Excerpt from www.museumsontario.ca: Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre located at Muskoka Wharf on the shores of beautiful Lake Muskoka is home of Canada's largest in-water display of antique and classic boats. Visit our 5-slip wet boathouse with a rotating collection of antique & classic boats built in Muskoka. We also have an excellent collection of canoes and rowing skiffs from yesteryear.

Walk through a living postcard into a Steamship onto the freight deck of the RMS Segwun and meet the crew, start up a working engine, look into an elegant dining room, become the captain in the wheelhouse and of course Blow the Whistles!

Experience the elegance of Muskoka hotels of yesteryear as you visit the dining room of the Royal Muskoka Hotel, sit on the porch of Elgin House, listen and dance to the big band era and reminisce about early Muskoka cottage and resort life.

View some of the finest wooden boats ever produced when you visit our boatbuilders workshop and meet the craftsman. Learn about Muskoka's boating history and boat construction. Discover the thrill of race boat history.

Tags:   Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre Gravenhurst Muskoka Ontario Canada Level 1-Photography for Recreation Nice As It Gets-Level 1 Monde de la photo

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Excerpt from www.gravenhurst.ca/en/explore-and-play/heritage-walking-t...:

Gravenhurst Post Office stands on the most prominent intersection of town, at Bay St. and Muskoka Road. It was opened in 1926, more than three decades after the spurt of Thomas Fuller designed postal outlets which had appeared across the country. The choice lot had been purchased by the federal government in 1913. Originally the post office was a one storey building. Care was taken to match the colour and detailing of the dark brick and stone work of the floor below when a second storey, featuring a clock tower angled to the intersection, was added in 1931. The tower is topped by a metal cupola. All four faces of the clock were restored to full functionality in late 2015. The second storey handled customs and served as accommodation for the caretaker. Further additions were made to the building in 1934 and 1951, and the retail lobby was upgraded in the early 2000's. The Post Office was designated a heritage property by the Town in 2015.

Tags:   Muskoka Ontario Canada Gravenhurst

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Excerpt from Muskoka Steamships: In 1887, long before the era of modern highways, the R.M.S. Segwun was built in Glasgow, Scotland, and assembled in Gravenhurst. The ship was originally a side paddlewheel steamer named "Nipissing II" and served as a connection - transporting passengers, mail, and freight from Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst to cottages, resorts and homes that were beginning to populate the Muskoka Lakes. In 1925, the ship was re-launched and given her Ojibwa name: Segwun, meaning "springtime". Her mainden voyage took place on July 9, 1925. The new steamer proved to be the fastest of the ships on the lakes, continuing her service to Canada Post and many visitors to the area. By 1958, with mail delivery taking more land routes, Segwun made her last trip and was decommissioned. In 1962 Segwun was converted into a floating maritime museum at Gravenhurst Wharf and thus escaped deconstruction. After further rrestoration, Segwun began her new career in 1981 as a cruise ship on the Muskoka Lakes. As the sole survivor of the fleet, she continues to hold status with Canada Post as an official "Royal Mail Ship". Each summer she attracts thousands of tourists to Muskoka enabling passengers to see the beauty of Muskoka as it should be seen, by water, as she proudly plies the Muskoka Lakes representing the elegance, style and heritage of Muskoka's past. As North America's oldest operating hand-fired steamship, the R.M.S. Segwun is the recognized symbol of Muskoka with many believing that her haunting whistle sounds out as the official "heartbeat" which awakens the region each spring.

Wenonah II-built and launched in May of 2002 with all the style and grace of a 1907 Muskoka vessel, Wenonah II offers a variety of cruises on all three of the Kuskoka Lakes. The ship combines turn-of-the-century charm with modrn conveniences including air-conditioning and an on-board elevator.

Tags:   R.M.S. Segwun Wenonah II Muskoka Lakes Gravenhurst Ontario Canada Level-1:Peace Awards

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Excerpt from www.gravenhurst.ca: The Gravenhurst Opera House was built in 1901 for a cost of $12,000 and dubbed "Mickles' Folly" (as a result of the astronomical price tag) after Mayor Charles Mickle. The Architect, John Francis Brown, incorporated elements of French Renaissance, English Vernacular, and Gothic influences into the building's design. Chandeliers in the theatre were delivered by boat, from France at a cost of $50 each.

There have been over 6 Million visitors since opening!

1901 (March 12th) - Opening Night - First performance: "Days of The Year " . Ticket prices: $0.50, $0.35, $0.25 Proceeds: $150.00.
1934 - Start of John Holden's "Good Companions" - later to be known as "The Actors Theatre" theatre group.
1948 - The Davis Brothers form "The Straw Hat Players", 1st production: Ted Follows and Araby Lockhart in the summer play "The Originals".
1950 - Purchase of 9 ft Steinway Grand Piano, by The Gravenhurst Rotary Club from unknown benefactor for an unknown price.
1967 - Plebiscite on the future of the Opera House - 2/3's of Gravenhurst rate payers voted in favour of keeping the opera house. (The other 1/3 wanted a community centre).
1972 - start of the "Muskoka Festival Summer Theatre" resident theatre company.
1993 (February 23rd ) Ministry of Labour closes doors due to "unsafe conditions) - Opera House Renovation Committee formed to raise over $3 Million to renovate building.
1995 - The Opera House re-opens to the public.
2001 (March 12th) The Gravenhurst Opera House celebrates its 100th Birthday.

Recent stars performing include Diana Krall, The Gatlin Brothers, Peter Paul & Mary.

Tags:   Opera House Gravenhurst Ontario Canada

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Excerpt from ontariowarmemorials.blogspot.com/2012/05/gravenhurst.html:

The three-stele monument of white granite is relatively new for Gravenhurst. Located in front of the Opera House, dedicated to those who died in the two World Wars.

Marker Text:

Centre:
THE CITIZENS
OF THE TOWN OF
GRAVENHURST

THIS MONUMENT IS DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY OF THESE MEN
THAT SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES
SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE
IN PEACE AND FREEDOM

LEST WE FORGET

Left:
WORLD WAR I
1914 - 1918
EDWARD CAMERON
WILLIAM J. COOK
GORDON FLOWERS
S. GURNETT
GEORGE HENDERSON
LOUIS LEMYRE
HILTON MILLER
ALFRED C. MYERS
JOHN MARSHALL
GORDON McKEAN
CHARLES McAULEY
ARCHIE McEACHERN
WILLIAM MIDDLETON
HAROLD MULDREW
CYRIL P. PALMER
WALTER PERKINS
GEORGE PIKE
WILLIAM RICHARDSON
HARRY STRETTON
GEORGE TAYLOR
JAMES THOMPSON
FRANK WAITE
JOHN WALMSLEY
HERBERT WHITE
CHARLES F. WILLIAMS

Right:
WORLD WAR II
1939 - 1945
JOHN BEERS
J. J. CHAMBERS
HUGH CLEMENS
D. C . DAVIDSON
W. J. DOUGLAS
LEONARD DRAPER
HARVEY W. HURST
GEORGE JONES
C. B. KING
LLOYD LONG
A. H. D. McEACHERN
KEITH McDIVITT
EDWARD MYERS
JAMES T. SHORT
LORNE SLEETH
HARRY STOCK
JAMES STONEHOUSE

Tags:   Gravenhurst Ontario Canada Muskoka War Memorials Gravenhurst Opera House 295 Muskoka Road South

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