Many people are unaware that Nepean actually pre-dates Ottawa. In fact, the Township of Nepean, named and surveyed in 1792, once boasted the lands from Parliament Hill all the way south to Manotick. Ottawa grew out of Nepean, through a series of annexations, the largest in 1950 and the last in the year 2000 when regional municipalities were amalgamated into the "new" City of Ottawa.
The origins of the Nepean Museum began in 1974 when a group of seniors banded together to form what they called the "Merivale Pioneer Historians". One of the end products that emerged from that group was a book titled Hello Nepean by Sara Craig - a series of memories and stories as told by a descendant of one of Nepean's founding families, the Craigs.
In 1973, the West Carleton Museum was established. Three years later, the Museum changed its name to the “Nepean Museum”. The Museum was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1983 and operated out of an office and storage space at the Graham Park Cultural Activities Center. In 1985, the Museum relocated to the Davidson family farmhouse on Baseline Road.
When the City View Library building became available as a result of the opening of the Nepean Civic Square, the Nepean Parks & Recreation Department agreed to lease the old library facility to the Museum. The Nepean Museum opened its doors at 16 Rowley Avenue in 1989 with renovation completed in 1990.
Today, the Museum’s current location at 16 Rowley Avenue is a user-friendly facility with full wheelchair accessibility, ample parking, a playground, basketball court and baseball field. The facility has two meeting rooms, and a climate controlled storage facility and display area. The Museum’s eclectic collection features historically significant objects relevant to Nepean’s past, present and progress.
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