from 1900 to 1970" visiting from Cobourg. Good chance to learn more about these artifacts than one normally would. www.klmuseumarchives.ca/events/exhib...

It is in fact a dough/pastry/doughnut cutter!

A card with "What is this thing?" written at the top, and the logo for the Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives at the bottom. Between them, a photo of an object. The object is made of metal and is about 20 cm in length. It features a wire handle and a piece in the centre that spins around a horizontal axis, rather like a printing roller, but not a flat cylinder. Instead, the "roller" part is made up of two bent ovals, each having a short tube attached at the middle.

Sometimes, the purpose of an artifact is easy to know just by looking at it. Other times, less-so!

We know what this is. Do you?

A poster for March Break at the museum. Background features an image of the museum; above that, a dark-haired child in a red and black shirt, holding a magnifying glass to their eye and wearing a book like a hat. Why not?! Poster advertises March Break museum fun. Monday to Saturday, 10 - 4 (March 16 - 21) 50 Victoria Ave. N. Lindsay Codebreaking & Ciphers, morse code, cursive writing, Elmer the Safety Elephant, and more!

Come see us during March Break! In addition to all of our current exhibits, we'll have some pop-up exhibits, presentations, activities, games, and more for the whole family!

Principal Places Ban on Marbles Belleville, March 16. - Two hun- dred small boys of marble-shoot- ing age are saying things here re- garding a newspaper circulation scheme. Because of dangerously lagging interest in marble-shooting, as a means to gain circulation, Belle- ville was visited last week, and the views of a school principal, as the head of a large boy colony, were first sought. It seems that the school master, ordinarily mild-mannered, explod- ed under an examination as to the merits of marble-shooting, and whether one should shoot "dibs" for "keeps," and in his wrath or- dered every marble out of the school.

From the March 17, 1924 Lindsay Daily Post.

Marbles games date back to 2500 - 4000 BCE. Mass production of glass marbles in the late 19th and early 20th century made marbles easily-accessible to all, and the game flourished among school-aged children.

A flyer. The top portion, with a white background, features a grey, stylized image of the museum. On top of that it says (in large red letters) "MARCH BREAK at the Museum" In a small rectangle in black text: March 16 - 21 10 AM - 4 PM daily Adults: $5 Youth 6-17: $3 Kids under 6: Free On the lower, black portion: Join us at the museum during March Break for a fun week of activities, kid-friendly guided tours, presentations, games, and more! Kawartha lakes Museum & Archives 50 Victoria Ave. N. Lindsay, Ontario, Canada 705-324-3404 | info@klmuseumarchives.ca

We'll be open all week from Monday March 16 until Saturday March 21 for March Break, and we've got lots of fun things planned! We're still working on the schedule, so stay tuned!

We wholeheartedly approve!

The world needs more museum-themed whimsy.

Canada’s new peace museum takes root in rural Ontario Community volunteers and global partners unite to create a space for justice and dialogue in Bancroft

"As conflicts flare around the world, a beacon of hope shines in a small Canadian town..."

- thank you @angusmaccaull.bsky.social and @broadviewmedia.bsky.social

broadview.org/canadian-pea...

An image resembling an old west "WANTED" poster. Title fonts are old-west decorative; the remainder of the text is old-school typewriter font. It reads: MUSEUM VOLUNTEERS WANTED <black and white image of the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives, located in the old Victoria County Gaol building> REWARD A meaningful place in a museum that values innovation, inclusion, and the responsible care of our shared history. Your time helps us preserve local stories, welcome diverse audiences, and strengthen a cultural space that belongs to the whole community.

Are you a Kawartha Lakes resident (year-round or seasonal) with free time and an interest in local culture and heritage? The Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives is seeking volunteers!

www.klmuseumarchives.ca/volunteer

A black and white photo from 1907, featuring the fire brigade, in their horse-drawn fire wagons, in front of the Lindsay Fire Hall (with its tall clock tower) on Cambridge St. N, just north of Kent St., in Lindsay, Ontario.

Happy year of the Fire Horse! This postcard dates to 1907 and features horse-drawn fire wagons in front of the fire hall on Cambridge Street North in Lindsay.

Don't forget: not only will the museum be open tomorrow, but admission is free, too!

A handmade Valentine’s card made from birch bark and crinkled beige tissue paper. Five heart shapes are stacked vertically, each outlined in black and bordered with gathered tissue. The top heart has a small red fabric bow. Inside the hearts, in simple black lettering, are the words “TO,” “MY,” “BE,” “LOVED,” and “ONE,” forming the message “TO MY BELOVED ONE.” The card has a rustic, weathered look and sits against a plain black background.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue
Happy Valentine's Day
From the KLMA to you!

On this day over a hundred years ago, Eva McGregor seent this card (made of tissue paper and local Kawartha Lakes birch bark) to Joe Rumney. The card reads, "TO MY BE LOVED ONE."
From the Rumney-Hunt collection.

What a perfect opportunity to see our new exhibit.

A Collection Built on Relationships: Inuit Art from the Art Gallery of Northumberland's Permanent Collection:

The Matthews Family poses on their front porch, surrounded by shrubbery, in this undated black and white photo from our archives.

Monday February 16 is Heritage Day in Canada - it's also Family Day in Ontario!

To celebrate both, the KLMA will be open on Monday, offering free admission, free guided tours, and activities for the kids. Bring the whole family!

On a grey background - a dogsled with dogs and driver (holding a harpoon) and hunted seal - carved ivory and sinew. From the Marsh collection, Art Gallery of Northumberland, and at the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives until October!

The frigid air outside isn’t the only arctic presence in Kawartha Lakes today!

A Collection Built on Relationships: Inuit Art from the AGN’s Permanent Collection brings extraordinary Inuit art into our museum. Come in from the cold and explore Inuit art and culture!

Regular board meetings are scheduled once a month for one to two hours, with occasional ad-hoc meetings happening as required. Board members are encouraged to volunteer at the museum (or on committees) outside of this commitment but it is not required.

We're looking to expand our board! Many hands make light work, as the saying goes. Specific needs (though anyone can apply):
- Fundraising/Fund Development
- Human Resources Management
- Government Relations
- Legal Expertise and Risk Management

Image of the team unearthing Mastodon fossils at the dig site.

On October 22, 1991, the Museum received a phone call from Jim McCubbin, Superintendent at the Milford Gypsum Quarry. The call was to advise that quarry worker Stanley McMullin had just unearthed “a tusk and some big teeth … would we like to have a look at what they found?” Would we?! #NovaScotia

It's a busy day here at the KLMA... preparations are underway for an incoming traveling exhibit, courtesy of the Art Gallery of Northumberland:

...and we're doing our best to make sure that these are all curriculum-linked!

If there are specific things you'd like us to cover or consider, we are always open to suggestions (and collaboration!)

We love having visitors in the building, but we realize that, for a variety of reasons, field trips aren't always possible. We're working on developing a catalog of traveling exhibits, outreach programs, and downloadable lesson plans complete with printable supplementary materials...

We are excited to have Sam, a local student teacher, doing his practicum with us for the next few weeks, and helping us develop some educational programming and lesson plans!

Local educators - we are more than a museum. We are a resource!

Lindsay Rug Hookers — Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives

A 2025 highlight for us was hosting the Lindsay Rug Hookers’ exhibition of historic and contemporary works in September and October.

If you weren't able to visit in person, you can now see the exhibit virtually!

Kawartha Lakes Museum & Archives Holiday Hours Dec 22 through January 1 - closed Jan 2 - open 10-4 Jan 3 - open 10-4 This is a testament to how much we all need a break, because we are also closed on Sunday December 21 (because we are always closed on Sundays). Oops.

Holiday Hours just dropped!

As we do every year, the KLMA will shut its doors between Christmas and New Year's to allow our staff and volunteers to rest up and spend time with their families.

If you desperately need to see the museum before 2026, come in today, tomorrow, or Saturday!

Normal operating hours (10 am to 4 pm, Tuesday to Saturday) will resume in March.

There is no additional charge beyond admission if you'd like to visit on a Tuesday or Wednesday; we just ask that you call in advance and let us know you're coming. If you don't call in advance, you'll have to wait while we run around and turn the lights on. 😃

Important Announcement!

The Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives has moved to winter hours:

Sunday: CLOSED
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: By Appointment
Wednesday: By Appointment
Thursday: 10 am to 4 pm
Friday: 10 am to 4 pm
Saturday: 10 am to 4 pm