Bancroft, Ontario
About Bancroft and existing museums
The museum will be opening in 2025, we are in the process of selecting a suitable site in Bancroft.
The area we know today as Bancroft was first inhabited by the Chippewa and Mississauga First Nations. The area was first settled by English settlers in the 1850s, Irish settlers followed. Bancroft became nationally significant after the Second World War when uranium from nearby mines was sold internationally for nuclear energy and exported to the United States for weapons .
Today, Bancroft is known as the Mineral Capital of Canada . It hosts the North Hastings Heritage Museum and the Gem & Mineral Museum.
Bancroft proclaimed 21st September 2024 Day of Peace in Bancroft. The day prior, the Town of Bancroft and the Canadian Peace Museum unveiled Bancroft's Peace Pole.
Bancroft's Peace Pole
The need for rural institutions
Rural Canada needs more institutions. Bancroft benefits from affordable real estate, huge visitor numbers and passing traffic, strong community support for a museum, and is ideally placed geographically for the museum.
Links:
- Rural Museum Benefits, Ontario Museum's Association
- 5-Year Strategic Social & Economic Development Plan, Kijicho Manito Madaouskarini First Nation
- Economic Development, Town of Bancroft
Bancroft North Hastings Heritage Museum (CC 4.0)
Tourism in Bancroft
The Art Gallery of Bancroft, the Place for the Arts, and the Muse Cafe and Gallery are magnets for art lovers.
The Eagle's Nest Lookout, the Village Playhouse, the Princess Sodalite Mine and Egan Chutes Provincial Park are top tourist attractions.
Bancroft hosts an annual events including the Rockhound Gemboree, the Art Gallery Tour, the Rally of the Tall Pines and the Hilly Hundred cycling event.
Restaurants include For the Halibut Fish & Chips, The Granite, Bancroft Brew Pub, The Curry House, Dave's Place, Fiesta Flavours Mexican Restaurant, and Eagles Nest restaurant.
Birding
Bancroft is a haven for nature lovers, all-terrain vehicle riders, and especially birders. Even in winter, a wide range of birds can always be spotted. (see Bird count finds 35 species).
More information
Tourism information about Bancroft can be found at:
- BancroftOntario.com
- Things to Do and See in Bancroft (Town of Bancroft official website)
- Hastings North Tourism Centre (Facebook Page)
Downtown Bancroft