We Should Not Forget the Past: A Concise History of the Cornwall Community Museum

What do Loyalist pioneers, a forgotten military fortification, a historic stone house, and one of Canada's greatest engineering projects have in common?

Their stories intersect in an unexpected journey through more than two centuries of Canadian history.

In We Should Not Forget the Past, historian Stuart Lyall Manson traces the remarkable story of a nineteenth-century stone house and its transformation into one of Eastern Ontario's oldest museums.

From Loyalist settlement and the construction of the Cornwall Canal to the sweeping changes brought by the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project, this richly illustrated book explores the people and events that shaped the region, the determination to preserve its heritage, and the extraordinary relocation of a historic building that might otherwise have been lost.

Featuring historical photographs, archival discoveries, and compelling stories, We Should Not Forget the Past is more than the history of a museum. It is a story of preservation, perseverance, and the enduring importance of remembering our past.

Published in celebration of the Cornwall Community Museum's 70th anniversary (1956–2026).