A Brief History of McCrae House

McCrae House is the birthplace of John McCrae (b. 1872- d. 1918), doctor, soldier and author of the famous First World War poem In Flanders Fields. This small limestone cottage, built c.1858, was owned by the McCrae family from 1870 to 1873. Other families occupied the house until 1966, when a group of Guelph citizens purchased the building with the intention of preserving it as a museum. This group formed the Lt. Col. John McCrae Birthplace Society and began to raise money for its restoration.

The federal government through the Historic Sites & Monuments Board has designated both John McCrae as a person of national significance, and the house as a place of national significance.� The operation of the museum was transferred to the City of Guelph in 1983 and�along with�Guelph Civic Museum, was merged under the name Guelph Museums.

McCrae House contains both permanent and temporary exhibition space that interprets the life and times of John McCrae. Yearly themes are offered. Summer activities include Poppy Push,�Canada Day, Teddy Bear Picnic, History Camp and special teas in the garden. Our gardening volunteers have worked to create an award-winning garden reflecting the time period of the mid to late 1800s.