Our Exhibits

The Commanda Museum is housed in a former general store (built in 1885) and a former Lutheran Church (built in 1883).

The store is the only historically-designated building in the area and is an outstanding example of a High-Victorian Commercial structure. The store was strategically located on the Rosseau-Nipissing Colonization Road and it played a vital role in the development of Commanda and the surrounding area. The store was built as a multi-purpose structure that functioned both as a residence and a business. The building is distinguished by its boom-town façade with two-storey gallery and intricate wood trim. The store remained in commercial use until 1977. In 1979 the store was purchased by the Gurd and Area Historical Corporation and was opened as a museum in 1981. The church was constructed in 1883 as a Presbyterian Church. From 1883 to 1926, local Lutherans rented the church for services, held once or twice a month. In 1926, the Lutheran congregation purchased the church and relocated it from its original site “on the hill” to this current location. German was the primary language for worship and official records until 1920. In 2016, the congregation held a final closing service and voted to gift the church to the Commanda Museum.

Genealogy

The Genealogy Exhibit consists of material, maps, and films detailing the history of life along the last colonization road opened in Ontario, The Rosseau-Nipissing Colonization Road, from the mid-1800s to the present. Visitors to the Museum can find their family stories and photographs in the Exhibit and also
add to those stories through the Museum-based “film set”.

Women's Institute

The Women’s Institute Exhibit preserves the documents of the Golden Valley and Restoule Chapters. Between 1906 and 1911, five local chapters of the Women’s Institute were created. The Women’s Institute is a Canadian institution founded in 1897 which played a vital role in thousands of small communities by providing education, civic engagement and advocacy while helping to alleviate the isolation of rural life. The Women’s Institute records remain an invaluable resource for understanding and celebrating Canada’s rich community histories.

Indigenous

The Indigenous Exhibit acknowledges and represents the thousands of years of local Indigenous occupation in the area. The incredible murals created by Bradly Dreamwalker MacDonald, as interpreted by Norm Dokis, form the base of the Exhibit. Multiple audiovisual presentations, created by Norm Dokis, add historical context.

Bradly Dreamwalker MacDonald is an Algonquin artist residing in North Bay, Ontario. Dreamwalker’s work is featured in galleries and exhibitions throughout Canada and the United States.

Norm Dokis is a local Indigenous leader, from Dokis First Nation, and stated that the creation of the Indigenous Exhibit at the Commanda Museum provided “a rare opportunity to unite pioneer and Indigenous history which is the basis of the Robinson Huron Treaty (sharing of the lands) and this project
will have resounding positive implications towards understanding our history and bonding communities"