As a museum and archives with a heritage village, Grey Roots offers what people expect: tours of the period buildings, pioneer demonstrations, exhibits about the good and bad times in Grey County, rare and unusual artefacts, and archival collections. We present the Irish, Scottish, English, African-Canadian, and First Nations histories and cultures to name a few.
But, here is a list of some of the offerings at Grey Roots that are helping tell the stories about other lesser known, and to some, less accepted, aspects of our Grey County culture:
1) L’Chaim – To Life exhibit: Back in 2007, this exhibit won an Award of Excellence from the Ontario Museum Association for telling the story of the last small town synagogue, right here in downtown Owen Sound. This community is still active, with many events, both religious and social, throughout the year.
2) “Medicine Buddha” Sand Mandala Festival: A group of visiting Buddhist monks, along with Buddhist members of the local community, used the Grey Roots facility as a venue for talks and as a location to build a sand mandala. Over a week’s time, with billions of grains of sand on a 4’x4′ table, a colourful sand mandala was created and then dissolved into Inglis Falls as a reminder of life’s impermanence.
3) Saints & Sinners exhibit: This exhibit about the colourful and spirited history of the last “dry” area in Canada opened over the weekend. With a moonshine still, portions of the Queen’s Hotel, and the not-so-glamorous history of “Damnation Corners” and bootlegging, this exhibit presents what really happened over the years in the city once known as “Corkscrew City” and the surrounding areas.
Grey Roots strives to present all sides of Grey County history…the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. There are many stories to tell and we look forward to continuing to present all the diverse and fascinating stories from all over the County. Know a part of Grey County history that remains untold or a part of the community that has a story to tell? Contact us!
Grey Roots Museum & Archives Blog 