The Welcome Centre
The Welcome Centre is the first stop when visiting the museum. Signage is posted here to provide the visitor with details on activities for that day, app information and how to make a donation for admission.Public washrooms and a water bottle fill-up station is located on the north side of the building.For those who have made an appointment to access the archival collection, there is research space available here to view the records.
TYRRCo Shelter- Stop 68 "Orchard Beach"
Beginning in 1907 commuters could board an electric railway car in Toronto and travel 80 kilometers north to the shore of Lake Simcoe.The interurban electric railway (called the radial) provided convenient transportation for droves of visitors to the beaches of Lake Simcoe, which had long been a popular tourist destination with hotels, cottages and boarding houses to accommodate visitors in the summer. The trolley provided convenient transportation for farmers moving goods to market and locals making shopping trips to the city. It also made visiting friends and family in nearby communities more convenient.As years went by, with the automobile becoming more prevalent and passenger coach lines increasing their routes, the radial lost money. With the freedom the automobile provided, the ability to travel wherever roads led, not just to where the rails did, tourism dropped off.The radial made its last stop in Georgina in 1930 and the tourism boom would only last a few decades more.
TYRRCo Shelter- Stop 77 "Pugsley's"
Toward the end of the 1800s, the hard work of the settler began to pay off. The children and grandchildren of those immigrant families to Ontario could enjoy the rewards. An overall improvement in the quality of life meant that more leisure time was available to them. New roads and railways brought visitors to the cool waters of Lake Simcoe.Sutton and Jackson’s Point quickly developed many boarding houses, hotels and attractions. Dance halls, restaurants, a moving picture theatre, amusements for children and weekend picnics. Vacationers enjoyed leisurely walks, swimming or bicycling along the area’s paths and dirt covered roads.Jackson’s Point eventually (and deservedly) earned the moniker Ontario’s First Cottage Country. The lakeshore along Cook's Bay provided an oasis for numerous families, who bought up plots from area farmers, and built their summer homes. This increase in Keswick's population during the warm weather meant prosperity to locals. All along the lake, from south Keswick to Port Bolster, cottage communities thrived.
Gatehouse
This building is not open to the public.This may have been built (or renovated) in 1927. A piece of wood found within its walls bears that date and the name "William Pardee". It was used as a sleeping cabin at a Willow Beach tourist establishment called McNeil's Tourist Camp. This was on the south-west corner of Metro Road and McNeil Road. In 1954, McNeil sold to Roy and Essie Thatcher and the place was renamed Thatcher's Cabins and Cottages. It operated into 1975. It was donated to the museum by Thatchers the following year. This particular cabin was called "ZO-COZEE" (as in "so cozy"). It was one of 10 cabins at the camp. Others were named WELCUM, TAKE IT EEZ, SHADY NOOK and R.U. IN.The ZO-COZEE sign was donated by Roy and Essie's children in 2022.Today we call this cabin the "Gatehouse" (due to its proximity to our gate) and it serves as a refreshment stand during special events at the museum.
Jackson's Point Bandstand and Parkette
De La Salle Cabin
This small building is not open to the public.It originated as a cabin at De La Salle Camp at Lakeview Bay west of Jackson's Point. The property presently called De La Salle Park is part of an earlier establishment called De La Salle Camp at Jackson's Point. In 1916 De La Salle Christian Brothers, a religous congregation, organized a summer camp for Catholic boys. A fire destroyed much of the site in 1931, prompting a large project to rebuild and modernize the site in 1932. This sleeping cabin was part of the rebuild. In 2006 it was moved to the museum where historical society volunteers met weekly to sew quilts used for fundraising.Today the building is used by the Georgina Historical Society for board and committee meetings.
Smallwood Log Cabin
This house originated in the community of Gum Swamp (now called Elm Grove). The house may have been built as early as 1866 and the first tenant was Peter (Pierre) Perrault and his wife Mary Endy Sedore.
Blacksmith's Shed
A blacksmith is a person who uses very high temperatures to shape iron and steel. The blacksmith lights fire to coal and feeds the flames with oxygen from their bellows. This produces the temperature needed to soften metal. When soft, the blacksmith can hammer, weld, cut and shape the metal into tools and repair parts.In the early settlement of Georgina, as it was in much of Upper Canada (Ontario), those men with a skilled trade quickly found themselves an asset within the community. Such was the case with the blacksmith.Having arrived overseas from (primarily) Great Britain, the tradesman may have already learned his craft from a Master, under contract as an Apprentice and later he would be supported by the Master and the Guild as a Journeyman. Once a Journeyman, he was fully trained and independent of the Master.Established in the middle ages, trade guilds in Europe oversaw the move from Apprentice to Journeyman to Master, ensuring the fair terms of the contracted parties. The guilds were similar to a worker’s union- ensuring the worker was adequately educated and trained, provided for and would be defended in political matters. This system didn't survive in the New World.By the time Georgina was settled by Europeans (1810s) the system of representation by trade had diminished. Upper Canada had no trade guilds. Apprentices were taught production methods by a Blacksmith but they were not provided an education. As the apprentices were usually from among the local population, the requirement of the Master to provide clothing, a room and meals, was no longer practiced. Many blacksmiths trained their sons in the trade so that they would inherit the shop. As the province grew and factories were built, this system eroded further. Urban apprentices became employees, trained in a particular task in a factory, but would never be considered a Master. Eventually these workers united and started to demand appropriate training and fair working conditions from their employers. The trade unions formed out of this united front; a system similar to the trade guilds in Europe, established centuries ago.
Sedore Barn
A barn is for storing crops. The simplest barns consisted of a crib, to hold the sheaves of wheat, and a threshing floor with room above for a mow to store the straw and hay.The animals of the farm were kept in a stable when they required shelter or a larger barn may have pens opposite the cribs.Diaries provide a brief glimpse of the construction and use of a barn in Georgina:22 Aug 1832 - Mr. Fairbarn came yesterday about 2 o’clock afternoon to lay barn floor. Employed to complete barn floor to-day.30 Aug 1832 - Joe cleaned a bushel of wheat off the barn floor.29 Jul 1835 - Hauled in two sled-loads of hay to the barn.11 Aug 1835 - Hauled in 3 loads of pease to barn.4 Sep 1835 - Riddell harvesting, got all into the barn- thrashing wheat for seed.-Diary, William Johnson
TH & B Caboose
The 1918 caboose is a partially renovated Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo (TH&B) caboose (called a van) #67. This railway never came to or through Georgina.The caboose had previously been located in Sutton on Dalton Road next to a grocery store. The owners had built their store in the style of a Grand Trunk railway station. A 1953 rail car, also on the property, was renovated and used as a tea room. The caboose was intended for use as a railway museum at the site but never came to be. It was painted in CN colours while at that location. The owners donated the caboose to the museum and it was relocated to the site in 2005, after almost 30 years in Sutton.The original caboose would have been painted dark red, with a later colour scheme changed to yellow and black. The sides were wooden boards that decades later were sheathed in metal. Much of the interior is in original condition.Volunteers from the Georgina Historical Society made many repairs to the interior and exterior and open it to visitors during special events.
Sutton Train Station
The Province’s first railway worth noting was the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway from Toronto to Aurora in 1853 then on to Bell Ewart (across Cook’s Bay from Roche’s Point) in 1854 and to Barrie and Collingwood the following year.In 1871, the Toronto and Nipissing Railway was built north-east from Toronto through Scarborough, Stouffville, Uxbridge and to Coboconk by 1872.In order to access the lumber industry at Lake Simcoe, several area businessmen worked to have a connection to the Toronto markets. The Lake Simcoe Junction Railway was incorporated in 1873. When constructed, this line would branch off of the Stouffville Junction, a part of the Toronto & Nipissing Railway.In 1883 the T&N and several other railways were merged with the Midland Railway of Canada. The Grand Trunk Railway was leasing, amalgamating and acquiring railway lines throughout Ontario. In 1884 the GTR leased the Midland and in 1893 the line was amalgamated into the Grand Trunk Railway. In the ensuing years, the GTR continued to expand across the country, taking on projects that it couldn’t afford. After it became clear that the company could not repay the loans from the federal government, it was eventually absorbed into the Canadian National Railways (a Crown corporation), in 1923.A line was built from Stouffville to Jackson’s Point in 1877. A railway wharf was constructed at Jackson’s Point two years later. It was called the Lake Simcoe Junction Railway. There were eight stations and sidings located along the line: Ballantrae, Vivian, Franklin (called Powells), Mount Albert, Brown Hill (called Ravenshoe), Baldwin (platform only), Sutton and Jackson’s Point. Water towers were located at Mount Albert and Sutton. A turntable, engine house and grain elevator was also located at Sutton.The original station built by the Lake Simcoe Junction Railway (c.1877) was destroyed by fire around 1900 after it was hit by lightning. It was replaced by a Grand Trunk style station which, 20 years later, was burned down after a tree was hit by lightning, caught fire, and fell on the station. It was replaced by this station in 1924.
Trapper’s Cabin
(The interior space is not open for viewing at this time).This small wooden shed has been transformed into a replica of a trapper’s (or a hunter’s) cabin. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it was not uncommon for men to venture out into the bush for months at a time and trap animals for their livelihood. Trips of this length required the men to build cabins like this one, for shelter.Inside, there is a bunk for sleeping, a small woodstove and table and chair. There was room for the trappers’ provisions, rifles and traps. The trapper went out several kilometers from their cabin to lay traps in order to keep animals away from their temporary lodging. There are different sizes of traps for different animals, but all have blunt ends that capture the animal until the hunter arrives. After the animal was killed, it was skinned and the fur and meat brought back to the cabin. The trapper then went into town to trade the fur for money or supplies.
Roche's Point Post Office
Darius Mann House
The property on which this house originates is outside the village of Belhaven. The east 1/4 of Lot 16 Concession 5. This is the north-west corner of (present-day) Kennedy Road and Old Homestead Road. The farm consisted of 50 acres. That lot is in the bottom right of each of the following maps.
Elm Grove Free Methodist Church
Free Methodists believe: God exists as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus (the Son), God atoned for the sins of the world. People who begin a new life with Christ are reborn, free from the penalty and guilt of their sins of the past life. People can be free from sin through living a holy life in accordance with the bible’s teachings, but performing good works does not forgive sin. Rather, performing good works is the result of following the teachings of the bible. That the word of the gospel should be shared with others and that others can be converted. That the bible is true and correct. The New Testament fulfils the Old.They are “Free” because they believe worship can take place anywhere and does not need a church with strict ceremony and ritual. What matters is that there is space and freedom for the Spirit to move the person, should they choose. in the right to freedom for all. The early Free Methodists were fervently opposed to the slave trade taking place in the U.S. God can call anyone to lead the church, including women. church should be free for all to attend. The practice of renting pews excluded the poor and there should be space for all to worship. there should not exist an expectation to dress up “in your Sunday best” to attend services. Worshipers are free to come as they are. members should be free from secret societies that divide loyalties.
Cedar Brae Schoolhouse
In 1880, the ratepayers of School Section #3 in Georgina Township petitioned municipal council for a division of their section. From this, Council created School Section #6, by By-Law No. 63, which came into effect on February 1, 1880. Hugh Thornber, a resident of the new section, was appointed to convene the first special school meeting.The community of present-day Cedar Brae went by various names over the years, such as Cedarvale, Cedar Vale, Cedardale, Cedarbrae, and Cedar Brae. It is the latter that appears to have finally ‘stuck’.The earliest attendance records in the collection of the Georgina Village Museum for the Cedar Brae School are dated to 1892. There were 47 students identified that year but the average monthly attendance ranged between 20—22 children. Surnames include: Bailey, Cain, Dafoe, Grey, Jagger, Ketch, Lyons, Mitchell, Phoenix, Prout, Rae, Tibell and York. A summary of attendance was tallied at the end of the school year, and it shows that Walter Draper (aged 12) and Joseph Gray (aged 5, one of only two children in school at that age) attended only 2 days, while the student who attended the most was Della Dafoe (aged 10) with 123 days in attendance. The oldest student was James Cain, aged 18.The school holidays began July 1st, with students returning on August 17. Observed school holidays were the Queen’s birthday, in May, Good Friday and Easter Monday, Thanksgiving Day (at this time, observed in November). Christmas holidays began on December 23rd and children returned to school January 1st.
Noble House
In the 1850s, two brothers, Charles & Hiram Noble, of Markham Township, began practicing medicine out of a building at present-day 107 High Street, Sutton. That building was lost to fire in 1922.In 1859, the brothers dissolved their practice, with Hiram relocating his to Sharon, Ontario. Charles was 28 years old.Charles later relocated to 123 High Street, Sutton. This house would become home to three generations of doctors: Charles Thompson Noble (I), Charles Thompson Noble (II), and Charles Stewart Noble. It is believed that the house was built by James O’Brien Bourchier or one of his children, as they owned the property until 1865. Charles (I) married Margaret Johnson, of Pefferlaw, in 1863 and later bought the property from the Bourchiers. Margaret died in 1873 and four years later Charles remarried Margaret’s first cousin, Ann Johnston. Charles (though mostly retired) practiced medicine until the age of 99, he died 2 years later in 1932.Charles (II) also held his medical practice out of this home. He married Margaret Stewart and after his death in 1953, the ownership of the home was transferred to her. Charles S. was the son of Charles (II) and Margaret. Charles S. was the last Noble to hold a medical practice out of this home; he moved nearby in 1955.Margaret Johnson was raised on the family farm, called “Berwickshire Auld Castle”, on present-day Park Road, north of Highway 48. On the death of her father, Margaret (Johnson) Noble and her single sisters moved into Pefferlaw, in a house built by their brother, James. Margaret’s sister, Jean, operated the first post office out of the back of the house. The girls operated a millinery business out of a family store.Charles T. Noble bought the Park Road farm from Margaret’s brother.In 1924, Dr. Noble (sr.) sold the 200 acre farm to his son Charles for $1, in the interest of “Love and Affection”.Dr. Noble’s second wife, Anne, donated funds to the Pefferlaw community to build a hall there. It was known as the Annie Noble Memorial Hall, and remains to this day, as a private residence.
Vanderburg General Store
The Georgina Historical Society Board met in September 1974 for a regular meeting. Only a month previous, Georgina Township granted the GHS use of 10 acres on the property recently acquired by the township. The GHS was to develop a Historic Village.A building, referred to in the GHS Board Minutes as “Store at Baldwin” was discussed:Store at Baldwin: Price is $500- maximum of $2500 fee for moving to village siteProblem: Building is cement clad and may not be movable—Mr. Harrison, the mover, will have to see the inside and foundation of the buildingThe building was located on the north side of Baldwin Road, just west of Highway #48. Until 1971, this side of the highway was North Gwillimbury Township, while the east side of the highway was Georgina Township. In the photo below the site of the store is circled in red.
