Personal Computer Museum

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Some personal computers on an interactive display.
Some personal computers on an interactive display.

The Personal Computer Museum is located in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Located in a former church, the museum has been completely renovated.

Over forty interactive personal computers are on display from a wide variety of manufacturers, including Apple Computer, Atari, Commodore, IBM, Radio Shack, Timex, Mattel and more.

The mandate of the museum is to preserve computer technology and more importantly, offer interactivity with these machines. Parents are welcome to bring children and show them computers that they may have used to understand where the technology that they use today, so freely, actually came from.

The museum offers a large selection of original software in its library as well as a huge archive of computer related magazines. A perfect research centre, the museum is open to students to study the origins of computers and the various technologies behind them.

Currently open to the public only one day a month, the museum welcomes private tours from schools or other groups and admission is absolutely free.

The museum was first opened to the public in September, 2005. Its founder and curator, Syd Bolton, has been involved in the personal computer industry for years and dreamed of opening a museum while still in high school. The museum is run by Bolton and a group of dedicated volunteers.

[edit] Displays

  • The downstairs showcases over forty machines that are interactive. The most popular machines include the Commodore 64, IMSAI 8080 and Apple IIe
  • There is also a 1953 Admiral Black & White television downstairs where you can play a game of Pong
  • The 'Tower of Power' is a 16-foot high display that includes the original packaging for such machines as the Coleco Adam, Atari 2600, and Mattel Aquarius
  • Upstairs contains a magazine library that has classics such as Byte Magazine and Compute!
  • Upstairs also has a display known as 'Modem Alley' where the history of the modem is displayed including the major milestones contributed by manufacturers such as Hayes Microcomputer Products and Supra, Inc.
  • Both levels include hundreds of books on various topics in computer history

Unlike most computer museums, this one is an actual place you can visit and provides opportunity for hands on research.

[edit] External links