Silverman Heritage Museum

Conservation/Preservation:

Artefacts

Artefacts include,

tzedakah boxes
domestic objects
photographs
prayer books
documents pertaining to Jewish heritage, particularly related to life in eastern Europe in nineteenth century and early twentieth century;
memorabilia related to the history of Baycrest Centre

Public Programming:

Exhibitions

Temporary exhibitions, usually pertaining to Jewish history and culture. Recent exhibitions include,

“Herzl Exhibit at the Museum,” which displays items associated with Herzi, a visionary of the modern Jewish state and founder of political Zionism
“Terraces in Bloom at the Water Cooler,” which displays cultural art pieces

Sharon Temple National Historic Site

Conservation/Preservation:

Artefacts

Temple: a new restoration was completed in 2011
David Willson’s Study: workplace of the leader of the Children of Peace
Doan Home: home of Ebenezer Doan, master builder of the Temple
Jesse Doan log house
Cookhouse
Doan drive shed
Granary

architecture

All buildings and artefacts relate to pioneer life and the Children of Peace.

The Sharon Temple: Built between 1825 and 1832. Restoration on the building was completed in 2011.
David Willson’s Study: Built in 1829, and was the workplace of David Willson, the leader of the Children of Peace.
Doan Home: Built in 1819, it was the home of Ebenezer Doan, the master builder of the Temple.
Log House: Built in the 1830s, the Log House was the home of Jesse Doan, the first leader of the Sharon Civilian Band.
Doan Drive Shed
Cookhouse: Used to cook the 15 major feasts throughout the year. Once a month when the temple would be used to collect donations, and on three special occasions: Christmas, the first Saturday in June (in celebration of David Willson’s birthday), and the first Saturday in September (a celebration of the harvest and illumination).
Granary

Public Programming:

Online

175 Years of Hope: A Celebration of the Sharon Temple and The Children of Peace. http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/sharon_temple/index.aspx

Music at Sharon: Sunday afternoon concerts of classical music.

Special Events

Check the website for updates. Below is a list of events in 2017:

March 16 2017: Weaving Words Speakers Series – Stories come in all forms. A discussion of World War One and the Canadian Expeditionary Forces at the Battle of Vimy Ridge that complements our Dear Sadie Exhibit.
April 20 2017: Weaving Words Speakers Series – Stories come in all forms. The History Hound will discuss genealogy and decorating your family tree.
May 18 2017: Weaving Words Speakers Series – Stories come in all forms. This series will bring those stories alive in various forms to delight, inspire, and entertain audiences. This event will showcase young artists.
June 8 2017: Heritage Celebration – This event will celebrate the purchase of the Temple by the York Pioneer Historical Society in 1917, an event which saved the Temple from destruction. Heritage Celebration will feature: delightful hors d’ouvres, historic tours, wine and craft beer, and a stunning musical performance in the one of a kind Sharon Temple.
July 1 2017: Canada Day Community Celebration – Celebrate Canada’s history in your own backyard! Enjoy a day of music, heritage games, historic demonstrations, museum exhibits, 1937 Reenactment and Encampment, and more.
July 23 2017: Music at the Temple – Come by to enjoy local musicians and great food in an amazing location.
September 8 2017: The Illumination – Following the practice of the Children of Peace, the museum recreates The Illumination on the first Friday night of September every year. Candles are lit in every window of the Temple and in the twelve lanterns on the corners. The evening includes music, readings, ceremony, and light refreshments on the grounds.
September 17 2017: Weaving Words – Weaving Words is a celebration of stories and the many ways that we will tell them, through written and spoken word, through music, film, and dance. Storytellers, writers, musicians, film-makers and other performances from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds will gather to celebrate everything that is special about who we are, where we have come from and where we are going. Through our stories we celebrate our history and our culture with all of its diversity; we celebrate the people who have made this nation great.
September 30 2017: Culture Day at the Temple

Exhibits

May 8 2017 – September 9 2017: Our Natural World Exhibit – There was a time when everything a person owned would be made from things you find in nature. Come examine a collection of interesting everyday objects made out of natural materials. Be inspired by your natural world; what would you make from these objects?
May 8 2017 – September 8 2017 Richard Coates: Our Renaissance Man – Richard Coates was a man of many talents. While we know very little of his education, his life speaks to great diversity. He was the bandmaster in the Battle of Waterloo, he built 3 organs, some of the earliest surviving in Canada, and he painted beautiful banners, like “Peace” and “Plenty” that hang in the Temple today. Coates was a musician, an inventor, a painter, and an astronomer; a man of eclectic talents that we now call “Our Renaissance Man”.
May 8 2017 –October 31 2017: Coming Home: Quaker Beginnings in York Exhibit – Everyone comes from somewhere, and each of their journeys are different. Coming Home: Quaker Beginnings in York, shares the journeys of three families: the Hughes, Starrs, and Lundys, as they immigrate to York to make a new home. In honor of Canada’s 150, the Sharon Temple invites the public to share in the experience of early Quaker settlers as they journey across unknown lands, experience many trials, and finally, form a community. This is the story of a group of settlers that made more than a house, they made a home

Tours

Call to arrange a guided tour of the site, although tours can be given to people who just drop by during our hours of operation.

Uxbridge Historical Centre

Conservation / Preservation:

Architecture

Eight restored nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings, including the Gould-Carmody House (1860), Fifth Line Methodist Church (1870), and Quaker Hill Public School (1924). These structures relate to the area’s business, agricultural, and Quaker history.

Artefacts

The museum houses more than 6,000 artefacts, mainly relating to Uxbridge’s early history. Housed primarily in the museum’s historic buildings, prominent artefacts include carved furniture and musical instruments, a restored printing press and other machinery used by the Uxbridge Printing Company, three prisoners’ boxes carved by men imprisoned in Toronto for their role in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, as well as agricultural tools such as an ox cart, plow, and stump puller.

Archives

The archives contains local business, school, and church records, photographs, newspapers, and municipal records and papers.

Public Programming:

Exhibitions

The museum offers several exhibits, including

Four displays dedicated to the life and work of individuals with historical connections to the area, novelist Lucy Maud Montgomery, pianist Glenn Gould, artist David Milne, and millionaire and Toronto Mayor, Thomas Foster.
A display of Uxbridge’s Quaker history with emphasis on the Uxbridge Quaker pioneer settlement.
The main gallery also houses temporary exhibits. The current exhibit is A History of Play: An Exhibition of Vintage Towns and Collectibles, featuring 100 dolls, games, and cast iron and tin toys.

Educational Programming

The Historical Centre offers tours and workshops to school children of all ages and tailors programming to the Ontario Curriculum. Workshop topics include daily life in nineteenth century Uxbridge, communications and newspaper history, and agricultural history. Museum staff and volunteers also visit schools.

Beth Tzedec Reuben and Helene Dennis Museum

Conservation/Preservation:

Library

The Max and Beatrice Wolfe Library and Resource Centre houses a full range of materials in all formats-print and non-print – for the purpose of research, education and leisure reading.

Artefacts

The Roth Collection includes more than a thousand ceremonial objects, including:

Silver Torah ornaments, exceptional ketubbot from around the world, rare Esther scrolls, Chanukah lamps.
Unique life-cycle objects such as the distinctive Berlin double-seated circumcision chair.
Items for the Sabbath, Rosh Ha Shanah, Passover, and the festival of Sukkot.

Public Programming:

Special Exhibitions

Past exhibitions include various photographic and art centered exhibitions focusing on Jewish culture and history in Canada and abroad. For example, Jewish Life and Culture in Norway: Wergeland’s Legacy (2004/5); A Common Thread: A History of Toronto’s Garment Industry (2003/4).

Tours

Tours may be arranged by appointment.

United Church of Canada Archives

Conservation / Preservation:

Archives

The United Church of Canada Archives includes the General Council Archives and the Central Ontario Conferences Archives serving Bay of Quinte, Hamilton, London, Manitou and Toronto Conferences. Material types within our collection include textual records, photographs, audiovisual and architectural records.

The collections include the following:

General Council records, photographs and audiovisual records.
Records of antecedent denominations, including Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and union, prior to establishment of the United Church in 1925.
Records created by individuals and organizations affiliated with the United Church of Canada, including those of former staff, including those operating overseas, and ecumenical and interchurch organizations.
Records of 15 Indian Residential Schools, operated, prior to 1925, by the Methodist and Presbyterian churches and afterword by the United Church of Canada, primarily in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Conference and presbytery records for Bay of Quinte, Hamilton, London, Manitou, and Toronto.
Microfilm collection including, baptismal, marriage, and burial records, including those of the Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational and Evangelical United Brethren Churches, and, notably, the Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register for the period 1826-1910.

Library

Presbyterian, Congregational and Evangelical United Brethren Churches, and, notably, the Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register for the period 1826-1910.

Trinity College Archives

Conservation / Preservation:

St. James Cathedral Archives and Museum

Conservation / Preservation:

Museum

Bibles, prayer books, and a small reference library.
Organ pipe and portable organ.
Coat of arms, paintings, drawing, prints, icons.
Memorial plaques and busts.
Textiles: embroideries, flags, and regimental colours.
Woodenware and furnishings: crosses, candlesticks, carvings, prayer desks, seats and chairs.
Ironwork: bell, fencing, weathervane.
China.
Brass and silver, both liturgical and secular.
Créche collection.

Public Programming:

Exhibitions

Two regular exhibits include The September Art Show to mark Toronto Arts Week, and The Crèche Exhibit of Nativity Scenes from Around the World in December. Other exhibits are held throughout the year such as,

Black History, (opening February 5, 2017).
The Cathedral during the War of 1812, focusing on Bishop Strachan’s role in the Battle of York and the Cathedral’s use as a field hospital.
Vision and Devotion, organized in partnership with the Ontario Society of Artists, focusing on the society’s connections to the Cathedral. The exhibit displayed art by the society’s members housed within the Cathedral.
A celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the links between the British monarchy and the Cathedral (to close October 28, 2012).

Tours

Specially organized Cathedral Tours for school classes normally engaged in the study of medieval history, Canadian history, art, architecture, religion, the Cathedral itself, and the broader theme of the Anglican Church and Christianity (the focus of tours catering to the grade 11 World Religions curriculum). Tours also focus on memorials and biography, church windows, carvings, military history, prominent local historical figures, and church architecture.
Tours of special exhibits.
Tours of Toronto’s Old Town and churches elsewhere in Toronto.

Public Lectures

The Archives and Museum Committee offers public lectures related to exhibitions and / or publications related to the history of the Cathedral and its parishioners.

Publications

Occasional publications related to Parish, Cathedral, and neighbourhood history.

Ontario Jewish Archives

Conservation / Preservation:

The OJA has worked in partnership with Heritage Toronto on an initiative that saw 14 sites of Jewish importance recognized in the city with official heritage plaques. In the summer of 2015, the OJA worked to ensure the safe removal of the Mandel’s Creamery glass window at 29 Baldwin Street that featured original Yiddish writing, saving this historic remnant of Yiddish culture in the Kensington Market area from destruction.

Archives

The archives contains over 1,670 linear metres of textual records documenting the activities of Jewish organizations, institutions and individuals; over 60,000 photographs; 400 oral histories; 2,000 blueprints and drawings created by some of Ontario’s most notable Jewish architects; unpublished histories of Jewish communities in Ontario; Yiddish, Hebrew, and English language newspapers; and the Toronto and London Jewish Directories.

Some of the larger fonds include:

Act to End Violence Against Women (formerly Jewish Women International)
Benjamin Brown (architect)
Board of Jewish Education (Toronto)
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region
Canadian Jewish News
Jewish Community Centre of Toronto
Jewish Family and Child
Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Toronto
Jewish Vocational Services of Toronto
Men’s Clothing Manufacturers’ Association of Ontario
National Council of Jewish Women of Canada
Rabbi Nachman Shemen
Toronto Haddasah-WIZO
United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto
Zionist Organization of Canada

Other fonds relate to synagogues, families, politicians, and photographers’ collections.

Public Programming:

Educational programming

Works in collaboration with university departments at York University and University of Toronto on research assignments. Provides information literacy sessions to school groups from elementary to university level.

Exhibitions

Occasional exhibits dedicated to telling the history of Jewish communities and prominent Jewish individuals in Ontario.

Public Lectures

PowerPoint presentations and workshops about various aspects of Ontario’s Jewish history, given to historical societies, clubs and lodges, student groups and sometimes to coincide with an exhibition, intended for wide circulation.

Tours

Regular historical walking tours of Kensington Market and Pape Avenue Cemetery.

Quaker Archives and Library of Canada

Conservation/Preservation:

Archives

The Canadian Yearly Meeting Archives:

The collection consists of the business and genealogical records of the Yearly Meeting and its constituent half-yearly, quarterly, monthly, and preparative meetings and their various committees from 1798 onwards. It also includes photographs of places, persons, and events, the personal papers of various Canadian Quakers, as well as ephemera from pottery to traditional Quaker bonnets. The archival collection of the Sharon Temple Museum Society is also stored here.

Library

The Arthur Garratt Dorland Reference Library:

This library contains thousands of non-circulating books, journals, newspapers, and pamphlets dating from the late 1600s to today. Subjects range from Quakers in the arts to history, biography, and theology. Contained within the library is the Rendall Rhodes Discipline Collection, which is both geographically and chronologically the most complete collection of Quaker Books of Discipline (books of church organisation and rules) in the world.