KAM and its member sites sit on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee & Anishinaabek peoples.
I love looking at vintage photographs in Kingston and area museums, especially scenes with horse-drawn wagons and carriages. While the scenes look peaceful, anyone who knows horses knows the potential for chaos to be unleashed. In the 1850s when Kingston’s streets were filled with horse-drawn wagons, an unexpected noise could spook a horse. If this... Continue Reading →
A new exhibition by Viara Mileva looks at the moments of life that often go unnoticed–the everyday moments when we find pure joy. This photographic study of five families in Lennox and Addington County illustrates how the ordinary can become the extraordinary. To view this exhibit, I set off from the west end of Kingston,... Continue Reading →
As a city slicker, I can’t carry on much of a conversation about farming, but after a recent visit to the South Frontenac Museum, I now know what a farmerette is. I’ve also learned something about educational toys, wartime nurses and Sunday dinners. These seemingly diverse topics all make sense once you know that the... Continue Reading →
When I visited the Murney Tower before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was only vaguely aware of its Mediterranean connection. Recently, I’ve looked into the details. It’s tied to the Republic of Genoa, which was a maritime republic from the 11th century to the late 18th century, based in what is now the northwestern coast of... Continue Reading →
Why might the Himalayan mountains be featured in a geology museum in Kingston? At the Miller Museum of Geology at 36 Union Street, you’ll learn about an ancient mountain range in eastern Canada that was once the same scale as the current Himalayas. The Grenville Mountains were formed a billion years ago but were eroded... Continue Reading →
Years ago, when my timing belt broke on the highway, the damage to my engine was extensive. Even though I had replaced the belt not long before that, it didn’t last. That stroke of bad luck, however, didn’t change my view about the value of good oversight and maintenance. It’s the same for the Canadian... Continue Reading →
On each side of Fort Henry lies a bay: Deadman’s Bay to the east and Navy Bay to the west. These two bays have stories to tell, about 100 years apart. One is a story of tragedy, the other of ingenuity. Both are about hard work and determination. With the spring weather now here, you... Continue Reading →
The ability to have influence in two distinct cultures is a rare gift. It is a skill prized by diplomats today, but would it have been appreciated 250 years ago if the person engaged in negotiation and diplomacy was an Indigenous woman? I happily discovered that, in the case of Molly Brant, the answer is... Continue Reading →
The John Counter Boulevard project is in its final phase. As I followed the project over the past few years, I saw truck after truck deliver a massive amount of rock to serve as the foundation for the bridge over the railway tracks. Recently, my interest turned to the name, John Counter. Who was this... Continue Reading →
In 1841, Kingston’s Bishop Remigius Gaulin wrote to Bishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal asking him to allow the Sisters of the Hotel Dieu of Montreal, the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph (RHSJs), to found a hospital in Kingston to care for the increasing number of poor Irish Catholics who settled in the city following the... Continue Reading →
A Closer Look at the Museums, Art Galleries & Historic Sites of Kingston 