Canada's
Penitentiary
Museum

Come visit Canada's Penitentiary Museum, the award-winning museum dedicated solely to the preservation and interpretation of the history of our federal penitentiaries. Located at the birthplace of the Correctional Service of Canada in Kingston Ontario, the museum is housed within Cedarhedge, which once housed the wardens of Kingston Penitentiary.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Re-opening for the season May 6

ADMISSION

Charitable Donation

PARKING

555 King Street West

News

Canada's Penitentiary Museum is pleased to announce we will be re-opening for our summer season on Monday, May 6. Our hours will be 9am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday. We're excited to see you, and we're looking forward to a…

Museum researchers are very pleased to have worked on this article. Very informative! While Women’s History Month is recognized in October in Canada, it is commemorated in March in various other countries around the world. To commemorate, take a journey…

In time for Remembrance Day, a look at the 'unknown front' of World War 2: the home front. How did Canadian penitentiaries contribute to the war effort? In 1943, journalists and photographers visited three Canadian penitentiaries to answer this question.…

Canada's Penitentiary Museum is now closed for the 2023 season. We would like to thank the over 30,000 people who visited the Museum this year - on the 150th anniversary of Cedarhedge. Thank you to our staff and volunteers who…

This is the last week Canada's Penitentiary Museum is open for the season! We're still celebrating #cedarhedge150, so please come visit before November 3! /// C'est la dernière semaine que le Musée pénitentiaire du Canada est ouvert pour la saison…

NOTICEFriends of the Penitentiary MuseumANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Sunday November 12th 2023 atCanada’s Penitentiary Museum555 King Street West, Kingston, Ontario2:00 p.m. Reception & Light Refreshmentsbottled water & individually-wrapped snacks 2:30 p.m. Annual General Meeting called to orderAgenda to include election of…

The Museum

Located at the birthplace of the Correctional Service of Canada in Kingston Ontario, the museum is housed within the former residence of the warden of Kingston Penitentiary. 

Friends of the Penitentiary Museum

The "Friends of the Penitentiary Museum" are a volunteer group dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the fascinating history of Canada's Federal penitentiary system. Some of us have a correctional background. Others have a passionate interest in Canada's history. It would seem we are not alone in thinking exposure to correctional history is key to understanding any society. Currently more than 50,000 people per year visit this award-winning museum housed in the former Warden's residence of Kingston Penitentiary.