History of the Museum
Following the death of founder David Willson in 1866, the Children of Peace began to decrease in number. After the 1880s, the Temple declined in use, though members of the Sharon community more broadly would continue to use the building for concerts and garden parties well into the early 1990s. A hailstorm in 1893 was responsible for tremendous damage to the buildings, shattering hundreds of panes of glass; at this time, the building became to appear derelict. Other buildings, such as their Meeting Houses and schools, were demolished in the early 1900s. Recognizing the Temple’s significance as an historic and architectural treasure, the Toronto-based York Pioneer and Historical Society raised funds to purchase the Temple and its grounds in 1917 and opened the Temple as a museum in 1918. Shortly afterwards, the York Pioneers moved David Willson’s study to the site.
The York Pioneers collected artifacts from throughout York County (now the Region of York) and created a county museum and park, with many hundreds of items displayed inside the Temple, and a baseball diamond, recreation area, and refreshment stand on the surrounding grounds. The site also was used for school fairs in which students from across the County would compete. Easily accessible from Toronto by the nearby radial railway line, the museum and park achieved considerable success and became a focal point for life in the village of Sharon and the surrounding township of East Gwillimbury in the first half of the twentieth century.
In 1912, the grounds surrounding the Sharon Temple were sold to local farmer Michael Ramsay. He would graze his cows there. This photograph captures this era of the Temple's history as well as the significant damage inflicted on the building by the 1893 hailstorm.
The York Pioneer and Historical Society restored the Sharon Temple in 1918. This included repairing the broken windows and doors. With this photograph, we can better understand the magnitude of the restorations undertaken by the York Pioneers.
In the 1950s, the museum’s focus began to change, emphasizing the story of the Children of Peace rather than the broader history of York County. To make this change, the York Pioneers restored and moved the 1819 home of Ebenezer Doan, master builder of the Temple, to the museum grounds. They also acquired and moved a log house associated with Jesse Doan, bandmaster of the Children of Peace. These acquisitions were followed in 1967 (Canada’s centennial year) by the construction of an exhibit building which also contained an office, work area, and washrooms. Gradually, artifacts that had no association with the Children of Peace were removed from the Temple and placed in the other buildings. The baseball diamond and other remnants of the park’s early days were removed. Access to the site was provided by a Gatehouse, a building moved from Queensville and relocated by the parking lot to the north of the Temple.
Another change in direction took place in the 1980s with the beginnings of “Music at Sharon,” a concert series which would run for ten years, culminating in the presentation of Serinette, an opera by Harry Somers and James Reaney. The series was broadcast on CBC Radio and brought the Temple fame across Canada.
By 1991, however, it became evident that a new, locally based organization was needed to run the site and plan its future development. This coincided with the recognition of the Sharon Temple as a National Historic Site due to its architectural significance and its history as one of Canada’s first examples of historic preservation. Ownership and operation of the site passed to the newly formed Sharon Temple Museum Society, and it now operates as Sharon Museum & Gardens.
