Exhibits

On view until June 20, 2026

An exhibit on the life of the first elected female mayor of a city in Canada

This year marks the 75th anniversary since Bernadette Smith was first elected mayor of Woodstock. We invite you to learn about who Bernadette was, what she did for our city, and how she paved the way for the women who followed her.

This 1,200 square foot gallery space features over 400 artifacts and 125 Images. Explore Woodstock's rich history through artifacts, photos and stories as you move through the space.

Prior to changing locations, Woodstock's city hall was located in the present-day site of the Woodstock Museum NHS. City council met on the first floor in the council chambers. In 1980, the entire old city hall was refurbished back to its original state. The council chambers looks the same way it did when the building was constructed in 1879.

Les McKerral owned several prominent barber shops in Woodstock throughout his lengthy career. His third and final barbershop was once considered one of the foremost barber shops in western Ontario. This micro-exhibit features one of the chairs from the barbershop, complete with tools, awards that belonged to Les, and accessories. It's just like a walk into the past!

Discover Woodstock's heritage architecture and learn more about the history behind some of the city's oldest buildings. This micro-exhibit includes historic and present-day photographs of buildings located in downtown Woodstock, as well as architectural information and terms.

The Great Murder Trial took place in the Museum's Grand Hall and was considered the greatest murder trial of the 1890s. This micro-exhibit tells the complete story of the case and features artifacts from the trial.

This micro-exhibit is built around a 1920 hand-drawn fire cart that was used at Oxford Regional Centre. The exhibit also contains other early firefighting equipment used in Woodstock, as well as a collection of fire safety posters.

In the early years of photography, making an image was painstaking work. One of the earliest photographic processes was to capture a negative image through a camera on a chemical treated glass plate, which in turn was used to develop a paper positive print. This micro-exhibit features reproductions of glass plate photographs from Woodstock's history.