Bytown Museum

The Bytown Museum is a museum in Ottawa located on the lower locks of the Rideau Canal at the Ottawa River, just below Parliament Hill. Housed in the Commissariat Building, Ottawa’s oldest remaining stone building, the museum provides a comprehensive overview of the origins of Bytown and its development and growth into the present city of Ottawa. Founded in 1917 by the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa, the Bytown Museum was originally located in the former City Registry Office, across from the Carleton County Gaol. The Museum moved to its current location in 1951 and has operated from the Commissariat since, with the exception of a brief period from 1982-1985, when Parks Canada, the building’s landlord, conducted renovations.