Exhibitions


The AHS aims to make the town’s history accessible through a wide range of exhibitions. Our team uses artifacts and archives from the Hillary House collection to create engaging displays and encourage storytelling among visitors to our property. We additionally welcome community organizations to propose partnership exhibitions and outreach displays at other local cultural sites. Have you seen our latest exhibitions?

Pills, Poisons, and Painkillers: A History of Pharmaceuticals

The 19th century was a time of rapid medical advancements. From apothecaries to physicians and local druggists to mass produced medicines — pharmaceutical treatments and knowledge were changing and improving quickly. This exhibit explores where individuals received medical care and which remedies were available in Canada in an era where poison and medicine were often one and the same.

Visit Hillary House to see the newest exhibitions Pills, Poisons, and Painkillers: A History of Pharmaceuticals in the Exhibition Room (3rd floor) and Ballroom (2nd floor). On display from July 2025 until June 2026.

Past Exhibitions

We change exhibitions frequently throughout the year. Here are some past exhibitions that we want to highlight for our audiences.

I-and-Place

AHS in partnership with Cassandra Tremblay, 2025

Aurora’s Historic Places: Hillary House

AHS in partnership with Aurora Museum & Archives, 2025

Friendship, Love, & Truth: Meeting the Odd Fellows

AHS in partnership with Aurora Odd Fellows Lodge No. 148, 2024

Aurora Through the Archives: Growing Up Aurora

AHS in partnership with Aurora Museum and Archives, 2024

Red and black pottery respectively sits on a white plinth, covered in a glass case.

Beyond Blue & White

King Heritage & Cultural Centre, 2023

A close-up of rolled up patterned wall paper, an old globe, and an open journal on a black plinth with photos on the wall behind.

Victorian Interior Design

AHS Youth Mentorship Program, 2023

Two women hang framed images on a plain wall, with one woman on a ladder and the other standing on the floor.

Inspirations from a Space of Healing

AHS in partnership with Aurora Cultural Centre, & Society of York Region Artists, 2022

A close up of a two mini toy soldiers on a white plinth with an army of toy soldiers visible behind them.

History of the Salvation Army in Newmarket & Aurora

AHS in partnership with Aurora & Newmarket Salvation Army, 2022

A green stand-up poster sits in a large room, depicting images of plants.

A Place to Grow

Royal Botanical Gardens, 2022

A Look Outside Hillary House

AHS, 2021