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:
Closed for the season
ADMISSION
Charitable Donation
PARKING
555 King Street West
News
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…
For #cedarhedge150, a reflection by the Museum's curator, Dave St. Onge: It was one hundred and fifty years ago today that Warden John Creighton moved into the recently completed Warden’s residence, along with his young family and his elderly father.…
The Museum is proud to highlight this article published in the Correctional Service of Canada's 'Let's Talk Express.' Written by Curator Dave St. Onge and researcher Cameron Willis, it's a succinct history about the introduction of prisoner photographic identification -…
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.