The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation was established for the purpose of providing cultural, historical and conservation activities as part of its charitable mandate:  “for the beautification and maintenance of Beechwood Cemetery.”  Designated as the National Cemetery of Canada in 2009 by an Act of Parliament, this designation serves to make Beechwood a national place of tribute and remembrance for all Canadians.

The Billings family settled on the shores of the Rideau River in 1812 and took an active role in shaping the community as it evolved over time and until the 1970s when they left the estate.  This National Historic Site on 8 acres of green space is also home to one of Ottawa’s oldest community cemeteries where well-known Ottawa pioneers, such as the Evans, Brouse and Firth families, are laid to rest.

Unique in the nation’s capital, Cumberland Heritage Village Museum provides an immersive, fun, and educational experience that showcases life in the 1920s and 30s with dozens of heritage and true-to-the-era reproduction buildings – including a working sawmill and blacksmith shop– heritage breed farm animals, people in costume, vintage tractor-pulled wagon rides, and so much more.

The Diefenbunker is a four-story, 100,000 square foot underground bunker, built between 1959 and 1961. The mandate of the Diefenbunker is to increase public interest in and a critical understanding of the Cold War, by preserving the Diefenbunker as a national historic site, and operating a Cold War Museum.

The City of Ottawa is proud to present Doors Open Ottawa, a free annual architectural event that celebrates our community’s built heritage at the beginning of June.

One of Wakefield’s oldest dwellings, the Fairbairn house was the home of Scottish settler William Fairbairn. Fairbairn arrived in Wakefield in 1834 and, in 1838, erected the area’s first grist mill, beside the La Pêche River just as it begins its descent to join the Gatineau. The original thick stone walls he constructed are still an attraction in today’s Wakefield Mill. The house, built by William in the 1860s, now sits proudly on the east bank of the Gatineau River, a short walk from the centre of Wakefield village and not far from its original site on William Fairbairn’s farm. It has an adventure-filled past, having been relocated twice. Threatened with demolition in 1993 to make way for a road approach to the new bridge over the Gatineau River, it was moved across Route 105 from its farm location by Andy Tommy. in 2005, about to be torn down to provide space for condo housing, the house was moved again, by the Municipality of La Pêche at the request of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society. Its permanent location is across the river, near the covered bridge, in the seven-acre Hendrick Park. On September 1, 2012, the new Fairbairn House Heritage Centre first opened its doors to visitors. With exhibits, programmes and an ongoing roster of special events, Fairbairn House has a renewed purpose, focussing on our unique history and enhancing the area’s potential as a recreo-touristic destination.