The Museum on Tower Hill wants to help you keep busy while we are all stuck in our homes! We have created and gathered a variety of different activities and learning opportunities that are both educational and fun for the whole family. Follow the links below to join in on the fun!

 Jigsaw puzzles with a historical twist! Just click on the image to get started.

35Tower Hill Fire Tower - Easy 198Tower Hill Fire Tower - Hard

 35Welcome to Parry Sound - Easy 198Welcome to Parry Sound - Hard

35Trestle Bridge - Easy 198Trestle Bridge - Hard

The puzzles will change weekly, so make sure you don't miss out on the fun!

Parry Sound Word Searches! Click on the word search to download.

Museum Word Search.

Logging Word Search.

Train Word Search.

Avro Word Search.

Fishing Word Search.

Colouring Pages for Children and Adults!

Seguin Sam Colouring Page.

Locomotive Colouring Page.

Lighthouse Colouring Page. 

Lighthouse Scene Colouring Page.

Indoor/Outdoor Scavenger Hunts! Click below to get the pdf.

Indoor Scavenger Hunt.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt.

Tuesday Trivia Question - March 25, 2020

Check back every Tuesday for the answer and a new trivia question!

Feature Friday - Camp Franklin!

A youth camp located on the shores of Georgian Bay (not far from the town of Parry Sound) where “good-will, friendship, hearty laughter and un-selfishness” are the main ideals of staff and campers.

Opening in the 1920s, the camp originally offered all boy camps, it soon expanded to offer girls camps and co-ed camps for youths and young adults. Peak success for the camp was reached in the early 1930s and continued afterwards for years to come.

Camp Franklin was a get-away from the rush of the city. It was an opportunity to learn valuable outdoor skills while enjoying the fresh Muskoka air. Family programs were also offered at peak times. The camp became wildly popular and eventually October and November camps were added with different themes and outdoor skills, once of which was learning to hunt.

Activities include horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, various sports, rowing, sailing, nature study, fishing, photography and much, much more. In the evenings, campers could relax by the fire, participate in dances or masquerades and exclusive parties were held.

The camp brought tourism and industry to the Parry Sound District when tourism was still developing in the Muskoka region.

Photographs of Franklin Island Camp on Georgian Bay, ca. 1920s.

Red Rock Lighthouse!

The lighthouse, built in 1870 on Mink Island, served as a costal light and is part of a network of lights that guide marine traffic in and out of Parry Sound.

William Beatty had the lighthouse commissioned and built to improve access to Parry Sound. He was so determined that he agreed to pay half the cost of construction as long as the government paid the other half. The light began operations with its first keeper, William McGowan on November 3, 1870.

In 1880, the lighthouse was rebuilt under a contract entrusted to Thomas Canton for $2,400. However, the Department of Marine and Fisheries wanted to rebuild on Red Rock Island rather than Mink Island, as it was closer to the main shipping channel in Parry Sound.

The longest serving keeper, Adam Brown, kept watch from 1898 – 1937. Upon his retirement Brown received the Imperial Service Medal from King George VI. Brown passed away in 1968 at the age of 105. In 2007, Red Rock Lighthouse was declared a Recognized Federal Heritage Building, due to “its very good aesthetic design, very good functional design, and its very good quality craftsmanship”.

Photograph to left is Red Rock lighthouse keeper Adam Brown taken 1937. The Image to the right is Red Rock Lighthouse taken 1898.

Feature Friday will be updated every Friday.

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