Inside Hamilton's Museums - by John Goddard (Paperback)

About the Book

Take a journey through Hamilton's past by way of the houses, heritage museums, and historic sites. Learn about founders, families, wars, and politics through tours of the grounds and houses and a discussion of some of the most prized possessions contained therein.

Book Synopsis

Exploring Hamilton through its heritage museums.

Inside Hamilton's Museums helps to satisfy a growing curiosity about Canada's steel capital as it evolves into a post-industrial city and cultural destination. With an emphasis on storytelling and unsung heroes, the book identifies where Sergeant Alexander Fraser bayonetted seven enemy soldiers in a shocking attack to save Upper Canada in 1813. It evokes the day in 1939 when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth opened the Queen Elizabeth Way, the first intercity divided highway in North America. And it illuminates the four months in 1846 when an otherwise immensely privileged teenager, Sophia MacNab, documented her mother's excruciating demise.

Appealing to Hamiltonians and visitors alike, the book brings to life the former residents of Dundurn Castle, Whitehern Historic House, the Old Waterworks, Battlefield House, Griffin House, the Joseph Brant Museum, and the Erland Lee Museum, birthplace of the Women's Institutes.

Review Quotes

Inside Hamilton's Museums ... seeks to expand and develop the wonderful stories housed at that city's institutions ... If you want to learn more about them, Goddard's book has you covered.-- "Canada's History"

Eminently readable, informative and accessible, [Inside Hamilton's Museums] fills an important niche in Hamilton literature.-- "Niagara Escarpment Views"

About the Author

John Goddard is a former magazine writer and Toronto Star reporter with a curiosity for little-known Ontario wonders. His books include Inside the Museums: Toronto's Heritage Sites and Their Most Prized Objects and, with TV's Richard Crouse, Rock and Roll Toronto, a cheeky guide to the city's rock and roll historic sites.