The Rideau Branch - City of Ottawa Archives
The Rideau Branch of the City of Ottawa Archives (commonly referred to as "Rideau Archives") is one of the best resources for researching the history of Rideau Township, and is a popular focus for the volunteer efforts of RTHS members.
The Archives is located in the former Township Hall of North Gower, built in 1876. The building is a one-storey, brick-faced example of a modest hall with fine proportions, careful detailing and a cupola. The archival collection highlights material from the southern rural part of Ottawa.
The Reference Library
The Reference Library at Rideau Archives is a supplement to its manuscript collections. It enables researchers to examine a wide variety of historical questions relating both to Canadian and local history.
Anyone may use the collection, but it is not a lending library: it is for research use at the Archives. The collection is small, but it is strong in Canadian military history, local history of eastern Ontario and genealogies of local families.
Hours of Operation
Tuesday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Arrangements can be made for use of the Archives at other times if necessary.
Contact the Archives
Street Address: 6581 Fourth Line Road, (Main Street), North Gower, Ontario
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 56, North Gower, ON, K0A 2T0
Telephone: (613) 489-2926
Email: rideauarchives@ottawa.ca
Want to Help the Archives?
The City of Ottawa Archives provides an archivist at the Rideau Branch in North Gower when the Archives are open on Tuesdays.
Other than that, the Rideau Branch is operated by volunteers. At any one time there may be in the order of 15 volunteers on the volunteer list doing such tasks as cataloguing, researching, assisting visitors, doing field work, and preparing contributions for long-term storage.
If you have some time available, an interest in local history or just wish to help out, you can use the "Contact Us" tab at the top and bottom of this page. We will forward your message to the Archives, which always welcomes additional volunteers.