PORT DOVER HARBOUR MUSEUM
EXHIBITS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 – SATURDAY, MAY 30
WHERE THE PAST RESTS: PORT DOVER CEMETERY OPENING RECEPTION ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 15 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM The Port Dover Cemetery stands as a quiet guard to the lives and legacies of past generations. Nestled just outside of town, this historic burial ground has served the community for a century and a half, offering a dignified resting place and a rich tapestry of local history. Still independently operated and volunteer-run, the Port Dover Cemetery remains a testament to community stewardship and historical preservation. Its continued care ensures that the stories of Port Dover’s past will endure for generations to come. See original documents including the original cemetery ledger, minute book, and a hand-drawn map all of which have been carefully restored.
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ECHOES FROM THE DEPTHS: THE WRECK OF THE ATLANTIC On a foggy night in 1852, the luxurious sidewheel steamer Atlantic collided with the propeller ship Ogdensburg off
Long Point. Within hours, the Atlantic had vanished beneath the waters of Lake Erie, taking with it an estimated 150 to 300 lives, many of them Norwegian and Irish immigrants seeking new beginnings in North America. The wreck - rediscovered in the late 1980s by Port Dover diver Mike Fletcher lies 160 feet below the surface, preserved in eerie silence. This exhibit invites visitors to explore artifacts recovered
from the wreck, including personal items, navigational tools, and beautiful dinnerware. Through accounts from survivors, the exhibit shares the human side of the disaster - panic in the dark, lifeboats that capsized, and immigrants who leapt into the lake, unable to understand warnings spoken in English. The Atlantic remains one of the deadliest shipwrecks in Great Lakes history, and its lore - complete with tales of treasure and experimental submarines lost in search of the wreck - continues to captivate historians and divers alike.
JUNE - DECEMBER
MEET ME ON MAIN: A WALK THROUGH TIME Explore the history of Port Dover’s beautiful Main Street. Learn the stories of the buildings still standing, and of those we’ve lost to time.
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