SHARON MUSEUM & GARDENS

In 1991, the Sharon Temple Museum Society (STMS) was incorporated and took over the ownership and operation of the site. The STMS continued to add buildings to the museum. During the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, the museum benefited from new research made possible, in part, by the discovery of a large collection of original documents hidden in the altar, or Ark, at the centre of the Temple. This was a time when traditions such as the annual Illumination and Music at Sharon were revived and the museum increasingly came to be used as a venue for weddings and other special occasions aided by the long-term lease of the adjacent Temperance Hall.

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The Sharon Temple was designated a site of national significance in 1990 by Parks Canada, making it a National Historic Site. In 2006, the Toronto Star named the Sharon Temple one of the 10 most architecturally important buildings in Canada.
 

In 2012,  the museum saw the completion of a major restoration of the Temple with the repair of the windows on the first and second story, as well as a full repair of the foundation. The exterior was also painted. In addition, reproduction cedar shake shingles were put on the Doan House, Log Cabin, and Cookhouse. David Willson’s Study also saw some much needed restoration of some of the arches, as well as replacement reproduction lanterns.
 

A new entrance pavilion and a new Gift Shop was officially opened in 2014. It has allowed the site to have a second exhibit space. New programs are being created and new relationships are being forged with a variety of organizations to allow staff and volunteers to be more active in the East Gwillimbury community.

 

In 2025, the Board of Directors announced a rebranding of the museum. The site would henceforth be known as Sharon Museum & Gardens, retaining the central purpose of preserving the Sharon Temple and its history while also embracing the 
 

Currently, the Sharon Temple Museum Society Board of Directors is considering new strategies to help make the site more economically viable; plan for the construction of a year-round museum building; and look for new ways to attract the interest and support of our rapidly growing and increasingly multicultural, technically savvy community.