Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Thursday 11:00 am - 7:00 pm (admission by donation)
Gift Shop is temporarily closed until further notice.
Address:
Chatham Cultural Centre, 75 William Street North, Chatham, Ontario
Email:
ckcccmuseum@chatham-kent.ca
Exhibitions
80 in 80: 1943-2023
Celebrating 8 Decades of Collecting Chatham-Kent History
The Chatham-Kent Museum is pleased to announce the opening of
80 in 80: 1943-2023, an exhibition to mark 80 years of building and preserving our local history collection.
Explore a display of eighty artifacts highlighting the breadth and depth of history to be found in the Chatham-Kent Museum collection. See the Gray-Dort motor car – certified as Canadian Cultural Property – an authentic Titanic menu card, the fossilized remains of a prehistoric creature, a baseball signed by a member of the Chatham Coloured All-Stars team, and so much more!
Discover more about our local history on the shelves of
Out in the Open, a visible artifact storage area in the exhibition galleries of the museum. Visitors can grab a flashlight and peruse almost five thousand artifacts from the museum's three-dimensional artifact collection. To complement these exhibits, the professional staff of the Chatham-Kent Museum offers a variety of curriculum-based school programs, public programs and special events.
Cipher | Decipher
May 15 - September 1, 2024
An interactive, travelling exhibition exploring the past and present of communications cryptology from Canada Science and Technology Museum, in partnership with the Communications Security Establishment.
"Providing visitors with a rare and exciting opportunity to view an authentic Second World War Enigma cipher machine.
Cipher | Decipher breaks down communications encryption: what it is, how it works, and how it affects our lives."
Virtual Exhibition
Let Us March on Till Victory Is Won: The Struggle for Racial Equity in CK and Ontario is now live! This virtual exhibit traces the courageous story of the National Unity Association's crusade for justice and their determination to end practices of segregation within Chatham-Kent and Ontario, and the ongoing fight for equality in Canada.
This exhibition was produced by the Chatham-Kent Museum in partnership with the following organizations:
- Buxton Museum
- Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site, Ontario Heritage Trust
- Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum
- Buxton's Next Generation
The original artwork in this exhibition was created by Mariah Alexander.
View Let Us March On till Victory is Won Virtual Exhibit
Imagination Station
Let your child's imagination grow in our fun-filled, interactive, totally hands-on, innovative, and creative space located on the second floor of the Chatham-Kent Museum. Have fun with the whole family while exploring the history of Chatham-Kent.
Design a masterpiece on our giant LiteBrite, get loud as you play with our percussion wall, or try your hand at window art. With so many options, the Imagination Station has something fun for everyone, including adults! Features include a giant lite brite, percussion wall, Lego/Duplo wall, toddler play panels, craft tables, puzzles, and building materials.
Let your imagination grow and join the Chatham-Kent Museum for fun-filled monthly programs in Imagination Station.
Register for Kids Club Programs
Programs
The Chatham-Kent Municipal Museums offer a wide variety pf engaging, educational and entertaining programs and events for all audiences.
Museum Programs
Creative Camps
Lectures
Kent Historical Society (KHS)
April 16, 2024 | 7:00 pm | Studio One, Chatham Cultural Centre
Lee Burrows, from Dresden, has a treasure trove of materials and information, mostly connected to fire-fighting in Chatham-Kent over the years. Currently, he is working on a history of the fire department in Dresden, and so tonight he will focus his attention on that.
May 21, 2024 | 7:00 pm | Studio One, Chatham Cultural Centre
Dan Perry will present his biography of Thomas Gardiner, as well as John Parker, a man to whom Thomas repeatedly appears connected, who was arrested during the War of 1812 for "suspicion of disaffection," and was accused in 1832 of one of Howard's most notorious early crimes, the murder of Samuel Crawford.
Information & Services
Tour Groups
- The Chatham-Kent Museum welcomes bus tours, church, school, and special interest groups year-round by appointment. Please call or email at least 3 weeks in advance to book your tour. Cost: $5.00/person (minimum $50/tour).
Parking
- Parking is provided free of charge. There are two parking lots; the largest one is located on William Street North and the other is on Murray Street.
Accessibility
- All exhibits are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair-accessible washrooms are located in the museum itself as well as in the main lobby of the Chatham Cultural Centre. Access to the use of a wheelchair during your visit is available.
Amenities
The Chatham-Kent Museum is equipped with many amenities to make your visit with us enjoyable:
- The museum is climate-controlled for your comfort and for the protection of our artifacts.
- Enjoy the many picnic areas, located across the street in beautiful Tecumseh Park.
- There is a bus stop located near the Chatham Cultural Centre parking lot on Murray Street. The main downtown bus terminal is located within walking distance of the Chatham Cultural Centre.
- Washrooms are located in the museum.
Advisory Committee
This committee's primary responsibilities are to ensure that the collection entrusted to the museum's care is adequately housed, conserved and documented. Visit Committees of Council for meeting schedule, agendas and minutes.
Collections & Research
A collection of artifacts or archival materials is the foundation for every museum. The Chatham-Kent Museum collection includes approximately 12,000 three-dimensional objects, over 1,000 natural science specimens, and over 100,000 photographic images, documents, and correspondence as well as a substantial art collection. These artifacts and archival materials are the basis of museum exhibitions, research, and programming.
Over 10,000 images from the Chatham-Kent Museum photograph and postcard archive and over 1,500 artifacts from the collection can be viewed online in the image database www.vitacollections.ca/ckmuseums.
The Chatham-Kent Museum collection of artifacts and archival materials, as well as research and reference items, may include valuable information for your research. Please contact the museum with your research inquiry. Reproductions of archival materials may be acquired by following
How to Obtain Reproductions.
Researchers can access the Kent Regiment IODE Books of Remembrance from the Chatham-Kent Museum collection on the online CK veteran database www.gatheringourheroes.ca.
Volunteers
The museum is committed to providing meaningful volunteer opportunities including advisory committee members, curatorial assistants, museum attendants and program assistants. To learn more about these positions or the recruitment process, please email us at
ckcccmuseum@chatham-kent.ca.
