Preserving the past... Building the future.

Bonnechere Museum presents...

the Bonnechere River,
its watershed and environs,
its landscape and exploration,
its settlement and development.

The museum traces the local history, the legends and lifestyles, and the major events that helped shape the various municipalities that share the Bonnechere River.

The river flows both ways.

The current moves from west to east, but when the wind blows against the current, the water ripples in the opposite direction.

The river, running both ways, reminds us that time moves forward; yet, we yearn to go back, compelled to preserve and record past time in art and artifacts. (Margaret Laurence, The Diviners)

Observe the geology of the Bonnechere and its cultural landscape:

• Precambrian rocks, outliers of Ordovician limestone, Champlain Sea fossils
• The Fourth Chute: Bonnechere Caves
• The Fifth Chute: Village of Eganville
• Jessup’s Landing
• spring white water
• summer smooth water
• beautiful lakes that are important for tourism

Discover the impact of local Lumber Barons and Timber Makers:

Belanger, Wadsworth, McDonell, Egan, Bonfield and Turner.

See and enjoy the artifacts which express the interactions between the landscape and the pioneers, as well as their descendants:

general store items, crafts, sports, businesses, lumbering and farming tools, churches and schools, family histories, mines and minerals, literature and music, professions and trades

Be Sure To Visit The Bonnechere Museum's New Web Site!

Learn the history and culture of the Bonnechere River Valley and its fossils at Bonnechere Museum in Eganville.

The museum itself is an elegant stone structure, one of the most attractive buildings in the Ottawa Valley.

The building began its history as Eganville's post office, replacing a previous building which was destroyed by Eganville's Great Fire of 1911.

After a new post office opened in 1973, Ivan Hoffman, a former reeve, purchased the building and donated it to the municipality. It became the Village Centre, housing Eganville's municipal offices.

When amalgamation occurred in 2001, the new township's council retained the building and offered it as a site for our new museum.

Bonnechere Museum now serves Bonnechere Valley Township, North Algona Wilberforce Township, the entire Bonnechere River Watershed and its environs.

Museum Hours

Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day:

• Tuesday through Saturday ... 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (and long weekend Mondays)
• Sundays ... 1:00 to 4:00 pm

• for tours or special events, and by appointment

access ramp and washroom available

Location

85 Bonnechere St.
at the traffic lights in Eganville
Junction of Highways 41 and 60

Contact Information

Bonnechere Museum
613-628-1000
Email museum@bonnechere.ca
or bonnecheremuseum@bellnet.ca
Web Site www.bonnechere.ca

Or contact
Preston O'Grady
613-628-3240
Email preston@ogradys.ca