From there, they would travel by stagecoach along the historic Aylmer Road to Symmes Inn, from where they could take steamboats upriver to the northwestern communities.
Situated on the banks of Lac Deschênes and the Ottawa River, Symmes Inn is the centrepiece of Aylmer’s heritage, cultural and tourist district, which is the best-preserved area of historic buildings in Gatineau.
A symbol of pride for the people of the region, Symmes Inn was classified as a historic monument in 1975 and designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976. After having served many purposes through the years, the building was restored in 1978. In 2002, the City of Gatineau declared it its “Heritage Gem” par excellence. Since 2003, the inn has housed the Symmes Inn Museum.
To find out more about the history of the inn and Charles Symmes, visit our permanent exhibition Symmes Inn: Windows onto the Ottawa River, where you’ll discover the various functions of this site over the centuries, all carried out by historical figures.
Charles Symmes was born in 1798 in Woburn, Massachusetts. At the age of 20, he emigrated to Canada and came to work as a bookkeeper and manager for his uncle, Philemon Wright. In 1829, he bought land from his uncle and had it surveyed into subdivisions for sale. In this way, he and his associates diversified their businesses: hotel, steamboat, sawmill and more. Charles Symmes was married to Hannah Ricker, and they had 10 children.
Formed in 1987 by the Aylmer Heritage Association, it has helped bring local and regional history to life through its varied exhibits and activities. Geology, First Nations, explorers, fur traders, the timber industry and the steamboat era have all been presented by the Museum.
By moving into Symmes Inn—greater Gatineau’s most outstanding heritage building—the Museum has again taken up some of those themes, with its permanent exhibition primarily focused on the Ottawa River and its tributaries from the pre-European period to the present. Because of its ideal location, Symmes Inn Museum is indeed at the heart of Aylmer and is an important centre of activities for the nearby heritage district.
Thanks to its permanent and temporary and in cooperation with the Réseau du patrimoine gatinois, as well as local colleges and universities, libraries and other sector stakeholders, the Symmes Inn Museum will be the catalyst for promoting local and regional history to the young and not so young and for encouraging historical research. In this way, the Museum contributes to the development of a sense of identity and pride for the residents of Gatineau and the entire Outaouais region.
The mission of the Museum is to protect, study, interpret and promote the Charles Symmes Inn and to collect the cultural heritage associated with it in order to make known the history of this classified building and to strengthen the social structure of Gatineau, by relying, among other things, on a museum education program and on an approach that encourages meetings and exchanges.
The tragic story of Hannah Symmes, daughter of Charles Symmes who, at the age of 12 years old, died of cold alone in the attic of the Symmes Inn in the 1850s.
Truth or urban legend, the answer is yours !
