Preserving and Promoting local history for the former Rideau
Township
The Rideau Township Historical Society
Interests of the Society
The primary interest of the RTHS in terms of acquisition and archival of materials is in the area of the former Rideau Township (map) and the Long Reach section of the Rideau Canal.
Presentations at the monthly meetings these past years have included local subjects as well as Hadrian’s Wall in Scotland and the Adena, Hopewell and Mississippian cultures in the southern US. The Society has broad interests.
The RTHS co-operates closely and supports the Rideau Branch of the Ottawa Archives located in North Gower. See the "Archives News" and their brochure for more information on this aspect.
The Rideau Township Historical Society (RTHS)
Established in 1974 as an affiliate of the Ontario Historical Society, the Society endeavours;
To stimulate interest in the stories of the people and places of the former Township and history in general.
To collect, classify, edit, and preserve, information relating to this former Township.
To disseminate material by publishing, the presentation of papers, and by marking historic sites.
To aid and cooperate with those bodies pursuing the same goals in the former Township.
The Rideau Township
Rideau Township was formed in 1974 by the amalgamation of North Gower Township (established 1792) and Marlborough Township (established 1791).
The two former townships and Rideau, all part of Carleton County, were and are primarily rural areas, although some parts of the township can be considered as a suburb of Ottawa, as many residents work in the City.
In any case, due to the rural nature of Rideau, the RTHS has its focus on the farms and small villages and their development over a time period beginning in the early 1800s and extending to the present. It has been an interesting and inspiring journey.
