Thank You!

Thank you for a wonderful Made in Dundas! More than 850 people came out on Saturday afternoon to enjoy family fun at the Dundas Museum and Archives – another record-breaking year!

This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors, partners, vendors and volunteers.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Hamilton Community Foundation, for their ongoing funding that makes this event possible.

Shaftesbury, who sponsored the FREE ice cream provided by Jax Sweet Shoppe.

Thank you to our partners:

Dundas Valley School of Art

Dundas Concert Band

Hamilton Public Library

20two19 Photography

Thank you to our vendors:

Little Tracks Petting Zoo

Hamilton Face Painter

Thank you to all our incredible volunteers who made this event the rousing success it was (with a special mention for Stan Nowak, who led our carriage tours)! A huge thanks also to the Burnt Tounge for feeding our staff and volunteers, and to Cafe Domestiique, who donated the proceeds from their M.I.D. Roast coffee beans back to the Museum.

Last but certainly not least, thank you to all the attendees who came out, participated, stood so patiently in various lines when it was busy, and brought your smiles and enthusiasm. You made it a true community family festival. We’ll see you back again next year!

Long Weekend Hours

The Dundas Museum and Archives will be open for our regular hours on Saturday, May 20th, from 1-4pm. Please note that the Pirie House Education Centre will be closed for a private event.

We will be closed on Sunday, May 21st and Monday, May 22nd. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 23rd, for our regular hours (10am-4:30pm). Happy Victoria Day to those who celebrate, and a happy long weekend to all!

Two Stacks: An Honouring of Sophia Burthen (Pooley) Extended to June 10th

The Dundas Museum & Archives proudly presents Two Stacks: an honouring of Sophia Burthen (Pooley), a special art exhibition facilitated by artist/writer Andrew Hunter and in cooperation with the Slavery North Initiative at the University Massachusetts Amherst. Andrew Hunter spent years researching the life of Sophia Burthen (Pooley), a Black girl kidnapped from her family and enslaved in this area in the late 18th and early 19th century. His book It Was Dark There All The Time: Sophia Burthen and the Legacy of Slavery In Canada (2022) explores the fragmentary details of Sophia’s life as the basis for an insightful discussion of race, colonial trauma, and Canadian identity. Hunter expresses in the exhibit:

“I hope Sophia’s story isn’t over, that others will engage with her, and that she will be remembered, not in the margins, but centred, in the heart of this place.”

This travelling exhibition features the works of significant contemporary Black and Indigenous artists from across North America, including Tim Whiten, Anique Jordan, Ebti Nabag (with Reighen Grineage), Shelley Niro, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Camal Pirbhai & Camille Turner, Jeff Thomas, Chantal Gibson, C.S. Giscombe and Syrus Marcus Ware. The collection of pieces reflects on the life and legacy of Sophia Burthen (Pooley) and the practice of enslavement that remained legal in Canada until the 1830s. Sophia’s story is the only surviving firsthand account of slavery in this area.

Born in New York, Sophia was stolen from her family along with her sister and sold to Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant. After several years Brant sold her in turn to Samuel Hatt of Ancaster. Samuel was the brother of Richard Hatt of Dundas. According to her own account, Sophia was enslaved by Hatt for seven years before being told that if she made her escape there would be no attempt to bring her back. Sophia’s story exists today because she was able to live past the age of ninety, at which time she had her account published in Benjamin Drew’s 1856 book ‘The Refugee: or the Narratives of Fugitive Slaves in Canada’. The existence of her remarkable story only serves to highlight how many others have been lost

Museum Closure - Friday, April 7, 2023

The Dundas Museum and Archives will be closed Friday, April 7th, 2023, for the long weekend.

We will be open Saturday, April 8th, during our regular hours from 1-4 pm (why not stop by to see our new community curator exhibition Two Stacks?).

Closing Early - Friday, March 10, 2023

The Dundas Museum and Archives will close early today due to inclement weather.
We will be closing at 2:30 pm – stay warm and safe!

We expect to be open for our regular hours (1-4 pm) tomorrow, Saturday, March 11th.

We also have 2 classes renting our Pirie House on Saturday mornings: Overflow Yoga from 8-9 am and Mindfulness and Movement from 9:30-10:30 am. Double-check their social media channels for any changes or cancellations!