Special Events at Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre


Porthole to the Past

Every year National Heritage Week in February is celebrated by opening our archives to the public and showing off the artifacts, photos and historical information. Visit the Archives at the Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre and enjoy numerous displays and exhibits throughout the Centre which will once again allow you to peer through the Porthole to our Past!! Whether you're interested in the steamships, wooden boats or grand hotels and resorts, there is something for everyone during this event. Movies are shown, as well as speakers on Muskoka's history.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

 
Special Heritage Displays will include:
- Hand sewn quilt from World War II
- X-Ray machine
- Full set of Sanatorium Sun newspapers from 1938
- Vintage furniture
- Maps of the railway yards of Gravenhurst
- View the archives of the Toronto Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society and Dispro Owner's Association
- Correspondence from Minett-Shields
- "Help us Identify" unusual articles from the past pertaining to ships, wooden boats and resort hotels

Special Itinerary:
10:30am - Diane Harrop will speak about the very old and rare World War II quilt
11:30am - Video on the "Rubberset Era"
1:30pm - 3:00pm - Special Guests will tell their stories connected with the Gravenhurst Sanatorium (Meet at the Hotel Front Porch)

New this year!!
Visitors will have a first hand look at our new Boat registry of 2900 boats built in Canada.  If you have not already registered your wooden boat, you can do so during Porthole to the Past!

Refreshments, soup and sandwiches will be available at a small cost

 

Family Day

Monday, February 21

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.


Families are invited to explore the Heritage Centre this year on Family Day, free of charge!

Besides the permanent exhibits of the Centre, all the displays from our Porthole to the Past event will be on display throughout the building.

In the Greavette Room we will be featuring the following movies:
11:00am -  "Dreamboats of Muskoka"
1:00pm - "Rubberset Era"

 

TOONIE TUESDAYS MOVIES

2:00 P.M. Tuesdays - During the months of February and March
"Planet Earth" series are presently being featured




Did you know?

  • The R.M.S. Segwun continues to be recognized by Canada Post as a "Royal Mail Ship" and that mail can be hand-franked or cancelled from the ship as they did more than 100 years ago.
  • In 1974, the Segwun was recommissioned by Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
  • In 1996, the Wanda III Steam Yacht was recommissioned by Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
  • The Segwun's coal comes all the way from Kentucky.
  • Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre opened in 2006 and celebrates Muskoka's steamship era, grand resorts and hotels and the region's rich boat-building history.
  • Wenonah II is Canada's newest passenger vessel combining turn-of-the-century charm with modern conveniences such as air-conditioning and an on board elevator.
  • The Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre is home to North America's largest in-water display of antique and classic boats.
  • The ship's private label wine is one of the few given permission by the LCBO to be sold in stores throughout Ontario.
  • In 2001 and 2002, the Segwun won the award of "Best Large Attraction" by Attractions Canada.
  • In 1988, the Segwun won the prestigious "Phoenix Award" presented by the Society of American Travel Writers.  Recipients are chosen for their outstanding efforts in preservation and conservation.
  • In years past, a steamship purser used to take tickets as passengers boarded.  Today, our Purser is responsible for all guest services on board including your dining experience.
  • The Segwun used to carry passengers, freight and mail to a variety of ports on the Muskoka lakes before the days of the automobile.
  • Each year, the Segwun and Wenonah II host upwards of 30 memorable wedding ceremonies and receptions.
  • In recent years the shift to air transport for mail has left only three ships with the right to the prefix; RMS Segwun, which serves as a passenger vessel in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada, RMS St Helena, which serves the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic,[9] and RMS Queen Mary 2. QM2 was conferred "RMS" by Royal Mail when she entered service in 2004 on the Southampton to New York route as a gesture to Cunard's history – The RMS Segwun is the oldest Royal Mail Ship in the world.