Collections
(Photo: Gallows Doors from the Essex County Jail, 74.53. Gift of Fort Malden National Historic Site)
Museum Windsor - The Collections
Telephone: (519) 253-1812. General: 311. Email: wmuseum@citywindsor.ca
Museum Windsor has a wide array of collections documenting the rich history of Windsor and Essex County. Researchers should contact the Museum in advance to book an appointment.
Artifacts
- Over 15,000 artifacts are carefully stored in the museum's underground storage facility (under the patio next to the museum). The oldest artifacts, archaeological material, date from as early as 3,000 B.C. with the most recent being examples of local contemporary culture.
Paintings, Drawings, Prints, Postcards & Photographs
- This collection depicts various scenes related to the history of Windsor & Essex County, including archaeology, architecture, specific communities, industry, persons, transportation, etc.
Cartographic & Map Collection
- This collection is a well-preserved series of maps dating from the mid-seventeenth century to the present. Many of the maps show patterns of land development, detailing such aspects as lot divisions, geographic features and proposed developments. The collection also includes Fire Insurance Plans, which detail site features and structure construction, dating from 1885.
Book Collection
- The book collection may be accessed using Webcat but is intended for reference use only. The collection encompasses a wide variety of subject matter including local history, biographies and museology. Dozens of the museum's books pertaining to local history are quite rare.
Archival Collection
- The museum has a large archival collection, which may be accessed either through microfilm or microfiche. It contains a wide variety of documentation and is quite comprehensive in its coverage of the history of Windsor from the time of French settlement until the 1950s. As of 2013, the Archival Collection can also be viewed online in our Online Database. Please note that there may be service disruptions to the database on August 8th & 9th, due to software updates.
Newspaper Collection
- Please contact the museum for a detailed list of holdings.
Museum Windsor
254 Pitt Street West
Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9A 5L5
Phone: For general information, call 311.
For detailed inquiries, please call (519) 253-1812.
Email: wmuseum@citywindsor.ca