Bytown Museum

The Bytown Museum is housed in Ottawa's oldest stone building. It's located beside the Rideau Canal locks, at the intersection of the Ottawa River. The building that houses the Bytown Museum was a treasury and storehouse during the construction of the Rideau Canal, and a complete renovation has helped recreate the period. Here, visitors can learn about the early years of Ottawa and the building of the Rideau Canal as a strategic supply route during the war of 1812. Though a small museum, it is remarkably effective at evoking a bygone era with fascinating displays and a collection of 7000 artefacts. Among other things, visitors will come away with an appreciation for the conditions the workers faced as they struggled to build the Rideau Canal. Illness, insects, extremes of heat and cold and starvation beset the workers, and many of them died.