The Huronia Museum has been collecting and preserving the history of North Simcoe since 1947. Our three galleries showcase the development of the community from the Huron-Wendat era to present-day North Simcoe.

We welcome donations to our collection that contribute to telling the unique stories of our North Simcoe communities. Thanks to generous donors, the Museum’s exceptional collection continues to expand.

As a Category A museum designated by Canadian Heritage, Huronia Museum actively collects artifacts and has demonstrated its capability to ensure the long-term preservation of Canadian cultural property.

Huronia Museum’s collection policy is built around four primary themes to help us effectively utilize our resources and cultivate strong collections. We focus on acquiring historical objects, documents, photographs, and ephemera related to:

• Indigenous Peoples
• Art and art forms by artists of the Georgian Bay region.
• Marine history of Georgian Bay
• Euro-Canadian material culture pertaining to Southern Georgian Bay

Donating Items to the Museum’s Collection

If you have an item you would like to donate to our permanent collection, please click the link and complete the donation form. We require at least two photos of the item.

Please DO NOT bring your item/s to the museum.   

 We receive a number of donations throughout the year and do not have the capacity to provide a dedicated safe space. Items being considered for addition to the Museum’s permanent collection.   

Once we receive your submission, we will contact you to discuss the donation further.

What happens next?    

As a community museum, we review all items entering our collections by an Accessions Committee composed of community members appointed by the Board of Directors. This committee meets twice a year, in November and May. The Museum’s Curator evaluates all proposed donations and provides recommendations to the committee based on several factors, including:

• The Museum’s capability to care for the item indefinitely
• Availability of staff and financial resources necessary for the acquisition, documentation, storage, and preservation of the object
• Recorded information supporting ownership provenance, authenticity, and significance of the item
• The item’s association with events, people, or historical periods in the North Simcoe region
• The physical condition of the object

Huronia Museum does not accept loans and cannot consider an object unless the donor intends to gift it to the Museum. We also do not accept artifacts with donor conditions, such as guarantees of exhibition.

Once the Accessions Committee reviews the items, they present a report to the Museum’s Board of Directors, which formally accepts donations into the permanent collection. This process can take up to a year, depending on the volume of incoming donations.

APPRAISALS AND TAX RECEIPTS

Upon request, the Museum will issue a receipt for income tax purposes for the fair market value of donated items. For items valued at less than $1,000, museum staff may provide an appraisal. For items valued at over $1,000, an external appraisal by a Museum-selected appraiser is required, and the donor must cover the appraisal fees. Tax receipts will be issued only after the Museum’s Board of Directors has formally accepted the object into the permanent collection.

Please note:  

The Huronia Museum is a recognized Category A museum that has operated in Ontario since 1947. The Museum is not permitted to sell, trade, or gift any items from its collection to private individuals. Museum professionals manage and care for their collection on behalf of the community they serve. Museum staff adhere to high ethical standards, do not maintain personal collections, and are accountable to the elected board of directors for all matters related to museum operations, including collection management.

Questions regarding the donation process can be emailed to contact@huroniamuseum.com

Thank you for helping us preserve the story of North Simcoe and its community!