Nestled in the heart of the village of Nipissing, the Nipissing Museum tells the rich and diverse history of a village that was, if only for a brief time, a big deal.
For a time in the 19th century, Nipissing served as a nexus for settlers and goods spreading out throughout the township and further beyond. This was entirely due to location. Nipissing was the northern terminus of the Nipissing Colonization Road, which cut through the dense wilderness of Parry Sound District beginning at Lake Rosseau. From the 1870s, all manner of people and goods passed through the village of Nipissing, bringing prosperity and prominence. At the time, Nipissing boasted a sawmill, two general stores, a pair of hotels, a blacksmith shop, school, grist mill and a wagon shop.
Unfortunately, the village’s time in the sun would prove fleeting. In 1896, the first trains reached Callander on Lake Nipissing. With the coming of trains, traffic along the Nipissing Road—the very foundation of Nipissing’s prosperity—began to wither away.
The surprisingly rich history of the village – its heyday, naturally, but also the years since – is preserved and shared within the Nipissing Museum. Appropriately, the museum was established in 1974 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Nipissing Road.
The Nipissing Museum is a complex of three buildings. One, known as the Hardware Store, serves as a venue for demonstrating early skills and as an exhibit place for agricultural implements and tools related to the logging industry. Beside it is the Old-Fashioned Candy Shoppe, dressed like a period mercantile and stocked with all manner of retro candy. Understandably, it’s a hit with the children.
The museum and its collection of exhibits is housed within a log church (at one point Methodist, at another Anglican) that, at more than one hundred and forty years old, is an artifact in its own right. Stepping inside, you find an impressive collection of historic curiosities and reminders of past life. They include a rare Loyal Orange Lodge drum used on annual July 12th parades; military memorabilia reminding us of the service of local men—and women—in two world wars; an old-style barber’s chair; and a pulpit behind which preachers stood while railing against the ills of the devil drink and raise local spirits in difficult times. A grape stomper reminds us that settlers found a way to overcome harsh climate and poor soil to cultivate a wide range of crops. Their ability to adapt never ceases to amaze; settlers were as ingenious as they were hardy.
Circle your calendar for the annual Heritage Day event (Aug 17). This year’s focus is on the tools and methods of building a homestead. There is also entertainment and a BBQ, so plan to spend the afternoon.
The Nipissing Museum doesn’t merely tell the story of this northern Parry Sound District village. Instead, it symbolizes and preserves an important era in regional history, a period that saw thousands of hopeful settlers trudging along the Nipissing Colonization Road toward hopeful futures.
Location: 4363 Highway 654
