Dresden 1957 Exhibit in Brant County Museum

A new exhibit exploring Dutch immigration to Ontario opens at noon on October 17, 2026, at Brant Museum & Archives in Brantford. The Dresden 1957 tragedy will form a prominent part of the exhibit, which runs until August 2027.

On August 14, 1957, six Dutch immigrant workers lost their lives when an excavation collapsed during construction of a pumping station in Dresden, Ontario. They had come to Canada to build new lives. Their deaths left families and communities facing a loss that would reach across generations.

Their story forms an important part of the wider history of Dutch immigration to Ontario: the hopes that brought people here, the work they undertook, and the challenges of establishing a home in a new country.

This summer, our Tragedy Forgotten exhibit in Chatham introduced visitors to the Dresden disaster and the people whose lives it changed. The new presentation in Brantford builds on that exhibit with more new material, offering visitors a fuller opportunity to explore the story within the broader experience of Dutch immigration.

At the heart of our contribution are the men who died and the families they left behind. Remembering them means looking beyond the circumstances of the disaster to the lives, relationships and hopes it interrupted. It also means listening to those who have carried its memory through the decades.

The exhibit is another step in the continuing work of Dresden 1957, our documentary project bringing this history to a wider audience. As we approach the tragedy’s 70th anniversary on August 14, 2027, we are working to complete the film in time for that milestone.

Help us find sponsors to complete the film

We are seeking sponsors who can help us finish Dresden 1957 in 2027. If you know a business, organization or individual who might be interested in supporting the film, we would welcome an introduction. Sharing this appeal with your own contacts can help us reach the people who can make completion possible.

Learn more about sponsorships here.

Join us for the opening ceremony in Brantford

There will be an opening ceremony at noon on Saturday, October 17 at the Brant County Museum. We invite you to join us then. Come see the exhibit. discover this history, and help us ensure that the men and their families are remembered.

Brant Museum & Archives
57 Charlotte Street, Brantford, Ontario
Opens at noon on October 17, 2026
Our exhibit will run until August 2027

Copyright Eric Philpott, 2025