Friends of Wellington Heritage Museum

Wellington Heritage Museum is located in the heart of the village of Wellington. It was built in 1885 as a Quaker Meeting House and now features exhibits on local history, as well as a beautiful heritage garden, and work of contemporary sculpture by Philippe Pallafray.

About the Friends of the Wellington Heritage Museum . . . The Friends are a small but mighty group of volunteers whose work involves fundraising, historical research and hosting special events of all kinds. Their vision? To transform the site so that it serves both as a welcoming museum environment but can pivot easily into a space for musical performances, film screenings, lectures, parties and presentations. Their efforts began outdoors in 2018 converting an empty back lawn into a community garden – a peaceful oasis featuring heritage plants, fully accessible walkways, an entertainment area and lots of seating. Anchoring the space is a sculpture by renowned artist Philippe Pallafray commissioned especially for the site and referencing its beginnings as a Quaker Meeting House. From there they transformed the front garden and porch to better greet visitors and are now working on improvements to the interior. In 2024, this tenacious group reached their fundraising goal of $100,000 which will be used to support future exhibits and the on-going revitalization of this beloved museum.

To date, improvements to the Museum include:

Revamped main gallery space
New museum-quality display cases to house future exhibits
New front porch with landscaping, lighting and custom-made benches based on a unique Wellington design of the 1800s
Interactive digital kiosks to enable a richer, enhanced experience for Museum visitors
New roof
Support the building of stands to support specific exhibit artifacts
Upcoming improvements the Friends are working on:

Revamped reception area, washroom and gift shop
Exterior signage
Audio-visual systems
Improved interior lighting and landscape lighting in the garden
A digital self-guided historical walking tour of the village
Continued support of upcoming exhibits and special events
These planned improvements, made possible thanks to the Friends’ extraordinary fundraising efforts, will help ensure that the Museum remains a vibrant and flexible hub for our community for years to come.