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Merrickville and District Historical Society is a volunteer-run organization based in the village of Merrickville-Wolford, a beautiful historic village spanning the Rideau Canal, one hour south of the nation's capital Ottawa, ON.  MDHS encourages interest in the history and heritage of Merrickville-Wolford. 

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A large number of historical artefacts from the MDHS Collection are displayed at the Merrickville Blockhouse National Historic Site of Canada. 

 

Tucked away on the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Merrickville Blockhouse was built in 1832 as a defensive structure designed to protect British North America from American invasion. By the time of its completion, the threat of invasion had passed and the Blockhouse was converted into a home for the lockmaster and his family.  In 1939 the Merrickville Blockhouse was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada. MDHS was instrumental in preserving this building in the 1960's and operated the Merrickville Blockhouse Museum from 1967 to 2024.  The Merrickville Blockhouse Museum is currently operated by the Village of Merrickville-Wolford in cooperation with MDHS.

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The Merrickville Blockhouse Museum is located along the Rideau River - a route used by many indigenous peoples.  Today it is part of  the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.