Equipped with a work table, a Mac desktop computer, a microfiche reader, and shelves bursting with local history records, the Research Room is the perfect place to dive into archival resources.

Note: currently the Craigleith Heritage Depot building is closed to the public. For museum and archival services, please contact the Craigleith Heritage Depot.

Do you have a local history research question or topic in mind, but don't know where to start? We can help you. Visit us, call, or email to start your search. Note: currently the Craigleith Heritage Depot building is closed to the public. For museum and archival services, please contact the Craigleith Heritage Depot.

If you are unable to visit in person, we will go through our records on your behalf in exchange for a research fee. We can send an answer (for less rigorous requests) to you or prepare a dossier (for more detailed requests) for you to come in and read when you have time. Contact Us for more information.

Please be prepared to give us as much information as possible about what you are looking for to help us with your research. You will be required to fill out and sign a Research Request Form.

• Genealogy and family history records
• local history books
• Thornbury newspapers on microfiche
• School records
• Cemetery transcriptions
• Photographs and postcards
• Census records

• Beaver Valley Fall Fair
• Beaver Valley Agricultural Society
• Beaver River Rat Race - NEW!
• Indigenous History and Culture - Also see Journey of Knowledge exhibit companion guide NEW!
• Leonard E. Shore
• Literary Women of The Blue Mountains - local writers of 19th and 20th century
• Niagara Escarpment
• Our Military Heritage
• Samuel de Champlain
• Staying Home Stories - NEW!
• Then and Now: Community History - The Blue Mountains History project (submissions of local content)
• Walter Trier - world-renowned artist
• Willi Winkels - skateboard, snowboard inventor
• Yesterday's News: news from Thornbury newspapers from 25, 50, 100 years ago

Visit our Virtual Branch for a full listing of research links. The following are commonly used links for local history research projects. 

• Then and Now: Community History - The Blue Mountains History project (submissions of local content)
• Clarksburg Sesquicentennial Collection: from the Virtual Museum of Canada
• L.E. Shore Memorial Library Historical Photos Database
• Ontario Land Registry Access Portal
• BiblioBoard online exhibits: Willi Winkels, Walter Trier, Our Military Heritage, Niagara Escarpment, Fall Fair, Literary Women, Leonard Shore 
• Journey of Knowledge - companion guide for Indigenous History and Culture online exhibit
• Genealogy enthusiasts will be glad to hear that the Blue Mountains Public Library has a subscription to Ancestry Library Edition, accessed on the public access computer at Craigleith Heritage Depot. No remote access exists at this time.
• Local newspapers on microfiche
• History of Education in Canada - Lakehead University