Bruce County Museum developing new research centre; set to re-open in Step 3

The Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre is in the process of receiving the Arthur Amos Shipwreck Research Collection. This donation is the first step in developing the new Marine History and Underwater Archaeology Research Centre at the museum.

This new research centre, approved by Bruce County Council in early April, fills a major research void in underwater archaeological sites in the county and the province at large. As a result, it is expected that the museum will ultimately become an important new destination for divers, historians, researchers, and students at all levels, as well as the public from the county, Ontario and further afield.

Amos was a local diver and historian for nearly 50 years who researched and conducted field work on shipwrecks in the county, the Great Lakes and beyond. This uniquely valuable Amos Collection, donated by the family, includes shipwreck documents, photographs, drawings, and various other materials gathered throughout his career.

“The Amos Collection will be the first material accepted into the new Ontario Marine History and Underwater Archaeological Research Centre under development in the archives at the museum,” says archivist Deb Sturdevant. “As the research centre evolves, numerous additional shipwreck and other marine site research collections, including those involving indigenous and prehistoric sites, will be accepted from both private and public sources.”

This research initiative is based on a new partnership between the museum and the Ontario Marine Heritage Committee. The committee has been active for nearly 50 years in the research, interpretation and preservation of underwater archaeological sites in the county and province. Its members are expected to play a major (volunteer) role in both the initial development and ongoing activities of the new centre.

The research centre expands the museum’s collecting mandate to include marine history and underwater archaeology-related research materials from across Ontario, in addition to materials specific to the county, which it has been collecting since 1955.

For more information about the new research centre, donating marine materials to the collection or accessing materials for research, contact Sturdevant, at 226-909-2426 or by E-mail at archives@brucecounty.on.ca.

The museum is currently closed to the public, with planning under way to re-open in Step 3 of the Provincial Roadmap to Reopen. Stay connected by visiting www.brucemuseum.ca/ and following the museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.