Welcome to our Online Collections Database!
The collections of three different institutions have been compiled in this database. You can search material from Lambton Heritage Museum in Grand Bend, the Oil Museum of Canada in Oil Springs, and the Lambton County Archives in Wyoming. All three institutions are owned and operated by The Corporation of the County of Lambton.
This online catalogue includes records for thousands of historic artifacts, photographs, and archival documents. However, there are other items in our collections that have not been digitized yet and can only be viewed through an in-person appointment. We are always growing and updating this digital collection, so check back regularly for new material. Reach out to our institutions at the links in the webpage footer for more information about doing research at our facilities and arranging in-person appointments.
Celebrating Lambton 175
We are celebrating Lambton County’s 175th anniversary in 2024! To mark the occasion, we have highlighted 175 items from the Lambton County Museums collections, including material from Lambton Heritage Museum, the Oil Museum of Canada, and the Lambton County Archives. All of these items play an important role in Lambton County’s history and help celebrate the local communities over the past 175 years. You can explore the special collection here.
Warden Portrait Collection
Are you curious about the men and women that have served as the Lambton County Warden? In celebration of the County of Lambton’s 175th anniversary, we are highlighting these leaders. The portraits and biographies of past Wardens have been digitized and added to our online collections database. You can explore the special collection here.
Statement on Harmful Content
Records, images, and materials held by Lambton Heritage Museum, Oil Museum of Canada, and Lambton County Archives are historical and contain language or depictions of people and places that are representative of their time. This may include problematic wording, cultural references, and stereotypes that may be harmful to racialized and marginalized populations. Maintaining these original records and making them available to students, researchers, and the public assist in understanding the historic and continued burden marginalized communities may face.
If you encounter records with harmful language or inaccurate statements in our catalogue or collections, please notify our staff team at heritage.museum@county-lambton.on.ca. We appreciate your feedback as we are actively reviewing and enhancing our records.
Tips for Searching
Keyword Search
The Keyword Search function allows you to perform a general search across all the catalogue records in our collections.
- Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Blue Water Bridge will return records associated with Blue OR Water OR Bridge). To find records where both keywords are found, type AND in between the words.
- To search for a specific phrase, put the keywords in quotation marks (“International Plowing Match”).
- You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard to expand your search (e.g. a search for histor* will return records containing history, histories, historical, etc).
- Searches are not case sensitive.
Advanced Search
The Advanced Search function can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.
Random Images
The Random Images function is a great way to just browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a random assortment of images from the records online. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.
Catalog Searches (Archives / Photos / Libraries / Objects)
The catalog functions can also help narrow down your search, by only searching with a selected catalog. If you only want to search for Photos, click Photos and type in your keyword(s) or phrase. You can also browse records within that catalog without performing a search. Phrase searching, wildcards (*) as well as AND/OR statements are available when performing catalog searches.